Why therapists HATE the perfect boyfriend trend [English shadowing] Ep 865

Why therapists HATE the perfect boyfriend trend [English shadowing] Ep 865

June 8, 2026 · 13 min · Episode 865

About this episode

This episode explores the 'high-effort boyfriend' trend and its implications on relationships while teaching useful English vocabulary.

Today's English listening https://adeptenglish.com/english/listening/ is all about "High-effort boyfriends". You might have come across some of these "cringe" videos scrolling through your social media. A woman listing all the amazing things her boyfriend does for her? Trips, gifts, paying for everything. It looks perfect, but is it? is it really? In today’s learn English podcast**, we’ll explore the "high-effort boyfriend" trend. We’ll learn useful words like "performative", meaning something that looks good but isn’t real, and "autonomy", having your own power to make decisions. We’ll also talk about what it means to "infantilise" someone, treating an adult like they can’t do things for themselves. ✔️ Lesson transcript: https://adeptenglish.com/lessons/english-phrases-dating-trends-vocabulary/ These words are great for describing relationships, but they also help you talk about life in general. We’ll look at why this trend is so popular and why some people think it might be unhealthy. Press play and let’s start. Follow and subscribe to our FREE English language podcast, wherever you listen or watch your podcasts…

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