The secret to happiness in almost any relationship is knowing what not to say. Ask your new love about her old loves and you’ll learn more than you want to know, and hear things you’ll never be able to unhear. Start telling your teacher that your dog ate your homework while your grandma was being rushed to the hospital, and he’ll have even less patience with you than if you just say, “I blew it.” One reason we’re advised to send only brief emails is that too much information gives the person at the other end much more to misinterpret — or to start chewing over at 3 a.m. The … Continue reading Pico Iyer