As a relationship counselor with over 10 years of experience, I've learned that even the strongest couples face conflict. What sets emotionally intelligent couples apart is their ability to stay connected, even when disagreements arise. I'm often more concerned about couples who never fight, because avoiding conflict entirely can hide unresolved hurts. One sharp comment can seem like an attack on your character. For example, you forget to text back and it is interpreted as not caring. A request for space could be misconstrued as abandonment. Research shows that when couples are distressed, they're more likely to interpret a partner's behavior in ways that make it feel intentional, fixed, and personal ("you did this because you're that kind of person"). Before conflicts devolve into defensiveness and character attacks, I give my clients a simple exercise. For example, "Why do you shut down every time I bring something up?" Write down the observable behavior, its impact on you, and one clear, workable request: "When you go silent in moments like this, I start filling in the gaps on my own. What would really help is just hearing where you are, even if you don't know what else to say yet." This is a great way to protect your relationship while still naming the problem and offering something constructive. Emotionally intelligent couples don't expect their partner to fix their feelings, but they also don't shut each other out. A partner's presence can help them stay regulated and connected, even in anger or frustration. Pausing during conflict is one of the hardest skills. It's hardest when you're triggered and least able to access your tools. Couples can also use co-regulation — small ways to calm together: "Can we sit next to each other while we talk?" or, "Can I get a hug first, then we keep going?" These strategies help partners stay connected while still taking responsibility for their own emotions. Emotionally intelligent couples slow this process down and become, in effect, investigators of each other's inner worlds. Curiosity has been associated with greater closeness and intimacy in conversations, especially during moments of disagreement. Part of why curiosity disappears whether it's one, 10, or 20 years in is because we start living off our assumptions. We tell ourselves we already know what our partner meant, what they felt, and why they did it because the person across from you is so familiar. Conflict then becomes two competing narratives instead of a shared inquiry into what's really happening, even when you disagree. Baya Voce is a relationship expert who helps couples come back together after conflict. She regularly speaks at SXSW, and her TEDx talk on loneliness has over 5 million views. Sign up for CNBC's new online course, How to Raise Financially Smart Kids. Learn more about the world of CNBC Make It

Europe stands at a crossroads: compete meaningfully in the AI race or stick to its world-leading climate goals. "It's like a fork in the road moment for Europe," Wedbush Securities' Dan Ives told CNBC. Globally, energy is the biggest bottleneck for building out AI-related data center projects. While the U.S. fires up fossil-fuel plants to power its build-out, Europe requires developers to disclose energy and water efficiency measures, adding red tape that can slow project launches. The European Union is often celebrated for its suite of agenda-setting environmental policies and how it has made strides with new mechanisms, such as the forthcoming carbon border tax. However, some critics argue it gets in the way of business. The continent is seen as "anti-entrepreneur," Ives said, which pushes European technology names and startups to move to the U.S., Middle East, or Asia in pursuit of more favorable policies. As Europe attempts to catch up in the AI race, the need for power-hungry infrastructure increases, demand for electricity surges — and that friction has become harder to ignore. Additional renewable energy capacity was intended to replace more polluting sources, but there are now concerns that this will play out differently. "You can see in the U.K. that we're already rowing back on some of our commitments," Paul Jackson, regional Global Market Strategist at Invesco, told CNBC – and Europe will likely follow suit. "This is a fairly regular process that when times are good, it's easy to persuade individuals, businesses, governments, to move in the right direction on things like climate change, and to take some of the cost associated with doing that," Jackson said. "I'm worried that, at a certain stage, coal power plant closures might get actually postponed," Jags Walia, head of global listed infrastructure at Van Lanschot Kempen, told CNBC. Taking fossil fuels offline as renewables come online works when energy demand is flat, but that's no longer the case, he said. Data centers also require constant connection, so the intermittency of wind and solar could prove tricky. On Dec. 9. it approved a one-year delay to the implementation of a fresh EU emissions trading system for buildings, road transport and small industries – though simultaneously committed to slashing emissions by 90% by 2040. Some have welcomed the moves as much-needed pragmatism rather than a retreat. "We are always at the edge of navigating into a position where it becomes so unattractive to be present in Europe that it doesn't make sense anymore. And on the other hand, a lot of the regulation is direly needed," Nick de la Forge, a general partner at venture capital fund Planet A Ventures, which backs climate-related technology startups, told CNBC's "Europe Early Edition" on Dec. 11. "And luckily, what we are seeing is a pretty healthy revamp." The reshaping of directives, including the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), which is currently undergoing review, is "quite pragmatic, and we think that's an improvement," De la Forge said. AI advocates tout the technology's ability to make energy systems more efficient and boost sustainability, positioning it as both a problem and solution to intensifying demands on the grid, and perhaps making it worth the investment. "As AI rapidly advances, its potential to strengthen Europe's energy resilience and accelerate the clean transition is becoming increasingly clear. They added that the economic bloc "is fully prepared to seize these opportunities while safeguarding the stability and reliability of Europe's energy system." The Commission did not specifically address questions asked by CNBC around a rollback of sustainability legislation as a result of its AI push, or how it plans to meet the new legally binding target. If policymakers hold tight on sustainability requirements, AI infrastructure developers may instead offset their emissions with carbon credits or renewable energy certificates. "Because, in reality, they will use some gas, and they may even use some coal," he said, referring to variations in the makeup of energy grids. In all, it has created an era of energy addition rather than transition – a dynamic embraced by oil CEOs – as AI-driven demand for power outpaces supply from clean sources. It's also a question of energy security, not only abundance. The data center and AI race "puts a lot more strain on our energy infrastructure, and as we have seen in recent years, we're not terribly resilient when it comes to that," said Jackson. It means adding an almost base-level demand of energy to existing grids, which could make pricing more volatile and lead to energy rationing, he said. For Kokou Agbo Bloua, global head of research at Société Générale, it's "a massive elephant in the room" and one of his biggest worries looking forward. And if you look at green technologies, [they're] being used for data centers, as opposed to replacing fossil fuels." But it could be some years before a formal scrapping of Europe's environmental targets. "Sometimes on sustainability goals, what countries do is, if they are going to walk away from a goal, they try to leave it till the last minute," Walia said. Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox