Ashley Fike

Ashley Fike turns research, psychology, and internet culture into clear stories about happiness, relationships, and everyday health. She is a staff writer at VICE with more than 15 years of professional writing experience. Her work spans sex, science, culture, and whatever the internet is collectively focused on, delivered through reported features, service journalism, and recurring horoscope columns.

Happiness Habits and Everyday Mental Health

Much of Fike’s health coverage centers on how small, concrete habits can improve mood and wellbeing. In pieces such as her exploration of a simple habit that psychologists say can make people significantly happier, she focuses on actions that are easy to adopt and grounded in current psychological research. She extends this approach to nature and environment, writing about the “20-5-3 rule” that scientists say could be exactly what many people need to feel better by spending structured time outdoors. Her article on whether minimalism actually makes people happier looks at simple living not as an aesthetic trend but as a practical route to less stress and more satisfaction, highlighting how regular people benefit from decluttering and intentional consumption. Across these stories she translates studies and expert insights into plain language, emphasizing realistic changes over drastic life overhauls.

Research-Driven Love, Relationships, and Dating Trends

Fike writes extensively about romantic relationships and dating, with a focus on how evidence and expert opinion can clarify modern dynamics. In “The Biggest Sign You’re in the Right Relationship, According to Research,” she examines findings that suggest relationship quality depends less on perfectly understanding a partner and more on feeling truly understood, reframing compatibility as an emotional experience rather than a checklist. Her work on age-gap relationships, including a feature outlining five ways to make an age-gap relationship work, uses interviews with relationship and sex experts to surface the conversations couples often avoid, such as power imbalances and future planning. She also tracks emerging dating language and behaviors, as in her coverage of the “puffer-fishing” dating trend that might explain why some people remain single, connecting viral terms to underlying patterns of manipulation, self-protection, and expectations in modern dating. Across this relationship coverage she blends accessible advice with rigorous sourcing, positioning emotional health and communication as central to romantic wellbeing.

Horoscopes and Emotional Guidance

Fike is a regular horoscope writer at the masthead, producing both weekly and daily forecasts. Her “Weekly Horoscope: July 5–July 11” and recurring “Daily Horoscope” entries frame planetary movements in terms of practical emotional themes, such as boundaries, self-care, and decision-making across work and relationships. These columns pair astrological language with clear, direct guidance, inviting readers to think about their mood, habits, and interactions rather than abstract fate. In this work, Fike treats horoscopes as another lens on health and happiness, using them to encourage reflection, intentional choices, and a sense of timing in everyday life.

Science, Animals, and Viral Phenomena

Beyond health and relationships, Fike frequently covers science stories and offbeat news that resonate online. Her reporting on scientists’ plans to find out if satellites are secretly carrying nuclear weapons explains a complex security and technology question in straightforward terms, focusing on methods, risk, and what it means for ordinary people. In a piece on Brazil passing a new law inspired by a dog’s 10-year vigil at a grave, she uses an unusual legal story to explore loyalty, grief, and how animal narratives influence public sentiment and policy. She also writes culture and music features, such as her look back at post-crunk rap songs from the 2000s and an article in which T-Pain recalls how he briefly lost his love for music, drawing out how soundtracks and artists shape personal and collective memory. This mix of science, animals, and culture reflects her broader habit of chasing stories that sit where human feeling meets unusual facts, keeping the tone accessible while grounding each piece in reporting.

Across outlets and roles, Fike has spent more than a decade crafting viral digital content and editorial features, sharpening a style that is direct, conversational, and closely tied to the way people live online and off. Whether she is unpacking a new study, breaking down a dating trend, or writing a horoscope, her work consistently links information to emotional impact, making health, happiness, and connection feel understandable and within reach.