Of course, one man's sin is another man's natural human inclination.

Look at those seven vices through the right lens and they might not seem so terrible after all. In fact, they could even be good for you...

Pride

According to Christian theology, pride is the worst of all the seven deadly sins.

It's wrapped up in arrogance and selfishness and acts as a gateway sin, leading you to lust, envy, and all the rest.

The idea was borne out by a recent literature review from the University of Missouri, which found that arrogance is on a spectrum.

It starts with individual arrogance, which is an inflated view of oneself, moves to comparative arrogance, where that inflated view fuels a feeling of superiority and ends at antagonistic arrogance when superiority leads people to treat others poorly.

However, a hint of pride could also be a good thing. After all, loving oneself is associated with feelings of confidence, self-worth, and assertiveness. Many people who lack those qualities would say it's better to have them than not.

Indeed, a recent study from Queen's University Belfast found that narcissism, or excessive pride in oneself, increased mental toughness, which helped to offset symptoms of depression. People who scored highly in tests for grandiose narcissism were also less stressed.

Dr Kostas Papageorgiou, from Queen's School of Psychology, said: "This research really helps to explain variation in symptoms of depression in society. If a person is more mentally tough they are likely to embrace challenges head-on, rather than viewing them as a hurdle.

"While of course not all dimensions of narcissism are good, certain aspects can lead to positive outcomes." Continue reading

That's the counsel the advice columnist for the liberal English newspaper The Guardian gives to a woman who doesn't know whether to move in with a boyfriend who won't even say that he loves her.

Save "duty sex" for later, Mariella Frostrup continues.

"The desire for a fellow human being is about as real an expression of human nature as you can get. There is little sense, at the start of a relationship, in compromising on something so fundamental to harmonious cohabitation. A pragmatic approach to a long-term relationship may be sensible, but only when that sense of compromise toward a greater goal is evenly distributed and shared rather than dictated by one partner."

Kicking off with unrealistic lust leaves young women anxious about moving in with men who don't want to marry them, but the good of sexual indulgence is not to be questioned. Otherwise Frostrup, like all her peers, believes in "compromise." It's the one marital virtue she recognizes.

Which makes sense since she has, as far as I an tell, no clear idea of marriage, other than as a more intense and legal version of living together that some people choose because it makes them happy at the time. If you have no ideal to aim for, no form to fit, no rules to live by, you can only compromise when you disagree.

A marriage becomes a ship with two captains who enjoy sailing together, at least for now. When they disagree about the course to take they chart a course halfway between the ones they each want. It's good enough if all you want to do is sail together and don't want to get anywhere. If they can't compromise on their course, one or the other can abandon ship. Continue reading

• David Mills, former executive editor of First Things, is a senior editor of The Stream, editorial director for Ethika Politika, and columnist for several Catholic publications.