Let's Talk Relationships (Page 20)

No matter if you’ve just met someone, are into your third year of dating or are celebrating a 20th anniversary, there’s one thing that will always keep a relationship strong -- communication. Sometimes it isn’t easy. There are days and moments when you just don’t feel like talking or have run out of things to say. That’s perfectly normal. After all, not everyone can be on all the time. But if you really want things...

Can two lesbians be in love and not compatible? Love is one thing and compatibility is another, so the quick and dirty answer here is hell yeah! We’ve all watched or been that couple who fought like two cats meeting up on a fence at night, and cat fights are some of the nastiest. What is love? Love is a crazy combination of biology and behavior. Our hormones are an amazing mix of chemicals that create all kinds of...

Researchers believe the legalization of same-sex marriage in Utah might generate more than $15 million in revenue just related to the actual ceremonies, worth more than a million dollars to state coffers in taxes. The figures are based on average tourism and nuptial costs gathered from data in other states where such unions are allowed. The Williams Institute out of Los Angeles conducted the study. According to the...

Nagging prevents communication from being effective and can get in the way of emotional closeness and intimacy with your special guy. Nagging behaviors tend to push men away instead of bring them closer to you and can lead to distance and tension in relationships. Therefore, nagging behaviors are not the best way to maintain a healthy relationship, get what you want and have your needs met. What causes you to nag...

You’re up late one night. You’re tired, but you can’t fall asleep. You look at your girlfriend. She’s sound asleep. She looks so pretty. You think about waking her for a little midnight action, but you remember the conversation you had with her before you went to bed. She was tired from a long day at work. She couldn’t wait to get to bed. That’s why she headed to bed so early. So you head into the living room with...

This is an exclusive study conducted by DatingAdvice.com, which surveyed respondents over the course of three weeks to reflect an accurate representation of the U.S. population. How important are shared interests in a relationship? Having things in common is frequently mentioned when people are asked which traits they look for in a potential partner. However, we wanted to understand the breakdown a bit...

Can confessing to an affair actually be beneficial to a marriage? It does improve the odds of avoiding divorce, according to a new study that explores the effects of infidelity. Couples who hid their betrayal were found twice as likely to divorce within five years compared with those who faced the music. The joint research was conducted by researchers from the University of Washington and the University of...

Sleep positions have long been examined to interpret who a person is and how they feel. However, these efforts have typically involved the sleep patterns of just one person and what the body language displayed represents about them. Now new research, which was conducted by the University of Hertfordshire in England, is taking that same approach and applying it to couples, how they are positioned during sleep and...

Deciphering a partner's true level of sexual satisfaction might be easier than some films have led us to believe. A new study that appeared in the online journal Archives of Sexual Behavior found both men and women are equally good at accurately pinpointing how satisfied their partner really is. The flip side to this good news may be how some partners actually have more trouble hiding their dissatisfaction. The...

Low blood sugar can lead to a litany of symptoms and side effects, but can it also lead to heartache? A new and unique study conducted by Ohio State University explored how low blood sugar can impact conflict within a relationship, feelings about one's partner and the emotions at play. Using voodoo dolls meant to simulate their partners, more than 100 participants were asked to stick pins in the doll every night...

This is an exclusive study conducted by DatingAdvice.com, which surveyed respondents over the course of three weeks to reflect an accurate representation of the U.S. population. Keeping your wits about you is always a good idea on a first date. For a lot of people, that means avoiding alcohol. Some stay dry on those first few dates out of respect, others for tradition and some even for safety. Avoiding alcohol...

New research is challenging old conventional wisdom that says rebound relationships are a bad idea if you’re still pining for another. However, the somewhat cruder advice that the best way to get over someone is by getting underneath someone else may actually carry some truth. At least, according to researchers at City University of New York. The study found in relationships where one partner maintained romantic...

Most people really love a challenge. We see it as chasing something or someone that really gets our blood boiling, and when we finally wrap our arms around our target, it can be the best feeling in the world. But sometimes we men go after women who not only enjoy the chase but like it so much they don’t know when to stop. I don’t know about you, but after a while, this becomes exhausting and taints the formation of...

Is there a correlation to be made between cheating and tweeting? Since the dawn of social media, experts have tried to understand how these new technologies might help or hinder our relationships. Now researchers are looking specifically at Twitter and how those few short keystrokes can affect real couples. Nearly 600 users of varying ages were surveyed in a new study, with conflicts reported around everything from...

Every woman will date or has dated a guy for his potential (myself included). I remember dating guys who were 70 percent of my ideal, hoping the 30 percent would fall into place. When the 30 percent didn’t transpire, I was let down. Here’s what I learned: Dating a guy for his potential led me to have expectations of who he could become and how he should be. Since I was being with who I thought he could be...

Romance is best served with a good back story or a personal history of how two lovers met and ultimately became a pair. It can be a source of great pride, or in some cases, it can be a dubious circumstance some don’t fully approve of. The question behind a new study from researchers at Cornell University then becomes how important is that back story, and how does it affect the relationship? According to the...

Question: Can two bottoms in a monogamous gay relationship make it work? The answer to this...a resounding yes! But this will also depend on what you put into the relationship, as well as the attitude that goes along with it. I recently wrote an article about top/top couple pairings. It’s quite interesting to me the increase in questions that have been coming in about the viability of top/top and bottom/bottom...

Reader Question: I am 45 and my husband is chronically ill. I am his caregiver and also have a 5-year-old. I am not sure the right way to approach dating. Some may think it is inappropriate, but I think it is my choice, although admittedly I am more interested in companionship and intimacy than a long-term relationship. I'm just not sure how to approach men or even where. Any advice? -Victoria...

Some people just thrive in the dark and are more likely to kick into gear after the sun goes down. But do those people have better sex lives? Or for that matter, worse relationship patterns? Both were findings from a new University of Chicago study aimed at understanding how this schedule shift impacts our waking hours. According to the research, women night owls were found to have sex more often but a lesser...

This is an exclusive study conducted by DatingAdvice.com, which surveyed respondents over the course of three weeks to reflect an accurate representation of the U.S. population. The importance of a healthy sex life is more significant to certain Americans than others. A person’s age, wealth or relationship status might suggest they’re less likely to consider sex a crucial aspect of a good relationship. But is...

The locker room has always been a highly masculine environment where aggression is encouraged -- and cruelty is sometimes rewarded. But how much does this boorish behavior among young men actually impact the players' lives? New research suggests it may come at a heavy price, finding teen boys who participate in school sports were twice as likely to have abused their girlfriend recently compared with other...

This is an exclusive study conducted by DatingAdvice.com, which surveyed respondents over the course of three weeks to reflect an accurate representation of the U.S. population. A blind date can be a wonderful once in a lifetime opportunity, or it can wind up as an evening entirely devoid of romance, chemistry or conversation. In a new DatingAdvice.com study, 57 percent of Americans say they have never been on a...

As a man who has been writing about dating for almost a decade, I’ve witnessed how intensified the process of meeting and mating has become. Things are changing at a rapid fire pace. What has stayed the same, unfortunately, are a series of misnomers and untruths that impede a person’s ability to find what they’re looking for. Let’s start with the tried and true: “If he’s the right guy, he’ll wait” myth. This,...

So what do you do when the object of your desire is a gay man who is in the closet about his sexuality? Are these dating relationships viable? Generally speaking, the prognosis for relationship success tends to be stronger when gay men are of similar "outness" statuses. There tends to be less tension and friction due to the mutual positions they hold with sexual identity comfort. For example, in situations when...

Reader Question: My ex and I were sleeping together. Then we had a fight. She admitted, as did I, that we would like to be involved again. In the meantime, she had set up a weekend with some other woman she had met online. I thought she was meeting her for an afternoon, but it turns out they were meeting for the entire weekend (meaning they would have sex). Once I found that out, I was livid, hurt, angry and very...

When asked, women will frequently agree that partners in a relationship should be equals. Whether on issues of money or marriage, they often support a genuine partnership over one side calling all of the shots. However, new research, which was conducted by New York University doctoral candidate in sociology Ellen Lamont, is challenging the way many women still seemingly accept certain elements of “the man’s role”...

Are you predisposed to get married soon and perhaps you just don’t know it yet? New research from the University of Miami is exploring the predictors that indicate if someone is likely to get married in the next few years, whether or not that person intends to do so or not. Gathering data from more than 9,000 young people, the research team assessed each participant based on a number of criteria. These included...

Everyone wants and desires love in their lives. It’s natural and part of what makes us all human - edgy feelings when you connect with another, making your heart skip in those crazy, irresistible beats. However, for some it doesn’t mean running to the jewelers, racing inside a church or shopping for furniture together at Crate & Barrel. Many are content searching for and finding love as it comes and don’t...

Most people who are looking for love would be wise to cast a wide net. It's a good idea to look beyond your own religion — if religion isn’t on your deal-breaker list (if you don’t have one, grab a pencil!) But that means you may be spending this spring celebrating a different religious holiday with your new boyfriend. It’s important to know how to behave when you’re with someone who has a different religion than...

Reader Question: I'm a 23-year-old woman. I have had failed relationships in the past and am currently single. I want to find true love but am wary of trusting people because I tend to get hurt very easily. I work from home, reducing my chances of meeting new people. Of late, I'm beginning to get a little paranoid that I may never find my soul mate. What should I do? -Cynthia Rachel Dack's Answer: Hey...