Friday, November 5, 2010 at 11:54AM A journalist recently interviewed me about the link between humor and attraction. You probably guessed there’s some connection, but did you know just how strong it is? There’s actually a wealth of research devoted to this subject, and the article above mentions just a few of the highlights Bottom line: in dating—and in life—a sense of humor can only help.
Thursday, September 2, 2010 at 02:54PM Feeling tempted to stray from your partner? You could learn a lot about self-control from Frog and Toad. No, you didn’t misunderstand me (or if you did, please comment below and tell me what you thought I meant—maybe there’s another interpretation of the story I should know). I recently rediscovered Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad during the story-time segment of my daughters’ bed time routine (thanks to a good friend who gave us the book as a gift). It’s a charming collection.
Sunday, May 23, 2010 at 01:44PM Matchmakers know their best shot at success is to pair people up based on attitudes and preferences. Gathering data for matching purposes is the bread and butter of on-line dating sites, and they have good reason to be confident in their approach. Decades of attraction research prove that similarity across a range of interests—favorite authors, politicians, TV shows, restaurants, heavy metal bands, and mullet styles—strongly predicts a couple’s chance of pairing up and shacking up, whether for a few weeks or for a life-time: the greater the similarity, the greater the attraction. Still, there’s another factor you need you know about that can override even the power of similarity.
Saturday, May 22, 2010 at 12:52PM One question I hear all the time is, “how do I flirt?” Believe it or not, there’s an answer to that question.
Monica Moore, a psychologist at Webster University, studied hour after hour of men and women flirting, carefully cataloging, at each instant, which glance or gesture seemed to have the greatest impact. Along the way she found an assortment of giggles, skirt hikes, hair flips, head nods, and even lip licks, but one move , more than any other, successfully attracted men again and again: A smile with a direct gaze. Just to prove how clueless we guys are, it turns out once is not nearly enough.
