There's nothing quite like feeling a spark of attraction between you and someone you just met. Lately though, we've been wondering whether it's better to date a friend, or at least somebody we've known longer than just a couple of weeks, and who knows more about us than just our name and phone number. Sure, the transition from friend-to-boyfriend might feel a little sticky at first, but here are five benefits that overrule the awkwardness: 

1. He's familiar with your bad side.
Let's face it, during the first few months of dating someone new, it's easy to hold yourself together and pretend … Read More

Feeling a little rusty? Psychologist Judith Sills, PhD, recommends three attitude adjustments and a new skill.

1. Be truly single. Don't think: I'm too old, tired, or fat to do this. Do think: I just turned back the clock for a second chance.

2. Lose your agenda. Don't think: I save time by laying out exactly what I want. Do think: Discover the person in front of me.

3. Practice on social-networking sites. Don't think: I have no clue how to relate to a new person. Do think: I can use the internet to learn how to flirt and try out my … Read More

I'm a freelance private investigator based in Paris. I don't stalk people and I don't wear a trench coat and sunglasses—unless it's simultaneously raining and sunny. My company conducts investigations of high-flying financiers. While I have no interest in the finance world whatsoever, my entire income derives from it, and in last year's economic crisis, I had zero income for three solid months. The Frisky: Get Your Rocks Off: 8 Songs For Stripping

The U.S. job market tanked, the dollar crashed, and my company laid off 16 investigators. While I kept my job, there was just no work to do, … Read More

So you want to do something special for your beloved, but you're stumped for ideas. Whether you want a gesture that's creative, outrageous, affordable, quick or classic, we've got the answer.

Creative

Looking for some fun ways to add romance to your relationship? Try these creative romance tips:

1. Give your lover a dozen roses—and do it with a creative twist. Give eleven red roses and one white rose. Attach a note that reads: "In every bunch there's one who stands out—and you are that one."

2. Fake a power outage at home. (Loosen the fuses or throw the breaker switches.) With no TV … Read More

Love Bytes: 10 must-click love and relationship links:

Korean man marries pillow. Registers only for pillow cases? [Asylum]

Signs you're a female player. [The Frisky]

Signs we live in the 19th century. Alabama high school cancels prom so lesbian student can't bring female date. [lemondrop]

Japanese high school teaches students how to find and keep partners. [TresSugar]

Poll: How do you know when a relationshp is ending? [Em & Lo]

Don't be silly. Of course Barbie furries exist! [BuzzFeed]

7 ways to beat depression after a divorce. [Huffington Post]

5 embarassing things men tell their friends about you. [Cosmopolitan]

Spring's flirtiest trend. … Read More

Can you compare our desire for sexual intimacy to, say, our need for food? And, if so, is sexual anorexia the opposite of sex addiction?

Believe it or not, even though "lack of sex" isn't an official cause of death, experts are divided on this issue. The question recently popped up in the New York Times: A reader asked whether willingly "starving yourself" with too little sex is a real disorder (not just something that happens when you're too depressed to leave your house because you've just been dumped, it's snowing and Real Housewives of Dallas is on. Why isn't … Read More

This Friday (March 12) Matt Damon is back to his badass running, gunning and thinking ways with Green Zone. The handsome Oscar-ino (for Best Original Screenplay) teams up with Bourne episodes 2 and 3 director Paul Greengrass for this political blow 'em up.

Set in the early days of the US occupation of Iraq, the story follows Damon's Roy Miller, a warrant officer specializing in biological, chemical and nuclear arms, as he searches for the casus belli of the conflict: them pesky WMD. Along the way, he uses the term "WMD" almost as regularly as Liz Tuccillo and … Read More

The reason guys perpetually chase after younger women has been explained away by science many, many times. Today, another study surfaced claiming that men have higher sex drives later in life, outlasting their female counterparts, which may be yet another evolutionary explanation for the Hugh Hefners of the world.

According to a study in the British Medic Journal, men are revved and ready to pounce well into their 70s, while ladies are less enthralled with sex beginning as early as 65. Men generally report more positive feelings toward sex throughout their life, with the gender gap at its greatest … Read More

When our eyes feasted on The Daily Show segment featuring Jonah Falcon, an unemployed actor with a 13.5-inch penis, we too wanted to sink our fangs (not like that) into the story. The man with one of the largest (recorded) packages in the world? Yes, please! But strictly for research purposes, of course. After all, we spend a significant amount of time debating the dubious benefits of size and wanted to chat girlfriend-style about the member likely resting on the inside of his thigh, not too far from his knee. 

So we set up an online Q and … Read More

It's been a couple weeks since you and your latest match on eHarmony started corresponding, and after a few late-night IM sessions, the two of you are finally ready to meet in person. Do you test the waters over flights of beer? Or do you pump up the romance with a picnic in the park? Decisions, decisions—this one more challenging because your date is more or less a complete stranger. 

Singles living in San Francisco should thank the online dating gods, then, as a new city guide there offers recommendations for online dating-appropriate restaurants. Melanie Gagliardi, e-columnist author of The Tablehopper's Guide … Read More