When is it the best time to give someone your house key? This question is about trust and communication. And YourTango finds out some interesting things as we take it to the streets and find out when people are comfortable with handing our their house key.
Have you ever checked your partner's email without his/her knowledge? Does he have your passwords? Is it okay to listen to your significant other's voice mails? Where is the line between intimacy and honesty when it comes to personal, private communication. YourTango takes it to the street to find out what you think about your and your partner's right to privacy.
Everyone has flaws they can't put up with in a partner. What are the red flags that women know will sink a relationship? YourTango takes it to the street to find out what deal breakers women have.
More than one million singles have logged on to the Lavalife, which claims to be the online dating site "where singles click." Cute. So hold onto your hats, folks, and get ready for this: whatever you're looking for (Date? Relationship? Fling?), Lavalife.com will hook it up. Amen to online dating. All cynicism aside, here's what Lavalife has going for it: the site separates users by what they're looking for, casual dating, a relationship or an intimate encounter. Other sites boast similar breakdowns but Lavalife goes one step furthur, using the same system to organize articles Click, its online magazine. Lavalife features a city guide, as well as LavalifePrime for singles over 45. An unscientific Love Buzz survey found that most regular members range from early twenties to late thirties.
Looking to spice things up? The myriad love-enhancing products out there offer a little something for everyone. But what about the eco-minded? Or anyone with skin sensitivities or allergies? Enter Good Clean Love, a collection of organic lubricants, oils, butters, and other accessories that "make love sustainable." Love the tag line, adore the scents even more: lemon/vanilla, peppermint, cinnamon/vanilla, lavender/rose.
Most couples agree that sex on vacation beats their time between the sheets at home. But, as Newsweek reports this week, partners generally define "better" in different ways. For men, it's about quantity. For women, it's about quality. This seems logical. Vacation, provided couples aren't sharing hotel rooms with kids, offers a happy medium: there's more sex and it's more satisfying.
Learn just what your guy is saying with the help of Tango's video. And just as importantly, learn what he thinks you're saying.
Sure all good couples are too close but is there such thing as too close for comfort? There sure is. Everyone needs breathing space from time to time. So it's best to set healthy boundaries and try to abide by them. So, what about your boundaries? Are they permeable (which encourages closeness and intimacy) or are they flexible (which can promote lack of trust and stifle intimacy)? Find out.
Turns out love isn’t one, but five, languages. And the one you speak might be different from the one your partner does. The key to a happy relationship? Becoming fluent in both and express affection in a way that your partner can appreciate. Dr. Gary Chapman solves a few conundrums for us and shows couples that getting what you want is often just a matter of communication.
From Florida Today By Keilani Best Kissing is so common that many of us don't think there's more to it than meets the lips. Kissing is a universal language - a cross-cultural phenomenon, a sign of love, affection and kindness.
He's your gay best friend and no straight man can live up to him. But does he keep you from dating other people? Do you secretly wish he were straight? No matter how much platonic love you have for him, romance probably isn't in the cards for the two of you. Ephi Stempler, a gay man who is no stranger to this type of intimacy, explores how this friendship can damage your chance for healthy relationship. He calls it the "Will and Grace dilemma". Stempler writes, "One of the sitcom's primary contributions to popular culture was its ability to candidly portray the feeling of being in love with one's best friend. As the title characters slipped into codependency worthy of an all-consuming romance, they found it increasingly difficult to cultivate meaningful relationships with other men. And because the list of women I've known and loved is—sadly—twice as long as the list of men I've loved and slept with, I, too, have fallen prey to the 'Will and Grace dilemma.'"
Despite the teary goodbyes, lonely nights, flight delays, and outrageous phone bills, an estimated 14 million Americans are currently in LDRs, according to the Center for the Study of Long Distance Relationships. That number includes couples of all kinds, from those who fell for each other while living on opposite coasts to those who've been married for years but decided to live apart while she takes that plum international assignment or he goes back to school. How do they do it? The simple answer is that, barring the occasional attack on a hotel clerk, long-distance relationships can work—and work well. Research suggests that they don't break up at any greater rate than traditional, geographically close ones. Plus, multiple studies have found that LDR couples' levels of relationship satisfaction, intimacy, trust, and commitment are identical to their geographically close counterparts. LDR couples might worry more about infidelity, but they don't actually cheat more.
Susan Piver presents "The Hard Questions" for the post-honeymoon stage. Knowing what to ask each other (and yourselves) can help move your relationship to the next level. The author of the New York Times bestseller The Hard Questions: 100 Essential Questions to Ask Before You Say "I Do" offers up an exercise. "Romance can never last, but intimacy can never end," explains Piver, who created these 20 new "phase two" questions exclusively for Tango. She talks with us about her eye-opening exercise for anyone who has made a commitment—and is committed to making it last.