The morning quickie: the perfect way to start your day. Read on for three interesting love and sex tidbits: the unexpected statistics on divorce rate for second marriages, the importance of intimacy with yourself, and asexuality.
"Quit playing games with my heart," sang the Backstreet Boys, in 1996. They clearly hadn't been involved in any long-term relationships—playing games with your spouse may actually be a sign of a strong bond. After being together with someone for a long time you start to develop an inner world—inside jokes, funny nicknames, code words and games—these are understandings that outsiders don't share: a special, partnered intimacy. What friendly competitions do you have with your mate?
Work stress got you down? Monday blues getting the best of you? There may be a cure: more cuddling! According to a new study, couples that express intimacy, be it through snuggling, kissing or sex, have lower levels of the stress hormone, cortisol. The study supports past research that's found that married people are generally healthier than singletons (and we're not just talking health-care benefits) and that women who are in bad relationships have weaker immune systems.
Lemondrop's Bediquette column today discusses the comfort—and horror—of familiarity. According to a new poll, romance lasts exactly two years, six months and 25 days, after which time couples stop trying and start leaving the toilet seat up (79% of men married 10+ years do this), hording the remote (75% of both sexes wouldn't relinquish control when asked nicely) and forgetting their wedding anniversary (actually, this happens by the third year of marriage to 83% of couples).
Couples therapist and author Esther Perel discusses her book, Mating in Captivity, which helps couples reconcile the domestic and the erotic. More Juicy Content From YourTango: Jennifer Aniston Will Get Married By The End Of The Year My 25-Year Affair With A Married Man
Opportunities for intimacy are all around us, and they don't need to be sexual. (But they certainly can be…) We can have intimate moments with family and friends and they need not have naughty overtones. But we can also have intimacies that are rooted in sexual desire, and having and desiring and pursuing those relationships need not be precluded by our marital state. I hope that everyone who is married has intimacy with their spouse. But I also want to dispel the myth that marriage is the only thing that can provide "true" intimacy.
Author Kimberly Ford shares stories from her new book, Hump: True Tales of Sex After Kids. More Juicy Content From YourTango: • 7 Sex Positions To Turn Him On • Happy Endings For Women • How Do You Keep Sex Interesting? [VIDEO]
Getting bored with your sex life? Love U shows you how to spice up your marriage with 3 helpful tips.
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Is massive mileage keeping you and your man apart? Let Love U help bridge the distance. Also, how NOT to read a love letter on your Web cam.
Though you're both speaking English, do you ever feel you and your guy are speaking different languages? Watch Love U for some hilarious translation tactics.
Wish he'd remember to put down the toilet seat? Can't he possibly clean the garage when you ask him to? Turn your rough-around-the-edges guy into a true gentleman with these training tips.
