We'll say it straight up: There's no good reason in the world to hang onto these habits. They aren't helping.

1. Nagging, nagging, nagging. We know about the squeaky wheel, but complaining loud and long gets you only short-term gains and builds up powerful discontent on your spouse's side.

2. Blaming, criticizing, and name-calling. These tactics belittle the person you promised to love, honor, and cherish; let you play angel to his or her devil; and don't address the responsibility you both share for your marital happiness.

3. Bullying, rudeness, and selfishness. These ugly power plays tell your partner that he or she … Read More

With shows like The Pickup Artist remaining perennially popular, it seems that male narcissism is flourishing if not becoming epidemic while being fueled by our culture and the media. While egomaniacs may make for irritating but good TV, they can have a truly destructive impact on the lives of their loved ones. Shocking Percentage Of Women Think Abuse Is OK

While considering the narcissistic levels of ourselves or loved ones is not new, a recent Chicago Tribune article about dating narcissists offered some handy tips on how to diagnose and, more importantly, decide to live with (or leave) … Read More

Okay, we've finally got 2009 out of our system. How was it? Well, some things were great, some were terrible and some decidedly medium. So everyone take five seconds and shake out the last vestiges of that fun 365. Awesome.

Now that that's taken care of, here are a few things that we should let pass with the decade, along with a few things you should resolve to replace them with.

Vocab:

Let's kill the following terms:
Douchebag. Any reference to "douche" (unless specifically related to feminine cleanliness and, even then, sparingly) should be tabled. 
Bromance. Hey! Dudes like each other. Sometimes … Read More

Did you know that the rate of infidelity in American marriages has not increased in 20 years, even though attitudes toward adultery have loosened in the past 40? More facts, in addition to tips for success are included in the University of Virginia's National Marriage Project's annual report "The State of Our Unions: Marriage in America 2009." You can click through the project's welcome page to read the 116 page report—or just get the abbreviated version here.

Our friends at The Huffington Post have thoughtfully pared the report's findings down to a few key points as an entry point … Read More

Recently it's become trendy for ambitious couples to enroll in "preventative" marriage therapy, attempting to amp up a relationship gone routine or to keep a mildly troubled one from going off the rails. Writer Elizabeth Weil's recent essay for the New York Times examines how a perfectly functional, more or less peaceful union can be improved and deepened, as much as the two partners are willing to dedicate themselves to the project. But warning: an endeavor as complicated as marriage cannot just be "solved." As Weil's wary husband Dan points out "if you're going to poke around the bushes, … Read More

So you've met a great guy. He's handsome, he's well-educated, he runs marathons, and he can even assemble an IKEA bookshelf in under an hour. Like most things in life, though, there is a catch: he still lives with his parents. It's not even as if he's 22, his parents are sick and need extra care, or that his bachelor pad just happened to burn down, leaving him out on the streets. Apparently, he just really enjoys being around Mom, Dad, Rusty the dog, and having immediate access to homemade cannoli.

Deal breaker? Don’t act too fast. Dating an adult male … Read More

Ivanka Trump married her boyfriend of two and a half years, New York Observer owner Jared Kushner, on Sunday at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. "Ivanka wore the most beautiful dress by Vera Wang that was reminiscent of Grace Kelly," Barbara Walters, a guest at the ceremony, reported on The View this morning.

Ivanka, an executive VP in her father's organization, and Jared, whose father, Charles, is also a real estate developer, like Donald Trump, began dating in 2007 and got engaged last July. Ivanka spent 18 months converting to Judaism for Jared, … Read More

For a lot of people, exercise and dating don't really go well together. Working out is something you do at the gym, either by yourself or in a room full of sweaty classmates. Going on a date, on the other hand, usually involves sitting, eating, watching movies—and maybe a long walk on the beach if you're lucky.

OK, so maybe you're too old for mini golf and batting cages, but there are other ways to enjoy quality time with your sweetie while still being active. (And if you ask me, the batting cages are still a blast too.) Here's our guide … Read More

Though autumn doesn't officially start until next week, football season has already begun. And, as I said last week, a gal with or interested in a football-loving dude has only two options: like it or lump it. Read: How To Manage His Love Of Football

The preferred option, as always, is "like it," and there are two ways to do so: actually like it, and fake it until you make it. If you're in the "actually like it" category, congratulations, you are a fan of America's most popular sport and you can stop reading now. If you're still reading … Read More

The NFL kicks off this week (September 10th), the college ranks began playing ball sometime last week. On any given weekend (Thursday to Sunday), there will be up to 30 hours of gridiron action, and that doesn't include pregame shows, the highlights or any games that may have been recorded along the way. 

Unless your guy is a complete diehard or employed by ESPN, he'll probably watch only a fraction of those games, say 6 – 15 hours… per weekend. That's not an insignificant amount of boobtube time. Being men, our hands are sort of tied on this. Football is … Read More