The National Sleep Foundation would like you to know that March 3- 9 is National Sleep Awareness Week. Doesn’t that sound like a bit of a paradox?

Scientists have long known what your grandchildren-wanting parents and in-laws don’t want to tell you: Having children is hard on your marriage. However, scientists may now have discovered a corollary to this rule that could either help you be the exception, or perhaps warn that you’re likely to suffer this fate so you can prepare accordingly.

Being a scientist means many (and I mean many) hours in the lab collecting data, weeks in front of the computer writing the papers, months waiting to get your papers published, and often no notice of what you do.

But every once and a while you get some good press…

Over the past few months I have written several blogs on how experiencing and expressing positive emotions can make you healthier, happier, and have more fulfilling and satisfying relationships. Is the opposite true?

Physical appearance is often the first things we notice about someone we meet. It can play a role in who we are attracted to, who we date, and sometimes even who we marry. But does physical attraction matter once relationships are established? According to recent research, the answer is yes, but maybe not in the ways you might expect.

Why do people perform relatively poorly when it comes to their accuracy in assessing the personality attributes of potential mates? Was Kant right?

Why friends may be less forgiving than we are for our partner’s transgressions.

As someone who loves great food, I thought this article in the New York Times was particularly interesting. It discussed how different food choices could be stressful on relationships. Discover what other studies say about why sharing food in your relationships may be important.

One of our Advisory Board Members and professor at UCLA, Dr. Tom Bradbury, is now offering seminars for couples on relationship functioning, and what couples can do to keep their relationship strong. Find out more.

Dr. Peter Todd has applied cognitive models to what is called the “37% rule” (otherwise known as the “secretary problem” in the world of analytic heuristics) to the task of human mate selection and found that your optimum solution is likely to be found within just 10 first dates.

According to research conducted by Andrew Gulledge and his colleagues, daily behaviors can be important in expressing love and affection, and they can also be good for your relationship. Find out how men and women differ in their preferences for certain types of physical affection.

Receiving a gift for Valentine’s Day? Whether that gift comes wrapped in newspaper comics or a turquoise box, your expression of gratitude during this time may contribute to your relationship happiness months down the road. Find out more.

Using sex-based stereotypes to describe women’s behavior is unfortunately alive and well. New studies out of Boston College show how women’s expressions are still characterized due to the stereotype that women are overly emotional, instead of reacting appropriately to a situation. Men, on the other hand, still get the benefit of the doubt.

Men and women express different emotions in their Valentine’s Day announcments.