Hot Science Blog

It seems that celebrity fathers are all the rage in the news lately (sorry, couldn’t help it). But then I thought back to my own childhood and realized that starting around twelve years old I had some nasty fights of my own with my beloved dad- and my parents are still married. What does the research on divorced dads tell us about the circumstances and how/why they occur?

A lot of attention is focused on how to improve romantic relationships, to keep your man or woman happy. But all types of relationships can use a little TLC (tender loving care). If you haven’t thought about how to maintain your friendships, there are several things people usually do that are positively related to friendship satisfaction and commitment to the relationship (Oswald, Clark, & Kelly, 2004). These maintenance behaviors are grouped into four categories: openness, positivity, supportiveness, and interaction.

Despite their geeky image (or perhaps because of it?) scientists have been devoting an increasing amount of attention to what makes Person A more attractive than Person B. Some things we’ve known for a long time. Propinquity (science lingo for “being nearby”), youth and health have long been viewed as important elements of physical attraction, as has physical symmetry. However, little has been offered that would seem to help the “dater in need of assistance.” What can you do to make yourself more attractive tonight?

There is a growing field and movement in psychology to find out what makes people happy. Find out more about what works and what doesn’t.

Relationships early in life can effect the emotions you experience in romantic relationship later in life. Find out more.

If researchers Simon Chu, Romy Hardaker and John E. Lycett have it right, those guys who have it all may in fact not when it comes to being attractive to women as long-term partners. Evolutionary psychology holds that women desire evidence of genetic fitness by seeking out attractive men and that they seek men with financial security to assure the ability to provide resources for childcare. So rich and attractive wins every time?

Of course arguing is a natural and normal component of spending a life with someone. But frequent nastiness is not. When is it too much- too often? When should you and your partner think about accessing resources? And what do other couples go to therapy for anyway (you might find you are not such a uniquely complicated and unhappy couple after all).

Mere moments spent searching with the words “chocolate” and “sex” on the internet generates numerous references to the aphrodisiac power of chocolate…or women’s preference for chocolate over sex. The latter might be seen as an aphrodisiacal canard. Does it prove that chocolate is sexy if women prefer it to actually having sex?

Given the tons of information floating around on Oxytocin, it’s no surprise that some questions follow. One fact many people have heard is that Oxytocin is released in large quantities upon orgasm. One logical question that follows is: If I have sex with someone, will I fall in love with that someone? Maybe, maybe not.

From the “intelligence is the new black” department: is being nerdy sexy? The Washington Post’s article on “Intellidating” described couples going on intellectually stimulating dates and then partaking in some arousing discussion afterward (for those so inclined, I’ve got a great research conference for you). But were they enjoying each other’s company because of the thought-provoking lecture they heard, or just because they were out of the house; reacting to something other than the demise of their favorite TV show?

Tragedies like the one at Virginia Tech are terrifying and troubling. We don’t know if something like that might happen to us, or someone we love. And it makes me wonder why someone would do such a thing. Regardless if you were directly affected by this tragedy or were not, events like these can make us feel more stress and it can make it even more difficult to cope with the challenges we have in our lives.

Under the category of “Not in a thousand years would I have thought of that study,” Dijkstra and colleagues find that if you assume the body posture you were in when an event occurred you have a better recall of it.

With today’s dual-career lives, internet-aided relationships, and dispersed extended families many couples find that they need to have a long-distance relationship for some period of time. The factors causing the need to live apart vary greatly but regardless of the reasons couples often wonder if this is going to have a long-term impact on their relationship. Surprisingly, research has shown that long-distance dating relationships (or LDDRs) are happier and more stable than those in geographically close relationships (or GCDRs). What gives?

This week’s NYT Science section gives those of us in relationship science plenty to talk about by dedicating the bulk of this week’s Science section to a variety of topics related to relationships. A hodgepodge of factoids about relationships reflects the lack of coherence apparent in relationship science as we try to pull together information from as divergent fields as evolutionary biology and online survey research. However, it also reflects a failure by scientists to present the areas of research in which coherence is emerging.