Marriage

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).

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?

What is more exciting than a beautiful spring afternoon spent doing taxes? Whether we like it or not, tax season is upon us. Only one weekend left to file those papers, and if you’re filing jointly with your spouse or partner, time to get down and dirty with each other’s finances too. Dealing with money can be a source of major conflict for many couples. It’s never too late or too early to get the conversation started. Here are a few articles from this week’s Newsweek that might interest you.

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.