Blog Posts by HowAboutWe

By Yelena Shuster for HowAboutWe

Fireworks Here's a good reason to get over your shyness: talking about sex with your partner makes for better sex. Easy as pie! Mmmmm, sex and pie.

Plus: 15 Post Coital .GIFS For Any Situation

According to a recent study published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, just feeling comfortable talking about sex is directly connected to good sex.

These results aren't surprising, but important to keep in mind. As anyone who's ever babbled their way through a 1st date knows, communicating helps reduce anxiety. Plus, speaking up has the public health benefit of increasing the likelihood of safe sex (reminding him to put on the condom does not exactly qualify as dirty talk-in most situations).

Plus: 4 Things Congress Doesn't Know About Sex

Over 207 people completed surveys with an average age of 29. They were asked about their sexual self-esteem, communication, and satisfaction. Those more nervous in discussing sex were less likely to enjoy it and

By Lauren Passell for HowAboutWe

Love or LockDo you believe that you have one soul mate in the entire universe?

That's a beautiful thing to think about, isn't it? Oh wait. No it's not. It's pessimistic and unrealistic. If there is only ONE person for you, how on earth will you find them?

Plus: How Do You Know If You'll Ever "Click" With Someone As Much As You Did With Your Ex?

A nice play-by-soul mate-play maps out exactly what this would look like, and what the odds are of it actually happening.

So say you have one soul mate, who has been predetermined for you. According to soul mate rules, you have no idea who they are, they could be anybody, and you will recognize them the moment you set eyes upon them, and a cute pop-song will start playing in the background.

Plus: "No, Ma'am, I Don't Want to Buy That Knife From You": A Love Story

That leaves us with a few questions: is your soul mate alive? Or was she murdered in the Salem Witch Trials, or is he still waiting to be born to a random

Autumn LeavesBy Jillian Lucas for HowAboutWe

While the summer days are behind us, we can only look forward to the beautiful autumn days ahead and feel content. The smell of apple cider and the sound of crunching leaves is all it will take to get us out of the gloom from mourning the end of the summer. We already gave you a checklist of summer hook-up spots and we hope you got most of them done! If not, here's your chance to catch up before things get too chilly for a nuzzle session outdoors. Print this out and tuck it in your jacket pocket before you head out into the cooler days of fall.


In a pumpkin patch
At an apple orchard
Back of a haunted hay wagon

Plus: The 10 Best Places To Hook Up That Are - Let's Face It - Never Happening

Dressed up for Halloween
While grocery shopping for Halloween candy
Buying the thanksgiving turkey
Between sips of apple cider
Decorating for Halloween

Plus: The Top 10 Secret Places to Hook Up In Walt Disney World

At the Thanksgiving day parade
On top of a

By Lauren Passell for HowAboutWe

The news the America's favorite funny couple Amy Poehler and Will Arnett are separating took the nation by storm, sending people into fits of despair and wondering if love could possibly exist. But while this is devastating news, love DOES exist, Amy and Will are going to LOOOOVE AGAIN stronger than before, even if it takes a life time to get over it, heaven only knows, and we are all going to be okay. We can get over this together. Let's do this.

1. First, let's have a good cry.

By Jillian Lucas for HowAboutWe

Messy ponytail braidA recent post on Jezebel explores the ridiculous, albeit completely true, notion that men seem to feel more inclined to hit on a woman when they are dressed down. Now, I'm not talking jeans and a t-shirt dressed down. I'm talking hair-in-last-night's-bun, oily skin, carrying heavy/awkward bags of dirty laundry dressed down. That kind.

While the facts seem to make sense (as an honest equation put it, "Dumpy, tattered clothing + skin cloaked in an adolescent cocktail of T-zone oil, sweat and 12-hour old bronzing powder + a general lackluster attitude = A female appears approachable to men who otherwise wouldn't have a shot in hell") it feels like everything we learned from our mothers, sisters and friends (real and fictional/reality television based) about attracting a guy is now being thrown, with well-articulated gusto, out the proverbial window.



Plus: What Your Taste In Music Says About You On A Date

Okay, so the Walk-of-Shame may not be the primal

By Maryse Chevriere for HowAboutWe

Whiskey shots

Not that that anyone would really advise taking rounds of shots on a date (especially in the early stages), but just in case you're so inclined, here's what your favorite slam-it-back beverage is signaling to your suitor.

Plus: What Your Drink Says About You On A Date

Tequila: You're pretty much a sure thing.

Vodka: Next stop: the club.

Boilermaker: You're a man's man.

Pickleback: Hipster much? (And if you're a girl, possibly also trying to get the hot mustachioed bartender to notice you.)

Alabama Slammer: Hot mess, y'all.

Kamikaze: You're a bit uptight but you're kind of hoping this makes you sound a little wild?

Plus: 13 Pickup Lines For The Liquor Store

Jäger Bombs/Irish Car Bombs/Sake Bombs: You wish you were still in college.

Jell-O Shot: You are still in college.

Liquid Cocaine: You're a handful.

Goldschläger: You like shiny, pretty things. (*cough* gold digger *cough*)

Birthday Cake: Big kid at heart.

Swedish Fish: You're sweet,

By Lauren Passell for HowAboutWe

Tom CruiseOctober's Vanity Fair reports in an article by Maureen Orth that in 2004, Scientologist Shelly Miscavige (wife of Scientology leader David), embarked on a mission to do the (what turns out to be probably) impossible: find Tom Cruise a sustainable relationship. According to several sources, an elaborate auditioning process was held, interviewing actresses who were already members of the Scientology community. One of them, who went on to date Cruise from November '04 to January '05, was Nazanin Boniadi, an Iranian-born, London-raised actress (and Scientologist.) Initially, Boniadi (who had a boyfriend) was told she was being selected for a "very important mission".

Though the Scientology community is vehemently denying all of these reports, if any of it is even a reflection of the truth, it is quite shocking. It doesn't seem a stretch to say Boniadi's story parallels one of Grimms' fairy tales where the beautiful princess is promised to the rich prince.

Serria Says

You might remember Serria Tawan from her stint as Playboy's Miss November 2002. Now the former playmate is in her 30s, recently married, and ready to dish up some love advice. She says, "I want you to win and I'm going to give it to you straight." Read more from her at serriasays.com, and her Date Report column Dating Advice From A Playboy Bunny.

I'm a strategist. I study what works and try to find ways to make it work better.

For example, I don't advise women to ask men out - not because I have a vendetta against aggressive women, but simply because it doesn't work. I've done it, and so have girlfriends, and I have observed that the probability of success is low.

Plus: 3 Basic Dating Rules Men Are Still Getting Wrong

Let's talk about another thing that I have found doesn't work: letting the woman pay. It's not because I don't think women can pay for themselves, or that men should have to just empty their pockets. However, from my studies this single