Blog Posts by Cosmopolitan.com

Feeling down? Might be your diet.It's no secret that dieting can make you a bit, well, crazy. (Or at least, it's no secret to me-my single day of trying the Master Cleanse left me crying and yelling at innocent bystanders, but I digress.)

By Natasha Burton

But, while you might think that going on a diet would give you a new sense of purpose or boost your self esteem, new research from the University of Montreal shows that, at least as far as your brain chemicals are concerned, going on a diet can actually just make you super depressed.

Related: How to Do a Detox Diet Without Starving Yourself

Doctors studied two groups of mice-one twas fed a high fat-sugary diet; the other was fed a healthy diet. They found that the brain chemistry of the mice eating the unhealthy diet actually changed over time and concluded that, should the mice shift to a healthy diet, they would likely experience withdrawal symptoms, depression, and a greater sensitivity to stressful situations, which could launch them into a vicious cycle of

He likes to do what?!We cracked up when we saw a recent study that found most men don't know basic info about their girlfriends, like her bra size or birthday. But apparently there's plenty we don't know about our S.O.s, too. We got the guys at ModernMan.com to spill.

By Ky Henderson

1. He Doesn't Tell His Guys Much About You, But Still Talks About His Exes
Don't freak-it's no big deal at all. For starters, women are way worse than men when it comes to what they reveal to their friends about the man they're with right now. A man, on the other hand, remains pretty tight-lipped about his girl; after all, he doesn't want his buddies picturing her naked. But sometimes guys need to brag about something if sexual escapades are being discussed, so they'll trot out old stories about exes.

2. He Thinks Your Bestie Is Hot
Oh, and also your frenemy. And your best friend's frenemy. And your friend from work. And your little sister. And …you get the idea. It doesn't mean he's going to make or move or even would want

This might be the future of contraception.Condoms are an essential part of sex, especially if you're not in a committed relationship. But, we get it: It's frustrating when you don't have one handy-and it totally sucks if you're allergic to latex.

By Meagan Morris

There's hope, though! Researchers at the University of Washington are busy working on a new type of condom for women that replaces traditional prophylactic materials with a science fiction-esque sheath electrically woven from chemical contraceptives, anti-STD medication, and polymers.

Related: 25 Sexy Ways to Put on a Condom

The best part? It blocks sperm, germs, and other undesirables before dissolving inside the body.

Kim Woodrow, one of the researchers behind the project, said their goal is to create contraception that women actually want to use.

"It's really about delivering them in a way that makes them more potent, and allows a woman to want to use it," she said.

Birth control that provides protection and is easy to use? Sign us up.

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The office gossip queen might need to become your bff.You're moving up on the job, thanks to your hard work and rockin' ideas. It never hurts to make a few allies along the way, though. We picked the brains of a few powerful women and career experts to get their advice on work friends you need to have to help advance your career.

By Meagan Morris

1. The Interns
The interns might just be students now, but think five or 10 years down the road. They'll eventually be your colleagues-and might eventually be your "in" at a dream company.

2. The Office Gossip
You know the type-she spends working hours doing everything but work. She might annoy the crap out of you, but she knows stuff-like who's leaving, who's being promoted-that you can use to strategize your own move up in the company.

You don't have to chime in-nor should you-when she dishes, advises career coach Nicole Williams. But definitely listen up when she talks.

3. The I.T. Girl
Being the I.T. person at any company is a pretty thankless job-after all,

Eat chocolate to fight a cold? Yes, please.Winter cold got you down? Well, here's some news that might make you feel a bit better: Researchers in the U.K. found that chocolate may be a natural cough suppressant.

By Natasha Burton

After looking at 300 patients that had chronic coughs, scientists at the Hull Cough Clinic discovered that 60 percent of them stopped hacking when they were given theobromine, a substance that's found in cocoa. These findings fit with a recent study performed by London's National Heart and Lung Institute, which showed that theobromine is actually a more effective than codeine, the common ingredient in cough medicine.

Related: How Chocolate Protects You From The Sun

According to the study, patients were given 1,000 mg of theobromine, which equals about two ounces of unsweetened dark chocolate (or 16 ounces of milk chocolate).

There's no word on whether or not eating chocolate (and not just having theobromine) can preemptively stave off a cough, but we'd like to think that having a hunk or two-you

Watch it. His smile might have ulterior motives.You might want to think about it the next time your guy flashes you a sly smile while asking for a favor. According to researchers at the University of Granada, women are more likely to comply with a man's request-even a derogatory one-if he flashes his pearly whites.

By Meagan Morris

In the study, a man doled out commanding instructions to various women. The women did what he asked (and often adopted a submissive posture) if he smiled while he made his request. Researchers theorize that a smile gives off an air of friendliness-dubbed as "perceived warmth."

Related: 7 Things You Don't Know About Your Man

While we're all about friendliness, this sort of domination can spell trouble for women at work. One way to stop it from happening to you? Be aware of this sneaky guy-move.

So, be confident-and don't let that guy in accounting get away with that outlandish request because he looks so adorable when he smiles.

Read more at Cosmopolitan.com!

Relationship Advice From Men
What You

His sense of smell might tell you how many women he's slept with.Dating someone who's got a bad sense of smell? Well... Aside from him possibly being a freaking psychopath, he probably hasn't slept with a lot of girls.

By Dara Adeeyo

Researchers analyzed men with anosmia (aka no sense of smell) to see how the disorder affected their lives. As a result, they found that men who could smell better, had an average of nine sexual partners in their lifetime. Meanwhile, men with poor sense of smell averaged three.

Related: Guys With a Bad Sense of Smell Might be Psychopaths?

Hm. Scientists believe that it's because sense of smell is linked to our emotions. Most of those who suffer from anosmia, are generally more insecure because they can't smell things properly. So... they don't know if they have bad breath, stinky armpits, and etc. Thus, making them socially awkward. This behavior then lingers into the dating world, causing these men to rarely go out with girls.

What do you think? Know a guy with a poor sense of smell? What's his sex life like?

Read

The eggnog-swilling, tree-trimming season is upon us yet again - and the holiday party invitations are flooding in. So many opportunities for divine hairstyles! For your soiree inspiration, we've complied eight supremely gorgeous looks for every hair type. Thank us later.

By Tia Williams

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