Blog Posts by YouBeauty.com

ThinkstockImagine that you're on your way to the airport. You've been in a cab for just twenty minutes when you get a text from your partner: "Did you get there okay? Will you call me when you land? I miss you already!" You ignore it, thinking, "Ugh, so needy. Didn't I just leave the house?"

Or maybe you're the one sending the texts. You don't hear back and you think, "That's so inconsiderate! How much effort does it really take to text back? I shouldn't have to put up with this!" By the time you finally do get a call, you're ready to explode.

Either of those sound familiar?

Those are two examples of insecure attachment styles, and they represent a relationship dynamic that's all-too-familiar for many of us. But by recognizing your attachment style and tapping into a "secure mindset," you can improve your love life tenfold.

QUIZ: What's Your Attachment Style?

Know Your (and Your Partner's) Attachment Style

How comfortable each of us feels with intimacy and independence

Read More »from The Most Important Factor in a Happy, Healthy Relationship

ThinkstockWhether your home's spotless or looks like a tornado hit it, there are plenty of places where germs can breed. Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen show you how to keep contamination to a minimum.

The Kitchen
Garbage disposal: A veritable whirlwind of bacteria sprays up each time the disposal is on, leaving a germ-heavy mist hanging over the kitchen. Make sure the disposal opening is properly covered before flipping the switch.

Sponges and dishrags: These fertile breeding grounds contain more than 100,000 germs per square inch. Microwave wet sponges (not dry-they'll catch on fire!) for two minutes when they're particularly dirty. Ideally you'd do this every day to kill bacteria. You can also just use dishrags cleaned in a dilute bleach solution.

Cutting board: Wood cutting boards are in fact safer than plastic. In one study, bacteria on a wooden board dried off in three minutes. Bacteria remained on the plastic board overnight, and multiplied. Wood appears to have a natural,

Read More »from How to Make Your Home Healthier

Thinkstock"Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?" Turns out that's not just a classic fairy tale line, it's how many Americans are electing politicians.

A study out of the Massachusetts Institute Of Technology (MIT) found that just like Disney villains, our political process could be suffering from an obsession with looks too. But the beauty factor runs deeper than just plain old being pretty. In this glossy media age, it seems candidates that look like a stereotypical successful politician have a better chance of becoming one.

Past research has found that attractive or more capable-looking candidates fare better in elections. But in this case, the researchers dug in and found one possible influence.

MORE: What Makes a Face Beautiful?

The study uses data from 35 gubernatorial and 29 Senate races in 2006 correlated with the results of a survey measuring voter intent, general levels of political knowledge, and hours of television exposure.

Researchers

Read More »from Do We Vote for Attractive Candidates?

ThinkstockYou know that walkin'-on-air feeling when you've aced a test or delivered a slam-dunk presentation? You want to high-five every Tom, Dick and Harry who crosses your path and then some.

But what happens when you got a C instead of an A, or missed the mark in your presentation? Do you say to yourself, "Hey, I still did a great job!" Or do you think, "Man, I really blew it."

According to a new study published in the the APA journal Emotion, people who attempt to bolster self-esteem by telling themselves they did a good job-even when they didn't-actually end up experiencing symptoms of depression and dejection.

"My studies showed that those who assessed their performance more positively than what it really was experienced higher depression, performed worse in school (e.g., lower GPA), engaged more in self-handicapping behavior and had lower achievement motivation, compared to those who assessed their performance accurately," said lead author Young-Hoon Kim, Ph.D., of the

Read More »from Do You Fess Up When You Mess Up? It Could Be Better for Mental Health

ThinkstockPlate spinning is defined as "a circus manipulation art where a person spins plates, bowls and other flat objects on poles, without them falling off."

In intimate relationships, a plate spinner is a guy (or woman) who never actually commits to being in a relationship with you, but once he senses you're ready to move on, he swoops back into your life full of charm and empty promises just keep you around-or at least, on the backburner.

In other words, he gives you a little push just so your emotions keep on spinning and your relationship doesn't come crashing to the ground (like a proverbial plate). Sound familiar?

The Plate Spinner's M.O.

Many of us have dated a plate spinner or know someone who has. They are the magicians of dating: They show up, blow your mind and then pull a disappearing act (nod if this sounds familiar).

"If you go out on a couple of dates and it seems like it went well and then you get a text from him 10 days later that says, 'Hey, what's up?'

Read More »from Plate Spinners: Are You Dating Some Who Strings You Along?

ThinkstockYou've heard this a million times before but it's worth repeating: Your skin is your largest organ, so what you put on it will without a doubt end up inside your body. That's why it's not only important to be conscious of what you're slathering on, but also what you're spraying on your skin every day.

GALLERY: 20 Natural Fragrances to Know

"Fragrance enters your body through your skin but also through your nose and lungs, so it has three points of entry-and the lungs give direct access to the blood stream," says Patricia Malemes, owner and founder of Agape & Zoe, a natural beauty and perfume line in Dallas, Texas.

The trouble is, it's not always super-obvious what's really inside that pretty glass bottle of perfume. Since fragrance formulas are considered a "secret recipe" and top-secret information, the FDA doesn't make companies list every single ingredient individually. A laundry list of possibly toxic chemicals can read as just "fragrance" on the box.

But never

Read More »from Is Your Fragrance Full of Hidden Chemicals?

ThinkstockSex is fun, but did you know it has a higher purpose? Here's why it makes us happier, healthier and closer to our partners.

Women can choose to have sex even when they're physiologically unable to produce offspring. So we know that sex must have some higher purpose and function than simply reproduction. We strongly desire the physical connection even after we can't bear children. Sex drive does not decrease with age!

What's the higher purpose? Firstly, sex can serve as a nirvana moment between couples--a time when you feel complete happiness and intimacy, expressing love to your mate.

Factoid

There's a biological reason that humans are hornier in the summer. We all have a third eye (pineal gland) in the middle of the brain that secretes melatonin, a chemical that helps us sleep and blocks our sex hormones. The long, bright summer days decrease melatonin, so sex drive goes up. The biological upside? You may conceive a child due the following spring, allowing him or her to growRead More »from Why Sex Is So Important to Us!

ThinkstockLooking for love in this crazy age of technology? It's best to stay true to yourself.

People on online dating sites put themselves in the most positive light, sometimes to a deceitful degree. A ton of personal primping happens with photographs, where you can pick the most flattering shots and retouch them.

It may not come as a surprise that online daters have used older photos of themselves to appear younger, or posted shots from a digital camera with low-resolution (for a more forgiving skin appearance), Toma and Hancock found in an Cornell University study.

A similar online dating study showed that 81 percent of women and men deviated from the cold-hard truth about facts like their age or how tall they are.

But when it comes to Facebook, it's a whole other story.

"Facebook is more connected to the world. It would be harder to get away with faking it on Facebook. I think you'd get caught if you were too far from reality," says Assistant Professor of Psychology, Dr.

Read More »from Your Online Image Affects Your Love Life