Blog Posts by YourTango.com

Don't let the winter months take a toll on your relationship.

January and February don't have the happiest reputations, as far as months go. The short days and cold nights, the post-holiday hangover, the fact that summer is such a long time away... This can all take a toll on your relationship if you're not careful. The good news is, what may seem like a relationship rut is most likely just the winter blues - something tons of people suffer from without even knowing it. More good news: There are many fun, easy ways to inject some fun into your relationship in the winter and keep from getting bored. Here are some of our favorite ideas:

1. Oscars fun. Catch up on all the Oscar-nominated movies together before the big awards show on Feb. 26. This means a lot of steamy movie nights together (I mean, come on, who has actually seen The Artist yet?) Then it's time for a little healthy competition: Write in your predictions for every category, and see who gets more of them right! Refresh your memory on who was nominated here: 2012 Oscar Nominations:

It turns out that what men and women want from relationships isn't so different.
It's tempting to assume men only want two things: steak and sex.

Entire days are devoted to perpetuating these kinds of cliches, yet they are humorous for men because we're amused that women assume this false notion is all we want. We're quite complicated creatures, and although probably not as baffling as any space alien from a Candace Bushnell column, men have secret wish lists of emotional needs that you may or may not be meeting.

Yet we are almost simplistic in our desires-so simple, in fact, that few women ever notice the fine line between our usual stoic persona and a deep funk brought on by a lack of reciprocated interest. Tom Miller from YourTango's TomFoolery rattled off one list of basic emotional pleasures: "A good night's sleep; a one-time-only get-out-of-trouble BS pass; an occasional never-again-mentioned bender; and one friend who we like but who you might consider a 'bad influence.'" But even more than that, we want some of the things you want; here are

A new survey finds 25 percent of people have taken a phone call during sexy time.

A new survey finds 25 percent of people have taken a phone call during sexy time.

A new poll by British company MyPhoneDeals.co.uk recently tracked customer phone use and to obtain some stats. They took numbers on pretty interesting questions, and we'll just say the answers were "interesting" as well, for lack of an all-encompassing word. One survey question asked users whether or not they had ever taken a phone call in the middle of sex. A ridiculous 25% of people admit to answering a call while doing the deed. Yes, that is one in four!

It's official. We are appalled.

A new poll by British company MyPhoneDeals.co.uk recently tracked customer phone use to obtain some stats. They took numbers on pretty interesting questions, and we'll just say the answers were "interesting" as well. One survey question asked users whether or not they had ever taken a phone call in the middle of sex.

It's official. We are appalled.

A new poll by British company

Male dating blogger Abraham Lloyd reveals the fashion trends men love to hate.

You might want to a consider a sturdy lock for your closet. Dating blogger Abraham Lloyd breaks down the five fashion choices your man just doesn't get. When he "accidentally" donates them to the Salvation Army, you'll know what really happened:

1. JEGGINGS: "Don't be fooled into thinking that these skin-tight sweatpants are jeans simply because they look the part from a distance," says Abraham. "We're not fooled; you shouldn't be either." Time to put the leggings debate to rest: leggings aren't pants, and should not be worn as such... even when painted a reasonably believable denim pattern.

2. BABY DOLL DRESSES: "Men love dresses that accentuate the curves of a woman's body," Abraham says. "The baby doll dress consistently does the opposite." Unless you're pregnant! "There's a reason that women in their third trimester of pregnancy wear this dress." Fine, guys, we see your point. We won't pretend that we're not scared a stranger will congratulate us on a bun in the oven

A new study says weight doesn't hurt a marriage—so long as you weigh less than your husband.
It's no secret that a walk down the aisle most often brings with it a weight gain of about six to nine pounds. But what's been a secret or a misinformed public opinion is that your weight gain is a key factor in determining marriage satisfaction. The thought being: if one or both spouses weight shifts dramatically it's not usually a positive swing for the relationship. Actually, a new study shows, marital satisfaction is better determined by a wife's weight gain relative to her husbands.

University of Tennessee psychologist Andrea Maltzer's team tracked 165 couples over a four-year timespan. The couples completed questionnaires every six months to determine their level of satisfaction. Findings? Husbands who were satisfied at the time of marriage remained so over time, to the extent that their wives maintained lower BMIs than their own, researchers reported. In other words, weight gain is OK, so long as the woman's not gaining it solo, and to a greater extent than her husband