Zinczenko on Shine

4 fights that guys want to avoid

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Typically, guys like fights when they're at a hockey game, or watching reality TV. But guys don't particularly like fights when they happen in relationships.

We shy away from confrontation for several reasons: first, men win arguments with women about as...

4 things he wants in a wife

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I have a friend who spent two weeks in Europe with his girlfriend, and some of it didn't go too well. He didn't like the haircut she got pre-trip.

She didn't like the way his eye wandered on the streets of Paris. They fought some. So when my friend got back home, he asked a wise friend...

4 ways to connect with him

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If there's a No. 1 complaint about men, it's that they don't listen. In fact, one Men's Health survey shows that 70 percent of women complain that their men don't listen to them at least some of the time.

To which most guys would reply: "What did you say, hon?" But in defense of my fellow men (and myself), I believe that only half of the fault lies with us. For a guy, talking to us is a lot like making love: We, too, need to be warmed up, and the mood and the time have to be right.

Fact is, your man may be dodging "meaningful" relationship conversations not because he can't stand them or fears them, but because he's just not prepared to talk at the times you approach him.

You can increase your chances of being heard, and earning a response, by maximizing his listening powers and attention span. Here are four ways to achieve that.

6 things that scare your man

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A lot of guys try to give the impression that they're calm and cool, that they can handle the pressure, that they think worrying is for wimps.

And the sad part is, the women in their lives sometimes buy this act, or even encourage it. Heck, if he isn't worried, they can feel calmer, too. Maybe you buy the act because the only time you see emotion in your man is when he's watching his favorite baseball team fall apart at the end of a game.

Or maybe it's because the only time you've seen him sweat was when he had to wear a suit to an August wedding. Or maybe it's because the last time you asked him, "Aren't you worried?" he responded with a dismissive, "Nah."

While men pretend that they're wired with steel cable, not nerves, they have their shakedown moments, too. Here are some of the biggest worries that can weigh on a guy's mind.

6 Things he REALLY wants for Father's Day

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Granted, every father has a different take on his big day. Some guys want techie gifts. Some guys yearn for a guilt-free round of golf. Some guys want scrawled evidence from his kids that they think he’s the greatest human being alive—the more primitively personal the card, the better; this...

Are his standards too high?

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There's absolutely nothing wrong with a man or woman making sure they get what they want out of a relationship. Whether or not you have (or he has) a literal checklist of an ideal mate or just a mental one doesn't matter. But what about the guy whose standards are so high—we're talking...

Get him to listen to you

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Sometimes your guy's attention isn't focused where you want it to be: on you. Maybe he's spent the last month obsessing over the playoffs, and when he wasn't doing that, he was fiddling with his work email on a Blackberry, or simply wondering how the heck he got sucked into digging...

How does he judge you?

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I know it can be pretty hard to understand what a guy's thinking—especially when he's thinking about you. One way to think about it is to compare your guy to the three most-watched judges in the country right now: the ones on American Idol...

Does he still want you?

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It's something we all wonder. No matter how heated the break-up, most of us spend at least a little time thinking about our exes and wondering if somehow, some way, some day we'll get back together. Maybe it's because we needed a little time apart to put all the good stuff in perspective, or maybe it's because once we've fished the seas again, we realize that, no, there aren't really all that many prized species in there after all. In any case, wouldn't you like to know whether he's moved on or stuck on you? Here, some ways that can help you figure it out.