By Margarita Nahapetyan
It has not been a secret that some men at times get confused in the presence of women and hardly can find any words to say, but now Dutch researchers claim that men experience a decline in mental performance when interacting, or even just thinking about women.
To come up with such an interesting conclusion, scientists from Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands, conducted two trials that involved 71 he
By Margarita Nahapetyan
Women like it when their husbands or partners show emotions and talk about their troubles, suggests a new research by Harvard Medical School. In other words, according to the new findings, to keep their wives or girlfriends happy and satisfied, men just have to share their anger and frustration.
To come up with this conclusion, the research studied more than 150 heterosexual couples (102 younger and 54 older),
Excerpted from That's Not What I Meant! How Conversational Style Makes or Breaks Relationships By Deborah Tannen
The Problem Is the Process
You know the feeling: You meet someone for the first time, and it's as if you've known each other all your lives. Everything goes smoothly. You know just what she means; she knows just what you mean. You laugh at the same time. Your sentences and hers have a perfect rhythm. You feel terrific; you're doing ev
Excerpted from Talking with Confidence for the Painfully Shy By Don Gabor
Changing the Way You Talk to Yourself
Mark Twain was considered one of America's wittiest writers and lecturers, but when it came to talking, even he didn't always know what to say. During a long-awaited meeting with General Ulysses S. Grant, Twain found himself at a loss for words. Grant, who was known for his unemotional demeanor, simply sat with an unsmiling Cue and wai
By Margarita Nahapetyan
Gratitude, thankfulness, or appreciation is a positive emotion or attitude when individuals acknowledge a benefit of receiving help, depending on their interpretation of the situation. To be more specific, individuals are more likely to experience the emotion when the help they receive is perceived by them as valuable, beneficial or costly. Gratitude is also shown towards honesty, trustworthiness, and demonstration of integrity and coo
Excerpted from How to Speak Your Spouse's Language: Ten Easy Steps to Great Communication from One of America's Foremost Counselors By H. Norman Wright
Make the Most of Verbal and Nonverbal Communication
You're at a social gathering with a group of friends. You're listening to a newcomer talk on and on. During a lull in the conversation, two of you excuse yourselves, and as you walk away you ask, "Did you understand what he was trying to say?" Y
Excerpted from The Four Things That Matter Most : A Book About Living By Ira Byock, M.D.
"Please forgive me" and "I forgive you" can be the toughest two of the Four Things to say. And yet few of us will live a full life without the need to say both. The need to forgive and be forgiven simply means that we're not perfect. If we listen to our hearts we know that in the relationships that matter most there will often be instances of anger or, at least, serious misunderstan
Excerpted from Boundaries; Where You End and I Begin By Anne Katherine, M.A., C.M.H.C., C.E.D.T.
Phil's Story: When I married Carla, I thought I'd captured the sweetest flower on the face of the earth. She was so fresh and pink and shy. Nothing like my mother, who could stop a Sherman tank if she'd a mind to.
She loved to hear me talk. I admit it, I liked it. When had my parents ever listened to me?
I worshiped her. She
Excerpted from The Secret Life of Families : Making Decisions About Secrets: When Keeping Secrets Can Harm You, When Keeping Secrets Can Heal You-And How to Know the Difference By Evan Imber-Black, Ph.D.
On a cold march day in 1985, I opened my office door to meet seventy-four-year-old Carrie Allenby and her seventy-five-year-old husband. George. Rather than sitting next to each other, in the way my consulting-room chairs are normally arranged, both quickly moved their
By Toni Coleman, LCSW
Q. I met a guy at school and we have been seeing each other for two months. We relate well and have fun together. He's a full time student and also works for his dad on Saturdays. I work full time and am a part time student. We live 50 minutes apart and see each other on Thursday nights after school and on Tuesday nights. We also chat online every weekend. We really like each other, and share what is happening in our daily lives. We have
By Jan Pedersen
As a speaker and trainer of communication skills, I often have participants in my workshops who are in pain somehow, struggling to right relationships or stand up for themselves or change their circumstances. Over and over, I am asked:
"How do I tell ----- to ------?" or "How would you tell---that you ----"
I used to get hooked by that question, and in my inflated sense of wisdom and power, I'd
By Jan Pedersen
Several years ago, while we were enjoying a year in France as the "guests" of my husband's employer, my husband and I took a Sunday stroll through a quaint, 16th century village.
While we were looking up at the magnificent gothic spires, and taking in the feel of a town with such a long history, we forgot the simple fact that modern France, with a population of about 60 million people, has 10 million dogs.
A lot has been written about listening in the past few decades. Most of it has to do with the "doing" of listening. "Active Listening," they call it. Does this sound familiar?
Lean forward slightly
Nod and grunt occasionally
Paraphrase what they are saying
Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera
I don't know about you, but I can spot when somebody is "active listening" m