A total of 1,300 adults of both sexes were polled for the survey to launch the product Lemsip Max All in One. The results are suprising.
About 20% of the women polled say they have no sympathy for "man flu". By contrast, men are preapared to take time off work and cook for their spouse.
More than half (52 per cent) of women polled said that they lose sympathy with their husband or boyfriend within five minutes of his first complaint about feeling under the weather. Some 18 per cent said that they start from an unsympathetic point of view. But men claimed to be far more sympathetic with 64 per cent saying they would offer to cook dinner and 70 per cent said they would be sympathetic. Almost four out of 10 men claimed to have taken a day off work to look after their wife or girlfriend. Perhaps surprisingly, only 13 per cent of women polled said that they had been cared for by a partner when they were ill.
It was suggested that men have a stronger interest in their partner well-being as so that they could resume their domestic responsibilities.
Recently, I came across an article about a woman's attempts to date successfully at 41. There's some advice from a "dating coach" that anyone could use.
We have recently heard about the rather acrimonious split of Melissa Etheridge. What is interesting is that his lawyer claims that the Ex is a deadbeat, while the "deadbeat" promises details on her blog.
Like many other trials / matter / actions, this one is playing first in the “public court”, with the lawyers acting more like PR agents. Melissa announced their separation after 9 years in April 2010, calling it “sad” on Oprah. Melissa’s wife Tammy claimed that they were left broke and destitute and filed for full physical and legal custody of their 3-y.o. twins, Johnnie and Miller. What a wonderful opportunity for their respective lawyers to get some media exposure!
Tammy, known prior to her relationship with Etheridge as Tammy Lynn Michaels, has subsequently claimed that the singer has left her and her children broke. Tammy Etheridge's attorney, Steven Knowles, called his client "destitute," stating that her credit card was declined when attempting to purchase food and clothing for her children, admitting only that the singer paid for "various sundry expenses."
These claims have since been refuted by Etheridge's lawyer, Neal Hersch, who told PEOPLE, "[Tammy] is being completely supported by Melissa and has been since they separated," calling the actress and her children, "well-provided for and then some." Hersch stated that on top of a $2,000 a month allowance for her former partner, Etheridge continued to pay Tammy's household expenses, utilities and the lease on her car.
Despite the initially civil-seeming nature of the split, Tammy fired back at Etheridge on her blog, saying that she was "blindsided" by the breakup, and claiming that she and Etheridge had decided to put off filing for separation until Etheridge's tour was over. Following the announcement of their split, Tammy filed for full physical and legal custody of their 3-year-old twins, Johnnie and Miller.
The show started. See more with Melissa below and a link to Tammy’s blog.
I know she’s got other songs since, but to me, “I want to come over” is the best stalker song ever made. If you want to understand creeps, you only have to listen to it.
One of the most passionate and beautiful pleas for tolerance in relationships (which is actually the secret to a long-term relationship) comes from Dan Savage, a syndicated sex columnist who happens to also be openly gay.
The latest news from crazy Japan is a Boyfriend pillow, targeting single women and their need for a partner to "cuddle up to".
Japan is a land of wonders but also of rapid change and ensuing alienation. The marriage rate has dropped and the birth rate has plummeted. Sex toys are so advanced that many men report not being able to ejaculate in human vaginas any more.
Therefore, the launch of the “Boyfriend’s Arm Pillow” should not surprise, since women have unmet needs as well.
Shaped like a man's torso with one sturdy arm, has been on sale since December and has so far been snapped up by 1,000 singles. Manufacturer Kameo said the pillow's shape also keeps the body balanced. One woman, Junko Suzuki, told AP: "It makes me relaxed... I can hold the arm and feel something warm at my side". The pillow is only available in Japan, where it costs about 8,500 Yen (£40, $80), and is available in blue, pink or green. Ms Suzuki, who is separated from her husband, says the pillow has other advantages. "It keeps holding me all the way through. I think this is great because this does not betray me," she told AP.
Child rearing is a problem, as people work for too long:
Japanese Health Minister Hakuo Yanagisawa visited the city of Matsue to talk to party members about the falling birth rate. Arresting the decline would be difficult, he said, because "the number of birth-giving machines and devices is fixed". "All we can ask for is for them to do their best per head," he said.
Such comments are bound to create a stir. The following, however, are not:
According to a lifestyle survey in 2001, married men only spent about 30 minutes each day on household tasks or with their children. This is partly down to traditional attitudes - Japanese men tend not to cook, clean or change nappies. But another problem is a culture of long working hours, followed by compulsory after-work socialising. "My colleague's wife has just had a baby, but he has to work until 11 o'clock every night," said one Tokyo businessman. "He only ever sees the baby when it's asleep."
Dr Inoguchi says the government needs to spend more on helping young families. But she says there also needs to be social change so that both men and women have a better balance between work and family. And the population crisis is helping to highlight where the problems lie. "This very dramatic changing demography and the alarming view that we may not be able to sustain the greying of the population is now leading to - belatedly and reluctantly - the mainstreaming of gender issues," she said.
Our favourite hermit has come up with a list of reasons why having a baby makes more sense than starting a business. Not only that we agree, but we have an even better idea.
Two studies came out in the past few days that managed to combine sex and stress reponse for both men and women. We think it might be worthwhile to delve into the depths of these issues.
In the chronologically first such study to hit the press, University of Valencia researchers find that just five minutes alone with an attractive female raise the levels of cortisol, the body's stress hormone; the effects are heightened in men who believe that the woman in question is "out of their league".
Researchers tested 84 male students by asking each one to sit in a room and solve a Sudoku puzzle. Two strangers, one male and one female, were also in the room. When the female stranger left the room and the two men remained sitting together, the volunteer's stress levels did not rise. However, when the volunteer was left alone with the female stranger, his cortisol levels rose.
"In this study we considered that for most men the presence of an attractive woman may induce the perception that there is an opportunity for courtship. While some men might avoid attractive women since they think they are 'out of their league', the majority would respond with apprehension and a concurrent hormonal response. This study showed that male cortisol levels increased after exposure to a five-minute short social contact with a young, attractive woman."
Cortisol can have a positive effect in small doses, improving alertness and well-being. However, chronically elevated cortisol levels can worsen medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and impotency.
Is this really something new? Jimmy soul was singing about marital bliss with an ugly woman a few decades ago:
If you wanna be happy For the rest of your life, Never make a pretty woman your wife, So from my personal point of view, Get an ugly girl to marry you. A pretty woman makes her husband look small And very often causes his downfall. As soon as he marries her Then she starts to do The things that will break his heart. But if you make an ugly woman your wife, You'll be happy for the rest of your life, An ugly woman cooks her meals on time, She'll always give you peace of mind. Don't let your friends say You have no taste, Go ahead and marry anyway, Though her face is ugly, Her eyes don't match, Take it from me she's a better catch. Say man. Hey baby. Saw your wife the other day. Yeah? Yeah, she's ugly. Yeah, she's ugly but she sure can cook. Yeah?. Okay.
This may seem like an attack on women, but women have a few complaints of their own. More to the point, Bayer published research that finds the following:
28% of women claim that email and internet are disrupting their love lives, with hand-held devices particularly to blame
other mood-killing factors: long working hours (cited by 55% of women), tiredness (83%) and being too busy (74%)
1/10 women say their fear of pregnancy inhibits them in the bedroom, with 1/5 women admitting they shun contraception
The survey found that on average British women have sex 1.4 times a week, but 6/10 women aged between 25 and 34 would like a more active sex life.
51% of women believe they reach their sexual peak in their 30s, but 66% say they had their most sex during their 20s.
65% say their partners do not make enough effort in the bedroom, however, 1/3 women never initiate sex and always let their partner make the first move.
4/10 women say it only takes a compliment to put them in the mood for sex, while 1/3 saying having more time to themselves would boost their sex life.
more than 1/3 of women say they have not felt sexy for at least a month and 14 per cent claim they have never felt sexy.
Right said Fred: Let’s talk about sex, baby. If you wanna be happy 4 the rest of your life, that is..
Japan is a land of wonders but also of rapid change and ensuing alienation. The marriage rate has dropped and the birth rate has plummeted. Sex toys are so advanced that many men report not being able to ejaculate in human vaginas any more.
Child rearing is a problem, as people work for too long:
