Mistake #1: Not Listening. Women enjoy conversation because it gives them a surge of dopamine – a neurotransmitter that helps regulate our emotions and boost our mood. Men get their feel-good chemicals by being proactive. So, they tend to do only a little bit of listening and offer a lot of solutions. Instead, guys should say the three words every woman wants to hear, “Tell me more.”

Mistake #2 is a little tricky because it’s about something guys are wired to do — and that’s help. When a woman needs help she may not ask for it, because she doesn’t want to admit that she can’t live up to her own “Superwoman” expectations. So, if a guy says, “Let me help you with that,” it could be taken in a negative way. Instead, try saying “Is there anything I can do?” This will make it easier for your sweetheart to accept your offer.

Mistake #3: Thinking men and women are alike. When a man gets his wife a weed eater for her birthday, he isn’t being insensitive and selfish — he really thinks, “I’d love one of those. Who wouldn’t?” Gentlemen, the fix here is simple: If you do something that you think is nice — and get a lukewarm response — explain your intentions and ask what you can do differently. When she tells you, pay attention and do THAT next time.

In China, a man jumped into a fast-flowing river because he couldn’t take his wife’s nagging anymore. The truck driver and his wife were on a ferry on the Yangtze River when it all became too much for him. Members of the ship’s crew saw the man suddenly run out of his truck cab with his hands covering his ears, and shouting: “I can’t stand it any longer.” They initially thought he was suffering from an ear injury and went to help him but found he was unhurt. A crewmate said, “While we were still puzzling over the this, his wife ran up and continued nagging him. The husband covered his ears again and said: ‘I need a break’ before jumping over the side into the rushing river.” Later that night, police found the man, who had managed to swim across the broad river. He told the cops: “I felt I was dying, but even that’s better than my wife’s nagging.”

First came honeymoons. Then “babymoons” before an infant arrives. Now comes the latest couples’ hotel gimmick: the conception vacation. The Westin Resort on Aruba is offering twosomes a $300 “conception credit” toward their next stay if they conceive a child while staying September 1 through December 19. Those trying for pregnancy (and others) can book a $399 daily package for two, including drinks, meals, lodging and tax. How do you prove that the Westin was the site of the happy occurrence? With a note from a doctor saying the stay occurred around the likely conception date.

From RecessionWire

“Oh my god! What are we gonna do?” — For starters, let’s not freak out. Right now your guy needs support, not another fire to put out, and losing your cool is only going to make things worse.

“Why?” — He just got the ax — making him highlight his incompetence by explaining why is like kicking him in the head with your Ugg boots.

“You better start looking…“ — For a new job, or a more supportive girlfriend/wife?

“Great, now I’m gonna have to work twice as hard.” — Perfect. That means you’ll have half as much time to make him feel like garbage.

“Here’s what we’re gonna do…“ — He already feels a crippling loss of control in his own life so don’t amplify that insecurity by trying to take over.

“Maybe I could get you a job at my father’s company.” — Does his desk have a special drawer for his dignity?

“It’s no big deal.” — Your heart is in the right place: cool and collected. But this may come across as aloof and indifferent. Rather than lack of interest, offer support and compassion.

“A lot of people are losing their jobs.” — Yeah, but those people are all not us. Job-loss statistics (just like miracle-diet and Thighmaster statistics) are pretty meaningless until you become one of them.

“Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise.” — Give us a healthy day of self-loathing and moping around before you part the clouds and start looking for the rainbow.

With bacon rearing its sizzling head on gimmicky alarm clocks and other products, the delightful aroma has finally been captured for use in alcoholic spirits. The question is: Will it ever be proper breakfast fare? Bacon-flavored vodka — at $30 a bottle – is all the rage in Seattle and has been cooked up by a company called Black Rock Spirits.

A poll asked 100 men and women: “If you could have $1 million or your pet, which would you take?” 94% of  women said there’s no way they’d trade in their pet for a cool mil, while 66% of men said they’d keep theirs over the million-dollar jackpot.

When it comes to money matters, it’s good to be frugal, but bad to be stingy. Which one are you?

• First, if you use 2-for-1 restaurant coupons, you’re frugal. If you base the waiter’s tip on the discounted bill, that makes you stingy.

• Next, if you plan out your yearly charitable contributions and try to stick to your budget, you’re frugal. If the last item you donated was an ancient can of lima beans you wouldn’t eat yourself, that makes you stingy.

• If you use a teabag for more than one cup of tea, you’re frugal. However, if you offer a guest the cup made from the used teabag, you’re stingy!

• Finally, a frugal person buys clothing on sale. A stingy person buys something, wears it once, and tries to return it for a full refund.

So, do you ever wonder if you’re being stingy? Ask yourself these questions:

• First, do you feel generous when it comes to sharing, charity, and tipping? Great. If you feel angry or defensive about your choices, you might want to start being more generous.

• Then, trot out the Golden Rule. In other words, do you treat others the way you’d like to be treated, or do you benefit while they suffer?

• Your friends suggest an expensive restaurant you really can’t afford. So, do you A) Recommend a fun, less expensive alternative, or B) Go anyway, but only contribute enough cash to cover your entrée, but not your drinks, tax, and tip?

A Swedish woman said a free “body jam” dance CD that came with her breakfast cereal directed her computer to a website featuring pornography. Ida Riedel Palmer said the Nestle Fitness cereal she purchased over the weekend was advertised as containing the free exercise CD, but the disc took her computer to a bad place on the Internet. Palmer says when the site first came up she called her boyfriend to check if he had been using her computer, but he told her he hadn’t. Palmer said she tested the CD in two other computers and got the same results. Palmer added, “It was not soft porn. It was definitely what I would categorize as unpleasant porn.”

The “Michael Jackson isn’t dead” conspiracy theorists now have a video to back up their claims. A shaky video posted to LiveLeak.com supposedly shows Jackson getting out of the ambulance used to transport his body. The person who uploaded the video says he or she obtained the footage “from a trustworthy source” and claims to have “checked the license plate” on the coroner’s van to verify that it was the same one used to transport Jackson’s body on June 25.  See the video.

Which celebrities have the most beautiful feet? According to attendees at the annual Foot Ball in New York City — where fans of feet meet — these are the top celeb feet.

1. Anne Hathaway
2. Eva Mendez
3. Brooke Burns
4. Natasha Henstridge
5. Kim Kardashian
6. Jennifer Connelly
7. Heidi Klum
8. Sheryl Crow
9. Beyonce Knowles
10. Jessica Alba