San Francisco (IDGNS) - Driven by a strong rise in holiday spending, U.S. retail Web sites collected $102.1 billion in 2006, marking a 24 percent increase over last year, according to a report released Thursday.
Holiday shoppers spent $24.6 billion between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31, 2006, a rise of 26 percent over 2005, according to the report from comScore Networks. The numbers include consumer spending in all sectors except travel.
Spending jumped in the last two months of the year, pushing the total over $100 billion for the first time, said Gian Fulgoni, chairman of comScore.
Without the need to visit brick-and-mortar shops in person, online shoppers spread their spending over a longer period. The Monday after Thanksgiving is traditionally one of the heaviest shopping days of the year for U.S. retailers, but in 2006 it was just another day. The $607.6 million spent on "Cyber Monday," Nov. 27, was surpassed on 11 other days before the end of the year.
By delaying their shopping until the last days before winter holidays, shoppers showed their growing trust in online retailers' ability to ship goods through the mail quickly, the report said. The top three days of online spending for the year were Dec. 13 ($666.9 million), Dec. 11 ($660.8 million) and Dec. 4 ($647.5 million).
PS - hahaha...when I see this post, I was wondering to myself what can I do to turn this into opportunity for myself. Now...I cannot think of any but I better copied this here to remind myself later. I may be stupid now....but I don't think that I will be stupid forever hahaha. Am I Right?
Friday, January 05, 2007
20 Questions For When the Honeymoon Is Over, Knowing what to ask each other (and yourselves) can help move your relationship to the next level.
The honeymoon can last five days or five years, but at some point the heat and hormones subside. Susan Piver, author of the New York Times bestseller The Hard Questions: 100 Essential Questions to Ask Before You Say "I Do," believes that's when "the real fun begins." Oh, yeah? "Romance can never last, but intimacy can never end," explains Piver, who created these 20 new "phase two" questions exclusively for Tango. She talks with us about her eye-opening exercise for anyone who has made a commitment-and is committed to making it last.
Does romance really have to die? Yes, sadly. I've tried to think of a softer way to say that, but all I come up with are new-age platitudes. The Hard Questions first occurred to me when I was thinking about getting married. I was scared. Most of the couples I knew were either getting a divorce or, even worse, in some kind of lifeless relationship. Sure, I loved my boyfriend, but all these other people were in love when they got married, too. So what would make us different? I realized that none of my past relationships ended due to lack of love-they ended because one of us (OK, me) didn't love our life together.
I didn't know enough about the life Duncan (now my husband) and I would be sharing. Initially, we asked things like "Will we keep our money together, or separate?" or "Do we have a religion?" or "How comfortable are we with each other's level of ambition?" When we began to answer, something wonderful happened. We started to get to know each other beyond love and sex.
Now, after six years of marriage, our questions are different, but it's part of the same process: Figuring out how to translate our love for each other into a life we both love.
You don't like the concept of relationships as "work," so why "hard" questions? Whenever I read "Relationships take work," I always thought, "Uh, no thanks." To me, that meant things like scheduling time for sex, "date nights," and pretending to be nice even when I wanted to shriek. Things that felt really fake.
With the questions, the "work" of being truthful with each other was hard, but it certainly wasn't phony. It has given our relationship a very healthy edginess-not the kind that comes from jealousy and fights, but the kind that comes from trying to meet every circumstance with awareness and skillful honesty.
Every circumstance?
Well, except when we're just tired of trying, and ignore each other. Sometimes we retreat to our corners. But the questions help us reconnect, when we're ready.
When is the best time to ask these questions?
For some, a crisis may precipitate the conversation. For others, it may be a feeling of taking each other for granted, even a tiny bit. Anniversaries are a great time to reflect and take a pulse. If you try to have this conversation too early, you'll know-the questions will sound silly. And there's no such thing as "too late," but the longer you let troublesome issues stew, the harder it will be.
Wait until you both have the time and ability to focus. You may want to sit down at the kitchen table with a bottle of wine and run through every question. Or you can take one or two questions at a time, see how that goes. Long drives, quiet walks, a dinner date, chilling on the couch (TV off)-all these are good settings. Answer only those questions that seem interesting or important to you. But note those that don't; perhaps they'll become relevant in the future.
Is it vital to reach agreement?
Absolutely not. You don't need a laundry list of perfectly synchronized answers. If you happen to agree, that's wonderful. If you don't, fine. Knowing your partner's thoughts and feelings is always good. And if discussion is just too uncomfortable, each partner can write down his or her answers, and then swap (or not), or the willing partner can simply keep a journal of answers. Giving language to these feelings in any form can be beneficial.
Isn't this a little scary?
What if these questions uncover something we don't want to hear? Let's face it: Our partner is going to disappoint us, make us mad, even bore us! It pays to find a way to discuss our feelings with both honesty and kindness. Better to talk now than to wait until someone gets really mad or becomes numb. The point is to create an atmosphere where differences and fears surface in a way that creates more intimacy, instead of less. Be brave.
The Hard Questions
1. What have you learned to appreciate about me that you didn't know when we first married? (Or first became a couple.)
2. What have you learned that irritates, upsets, or frightens you?
3. Are you satisfied with the amount of time we spend together? The amount of time we spend separately?
4. Have we had any major life shocks? If so, what did we learn about ourselves, each other, our relationship?
5. What dreams or expectations did we have about married life? Which have been fulfilled and which have not?
6. What have I given up for you? How do I feel about it?
7. What have you given up for me? How do you feel?
8. At what times have we felt happiest together?
9. Is our sexual connection satisfying to you? To me?
10. How do we manage when desire levels differ? [Note: "Though this is a very real and common issue, it's very difficult to discuss," says Piver. "Still, it's worth acknowledging such differences if they exist."]
11. Where are you feeling content in your life? Our life?
12. How much money do we have now? How much did we think we would have at this point?
13. How much money do we wish we had? How much do we want in five years? Ten years? Are we planning for retirement?
14. How much is each of us contributing to our financial health? (In dollars, or otherwise.) Is each person's contribution acceptable to the other?
15. Are we preparing for our parents' aging and death? (Emotionally, financially, spiritually.)
16. Are we in agreement about having children, raising them, educating them?
17. If we have children, have we explained to them about sex, death, God? Are we comfortable with how we've dealt with these topics? How are they doing with these explanations?
18. How have we learned to cope with the normal, day-to-day irritations of married life? How could we handle them even better?
19. Do we feel more emotionally connected than we did early in our relationship?
20. How would we define love now? How does it compare with what we thought love was when we married?
PS - yes! sometime I also wonder why a relationship has to turn "bad" when at the beginning the couple seem to have not enough of each other. And how to prevent it from getting to that state.
Does romance really have to die? Yes, sadly. I've tried to think of a softer way to say that, but all I come up with are new-age platitudes. The Hard Questions first occurred to me when I was thinking about getting married. I was scared. Most of the couples I knew were either getting a divorce or, even worse, in some kind of lifeless relationship. Sure, I loved my boyfriend, but all these other people were in love when they got married, too. So what would make us different? I realized that none of my past relationships ended due to lack of love-they ended because one of us (OK, me) didn't love our life together.
I didn't know enough about the life Duncan (now my husband) and I would be sharing. Initially, we asked things like "Will we keep our money together, or separate?" or "Do we have a religion?" or "How comfortable are we with each other's level of ambition?" When we began to answer, something wonderful happened. We started to get to know each other beyond love and sex.
Now, after six years of marriage, our questions are different, but it's part of the same process: Figuring out how to translate our love for each other into a life we both love.
You don't like the concept of relationships as "work," so why "hard" questions? Whenever I read "Relationships take work," I always thought, "Uh, no thanks." To me, that meant things like scheduling time for sex, "date nights," and pretending to be nice even when I wanted to shriek. Things that felt really fake.
With the questions, the "work" of being truthful with each other was hard, but it certainly wasn't phony. It has given our relationship a very healthy edginess-not the kind that comes from jealousy and fights, but the kind that comes from trying to meet every circumstance with awareness and skillful honesty.
Every circumstance?
Well, except when we're just tired of trying, and ignore each other. Sometimes we retreat to our corners. But the questions help us reconnect, when we're ready.
When is the best time to ask these questions?
For some, a crisis may precipitate the conversation. For others, it may be a feeling of taking each other for granted, even a tiny bit. Anniversaries are a great time to reflect and take a pulse. If you try to have this conversation too early, you'll know-the questions will sound silly. And there's no such thing as "too late," but the longer you let troublesome issues stew, the harder it will be.
Wait until you both have the time and ability to focus. You may want to sit down at the kitchen table with a bottle of wine and run through every question. Or you can take one or two questions at a time, see how that goes. Long drives, quiet walks, a dinner date, chilling on the couch (TV off)-all these are good settings. Answer only those questions that seem interesting or important to you. But note those that don't; perhaps they'll become relevant in the future.
Is it vital to reach agreement?
Absolutely not. You don't need a laundry list of perfectly synchronized answers. If you happen to agree, that's wonderful. If you don't, fine. Knowing your partner's thoughts and feelings is always good. And if discussion is just too uncomfortable, each partner can write down his or her answers, and then swap (or not), or the willing partner can simply keep a journal of answers. Giving language to these feelings in any form can be beneficial.
Isn't this a little scary?
What if these questions uncover something we don't want to hear? Let's face it: Our partner is going to disappoint us, make us mad, even bore us! It pays to find a way to discuss our feelings with both honesty and kindness. Better to talk now than to wait until someone gets really mad or becomes numb. The point is to create an atmosphere where differences and fears surface in a way that creates more intimacy, instead of less. Be brave.
The Hard Questions
1. What have you learned to appreciate about me that you didn't know when we first married? (Or first became a couple.)
2. What have you learned that irritates, upsets, or frightens you?
3. Are you satisfied with the amount of time we spend together? The amount of time we spend separately?
4. Have we had any major life shocks? If so, what did we learn about ourselves, each other, our relationship?
5. What dreams or expectations did we have about married life? Which have been fulfilled and which have not?
6. What have I given up for you? How do I feel about it?
7. What have you given up for me? How do you feel?
8. At what times have we felt happiest together?
9. Is our sexual connection satisfying to you? To me?
10. How do we manage when desire levels differ? [Note: "Though this is a very real and common issue, it's very difficult to discuss," says Piver. "Still, it's worth acknowledging such differences if they exist."]
11. Where are you feeling content in your life? Our life?
12. How much money do we have now? How much did we think we would have at this point?
13. How much money do we wish we had? How much do we want in five years? Ten years? Are we planning for retirement?
14. How much is each of us contributing to our financial health? (In dollars, or otherwise.) Is each person's contribution acceptable to the other?
15. Are we preparing for our parents' aging and death? (Emotionally, financially, spiritually.)
16. Are we in agreement about having children, raising them, educating them?
17. If we have children, have we explained to them about sex, death, God? Are we comfortable with how we've dealt with these topics? How are they doing with these explanations?
18. How have we learned to cope with the normal, day-to-day irritations of married life? How could we handle them even better?
19. Do we feel more emotionally connected than we did early in our relationship?
20. How would we define love now? How does it compare with what we thought love was when we married?
PS - yes! sometime I also wonder why a relationship has to turn "bad" when at the beginning the couple seem to have not enough of each other. And how to prevent it from getting to that state.
Why Do Men Spend So Much Time at Their Jobs?
Why Do Men Spend So Much Time at Their Jobs?
Posted by David Zinczenko
on Wed, Jan 03, 2007, 1:55 pm PST Post a Comment
The question comes up over and over again in relationships. She says to him: If you gave me the same amount of attention as you give your boss, we'd be topside on the Love Boat rather than ballast in the Titanic.
Kinda true, right? At work, men can't communicate enough with e-mails, memos, brainstorming meetings that last all morning, and drinks that intrude on the dinner hour. But in a relationship, we hardly mutter an "uh, huh" when women ask if the dress looks okay. At work, men come up with creative solutions to problems. In a relationship, we hold our ground in the never-ending arguments about the budget/remote/toilet seat. At work, we're never satisfied with an average performance. In a relationship, we sometimes are. And then we fall asleep.
So, of course, it's a natural question for a woman to ask: Why is it that men obsess about work so much and spend so much time there-even without seemingly direct rewards or benefits for doing so? Part of the reason is that we value job performance and career advancement almost as much we value SportsCenter (almost). In fact, 35 percent of men in my Men, Love & Sex survey say that a 50-percent raise would be the one-time life boost that would make them feel the best-beating out both losing 20 pounds (29 percent) and working less to spend more time with the family (11 percent). Ouch.
The quick and obvious explanation is that men can take their relationships for granted after they've been in it for a while. In fact, that very sense of security is what we treasure most about a long-term relationship, in part because we can't afford to view our jobs the same way. These are some of the main reasons why men seem to have such great relationships-with their boss and coworkers.
They're Always Out to Prove They Are THE Guy
Early on in a relationship, a guy is competing for a woman's attention against all kinds of potential suitors. So he's at his best-witty, romantic, generous, unselfish. Once he knows he's the guy in the relationship, the pressure to perform decreases. At work, that drive is the same: He's competing against lots of other people for jobs, for raises, for respect-and a man's competitive nature drives him to want to be the best out of all the others. The difference in a job setting is that the pressure to perform never decreases, and he's always competing to be the guy. Even when he's the big boss, he's competing against other big bosses for his company's share of the pie (that is, the whole damn thing).
Not Working Equals Weakness
Of course, women have a lot of unfair stereotypes that they're fighting against day after day. But one of the stereotypes that men are saddled with is that their career success is a measure of their personal worth. The sociologist Warren Farrell has written that just as women are at times looked at as "sex objects," men are at risk of being considered "success objects"--to others, to themselves. Not working, or working in the same job, or never mustering the drive to move up makes us feel like going-nowhere dolts. Some of a man's drive to succeed comes from the desire to make more and more money, but some of that drive also comes from the desire to earn more and more respect.
They're Always Playing to an Audience
The difference between work and home life is like the difference between a filled-to-capacity stadium and an empty practice field. Men tend to feel the performance-anxiety pressure to succeed, to not make mistakes, and to excel when a whole company's watching. Right or wrong (OK, undoubtedly wrong), the natural tendency is to not give as much effort as we should when the only third-party eyes that are watching are the dog's.
Think I've nailed it on the head? Or is there something else that's driving men to spend those long hours at the office? I want to know what you think.
Conlusion : well....to me, it is more about my own pride or wanting to do the job well. Not so much about wanting my boss to love me hahaha.
Posted by David Zinczenko
on Wed, Jan 03, 2007, 1:55 pm PST Post a Comment
The question comes up over and over again in relationships. She says to him: If you gave me the same amount of attention as you give your boss, we'd be topside on the Love Boat rather than ballast in the Titanic.
Kinda true, right? At work, men can't communicate enough with e-mails, memos, brainstorming meetings that last all morning, and drinks that intrude on the dinner hour. But in a relationship, we hardly mutter an "uh, huh" when women ask if the dress looks okay. At work, men come up with creative solutions to problems. In a relationship, we hold our ground in the never-ending arguments about the budget/remote/toilet seat. At work, we're never satisfied with an average performance. In a relationship, we sometimes are. And then we fall asleep.
So, of course, it's a natural question for a woman to ask: Why is it that men obsess about work so much and spend so much time there-even without seemingly direct rewards or benefits for doing so? Part of the reason is that we value job performance and career advancement almost as much we value SportsCenter (almost). In fact, 35 percent of men in my Men, Love & Sex survey say that a 50-percent raise would be the one-time life boost that would make them feel the best-beating out both losing 20 pounds (29 percent) and working less to spend more time with the family (11 percent). Ouch.
The quick and obvious explanation is that men can take their relationships for granted after they've been in it for a while. In fact, that very sense of security is what we treasure most about a long-term relationship, in part because we can't afford to view our jobs the same way. These are some of the main reasons why men seem to have such great relationships-with their boss and coworkers.
They're Always Out to Prove They Are THE Guy
Early on in a relationship, a guy is competing for a woman's attention against all kinds of potential suitors. So he's at his best-witty, romantic, generous, unselfish. Once he knows he's the guy in the relationship, the pressure to perform decreases. At work, that drive is the same: He's competing against lots of other people for jobs, for raises, for respect-and a man's competitive nature drives him to want to be the best out of all the others. The difference in a job setting is that the pressure to perform never decreases, and he's always competing to be the guy. Even when he's the big boss, he's competing against other big bosses for his company's share of the pie (that is, the whole damn thing).
Not Working Equals Weakness
Of course, women have a lot of unfair stereotypes that they're fighting against day after day. But one of the stereotypes that men are saddled with is that their career success is a measure of their personal worth. The sociologist Warren Farrell has written that just as women are at times looked at as "sex objects," men are at risk of being considered "success objects"--to others, to themselves. Not working, or working in the same job, or never mustering the drive to move up makes us feel like going-nowhere dolts. Some of a man's drive to succeed comes from the desire to make more and more money, but some of that drive also comes from the desire to earn more and more respect.
They're Always Playing to an Audience
The difference between work and home life is like the difference between a filled-to-capacity stadium and an empty practice field. Men tend to feel the performance-anxiety pressure to succeed, to not make mistakes, and to excel when a whole company's watching. Right or wrong (OK, undoubtedly wrong), the natural tendency is to not give as much effort as we should when the only third-party eyes that are watching are the dog's.
Think I've nailed it on the head? Or is there something else that's driving men to spend those long hours at the office? I want to know what you think.
Conlusion : well....to me, it is more about my own pride or wanting to do the job well. Not so much about wanting my boss to love me hahaha.
Entrepreneur of the Week - how does an entrepreneur think?
Top of the Pops
As told to Darren Dahl
Dale and Thomas Popcorn Co-founder, Warren Struhl
www.daleandthomas.com
rosie.gurock@daleandthomas.com
Business Type:Food and Beverage
2005 Revenue:$20 million
No. of Employees:250
Four years ago, Warren Struhl turned his daily passion for eating popcorn into a business. Struhl and his partner, Richard Demb, opened up their first retail shop on Manhattan's Upper West Side, which lured in window shoppers with the heavenly smells of fresh popped corn, caramel and chocolate toppings optional. Originally named Popcorn, Indiana, Struhl changed the name of his business two years ago when he brought aboard a new partner, Isaiah Thomas, president and head coach of the New York Knicks.
"My story started in 1989, when I was the vice president of a real estate company in Chicago. That's when I noticed the explosion of desktop publishing and laser printers. Since everyone was just using regular old copy paper to print things on, I saw an opportunity to offer paper specifically designed for these new printers. By 1993, when I sold the business, I had more than 1,000 different kinds of products and more than 1 million customers.
"After that, I started investing in several businesses that were in large industries and focused on underserved or overlooked niches. I was always on the lookout for my next opportunity.
"I've always had a passion for popcorn and I eat it every day. But it wasn't until I met Howard Shultz, the CEO of Starbucks, that I recognized that there was an opportunity to create the first national brand of popcorn in the country. Sure, there's Orville Redenbacher for microwave popcorn, but I wanted to invent something new built around freshly popped corn.
"My partner, Richard Demb, and I learned about this place that claims to be the site of the origin of popcorn -- a town 20 miles southwest of Bloomington, Ind., called Popcorn, with a population of 48. We flew there and met Dale Humphrey, the town's largest landowner and a fourth-generation popcorn grower. He was an inspiration for the history and techniques on how popcorn should be cooked.
"In December 2002, we opened our first Popcorn, Indiana store on the Upper West Side of Manhattan to test it out. Almost immediately, it became a rage in New York City. We had all kinds of people asking if we could ship it somewhere or if they could resell it.
"Two years later I got a call from a guy saying that Isaiah Thomas wanted to meet with me. So I show up at this meeting thinking it could be a joke and Isaiah tells me that he's just as passionate about popcorn as he is about basketball. For him, popcorn is about laughing, smiling, and watching The Green Hornet with his family every week. He asked if he could become a partner and an investor. I said yes. That's when we changed the name to Dale and Thomas to celebrate the names of the world's two most passionate popcorn lovers.
"Today, we're a multi-channel business with more than 250 employees, including two gourmet popcorn chefs and the most advanced popping facility in the country. We have 11 stores around the country and many of them are taking a page out of the Starbucks playbook with a café atmosphere. You can buy a bowl of popcorn, drink some lemonade, talk, and play with a cool deck of cards you can buy at the counter. We also have party facilities so people can have kids' parties.
"At the core, while coffee is a social phenomenon, popcorn is never eaten alone. Our tagline, 'Share some,' reflects that popcorn is the most shareable social food we know of."
Conclusion : the reason why I copied this is to remind myself what makes an entrepreneur think differently as compared to normal people. But in most cases, these people work really hard and passionately for their business. So the main attitudes are ; Passion, hard work, good at what they are doing, enjoy doing it, luck and single minded in wanting to see the business doing well.
As told to Darren Dahl
Dale and Thomas Popcorn Co-founder, Warren Struhl
www.daleandthomas.com
rosie.gurock@daleandthomas.com
Business Type:Food and Beverage
2005 Revenue:$20 million
No. of Employees:250
Four years ago, Warren Struhl turned his daily passion for eating popcorn into a business. Struhl and his partner, Richard Demb, opened up their first retail shop on Manhattan's Upper West Side, which lured in window shoppers with the heavenly smells of fresh popped corn, caramel and chocolate toppings optional. Originally named Popcorn, Indiana, Struhl changed the name of his business two years ago when he brought aboard a new partner, Isaiah Thomas, president and head coach of the New York Knicks.
"My story started in 1989, when I was the vice president of a real estate company in Chicago. That's when I noticed the explosion of desktop publishing and laser printers. Since everyone was just using regular old copy paper to print things on, I saw an opportunity to offer paper specifically designed for these new printers. By 1993, when I sold the business, I had more than 1,000 different kinds of products and more than 1 million customers.
"After that, I started investing in several businesses that were in large industries and focused on underserved or overlooked niches. I was always on the lookout for my next opportunity.
"I've always had a passion for popcorn and I eat it every day. But it wasn't until I met Howard Shultz, the CEO of Starbucks, that I recognized that there was an opportunity to create the first national brand of popcorn in the country. Sure, there's Orville Redenbacher for microwave popcorn, but I wanted to invent something new built around freshly popped corn.
"My partner, Richard Demb, and I learned about this place that claims to be the site of the origin of popcorn -- a town 20 miles southwest of Bloomington, Ind., called Popcorn, with a population of 48. We flew there and met Dale Humphrey, the town's largest landowner and a fourth-generation popcorn grower. He was an inspiration for the history and techniques on how popcorn should be cooked.
"In December 2002, we opened our first Popcorn, Indiana store on the Upper West Side of Manhattan to test it out. Almost immediately, it became a rage in New York City. We had all kinds of people asking if we could ship it somewhere or if they could resell it.
"Two years later I got a call from a guy saying that Isaiah Thomas wanted to meet with me. So I show up at this meeting thinking it could be a joke and Isaiah tells me that he's just as passionate about popcorn as he is about basketball. For him, popcorn is about laughing, smiling, and watching The Green Hornet with his family every week. He asked if he could become a partner and an investor. I said yes. That's when we changed the name to Dale and Thomas to celebrate the names of the world's two most passionate popcorn lovers.
"Today, we're a multi-channel business with more than 250 employees, including two gourmet popcorn chefs and the most advanced popping facility in the country. We have 11 stores around the country and many of them are taking a page out of the Starbucks playbook with a café atmosphere. You can buy a bowl of popcorn, drink some lemonade, talk, and play with a cool deck of cards you can buy at the counter. We also have party facilities so people can have kids' parties.
"At the core, while coffee is a social phenomenon, popcorn is never eaten alone. Our tagline, 'Share some,' reflects that popcorn is the most shareable social food we know of."
Conclusion : the reason why I copied this is to remind myself what makes an entrepreneur think differently as compared to normal people. But in most cases, these people work really hard and passionately for their business. So the main attitudes are ; Passion, hard work, good at what they are doing, enjoy doing it, luck and single minded in wanting to see the business doing well.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
The Sexy, Healthy Scent of a Man
The scent of a man, at least among mice, can reveal the state of his health and determine whether a female gets pregnant, a new study shows.
The research suggests that other animals, perhaps even you, choose mates in part based on the strength of their immune systems.
Previous research had shown mice prefer to breed with mates whose immune-system genes -- which produce chemicals that help the body fight invading cells -- are different from their own. Such selective sex leads to healthier offspring.
The new study shows how the selection occurs.
Researchers at the University of Maryland examined molecules known as peptides that come from the immune system and end up in urine. Each mouse's disease-fighting peptides are unique, like fingerprints. A female records and remembers the scent of a mate's peptides using its vomeronasal organ, inside the nose.
"Exposure, during a critical period, to urine odor from another male, will prevent embryo implantation, leading to loss of pregnancy, while exposure to the familiar odor will not," said Frank Zufall of the university's School of Medicine.
Spiking the punch
"We can trick this odor memory and the outcome of the pregnancy-block test by adding peptides to urine," Zufall told LiveScience. "In other words, we can switch an unfamiliar urine odor to a familiar one (and vice versa) by spiking the urine with only a few peptides."
Other studies have shown that vomeronasal organs in many animals detect pheromones and other molecules that pack information on sexual and social status. Pheromones were first discovered in the 1950s to be sex attractants in insects.
"We believe that detection of [immune system] peptides via the nose may be of general significance for social behaviors in all vertebrates," Zufall said.
The study was led by Trese Leinders-Zufall and will be detailed in the Nov. 5 issue of the journal Science.
Picky, picky
Similar peptides exist in human immune systems. But our vomeronasal organ has apparently been rendered defunct by evolution, many scientists believe, though there's some uncertainty about this. In fact the question of how and whether scent affects a woman has been widely debated in recent years.
Since discovering powerful sex pheremones in silkworms decades ago, scientists have been hot to learn whether humans could be similarly stimulated. The investigation has proved frustrating.
"Compared to insects, whose behavior is stereotyped and highly predictable, mammals are independent, ornery, complex creatures," notes writer Maya Pines of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
Like any animal, we humans are picky. And that provides a line of investigation.
Stinky T-shirts
In 1996, Claus Wedekind, a zoologist at Bern University in Switzerland, conducted what's become known as the stinky T-shirt study. Wedekind had 44 men each wear a t-shirt for two nights straight, then tested how women reacted to the smelly shirts.
Like mice, women preferred the scent of men whose immune systems were unlike their own. If a man's immune system was similar, a woman tended to describe his T-shirt as smelling like her father or brother.
Since then, companies have developed pheremone-based perfumes and cologns, with promises of increased sexual attraction. Researchers don't agree on their effectiveness.
More research is needed to figure out how and to what extent a woman's nose leads her to sex, and how adept she is at picking a healthy partner.
"We cannot rule out that other parts of the human nose are able to detect the peptides," Frank Zufall said. "We can now ask whether these peptides are present in human secretions such as sweat and saliva, whether they can be detected by the human nose, and if so, whether they have any influence on our own social behavior."
PS - another copied article, also pretty interesting too.
The research suggests that other animals, perhaps even you, choose mates in part based on the strength of their immune systems.
Previous research had shown mice prefer to breed with mates whose immune-system genes -- which produce chemicals that help the body fight invading cells -- are different from their own. Such selective sex leads to healthier offspring.
The new study shows how the selection occurs.
Researchers at the University of Maryland examined molecules known as peptides that come from the immune system and end up in urine. Each mouse's disease-fighting peptides are unique, like fingerprints. A female records and remembers the scent of a mate's peptides using its vomeronasal organ, inside the nose.
"Exposure, during a critical period, to urine odor from another male, will prevent embryo implantation, leading to loss of pregnancy, while exposure to the familiar odor will not," said Frank Zufall of the university's School of Medicine.
Spiking the punch
"We can trick this odor memory and the outcome of the pregnancy-block test by adding peptides to urine," Zufall told LiveScience. "In other words, we can switch an unfamiliar urine odor to a familiar one (and vice versa) by spiking the urine with only a few peptides."
Other studies have shown that vomeronasal organs in many animals detect pheromones and other molecules that pack information on sexual and social status. Pheromones were first discovered in the 1950s to be sex attractants in insects.
"We believe that detection of [immune system] peptides via the nose may be of general significance for social behaviors in all vertebrates," Zufall said.
The study was led by Trese Leinders-Zufall and will be detailed in the Nov. 5 issue of the journal Science.
Picky, picky
Similar peptides exist in human immune systems. But our vomeronasal organ has apparently been rendered defunct by evolution, many scientists believe, though there's some uncertainty about this. In fact the question of how and whether scent affects a woman has been widely debated in recent years.
Since discovering powerful sex pheremones in silkworms decades ago, scientists have been hot to learn whether humans could be similarly stimulated. The investigation has proved frustrating.
"Compared to insects, whose behavior is stereotyped and highly predictable, mammals are independent, ornery, complex creatures," notes writer Maya Pines of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
Like any animal, we humans are picky. And that provides a line of investigation.
Stinky T-shirts
In 1996, Claus Wedekind, a zoologist at Bern University in Switzerland, conducted what's become known as the stinky T-shirt study. Wedekind had 44 men each wear a t-shirt for two nights straight, then tested how women reacted to the smelly shirts.
Like mice, women preferred the scent of men whose immune systems were unlike their own. If a man's immune system was similar, a woman tended to describe his T-shirt as smelling like her father or brother.
Since then, companies have developed pheremone-based perfumes and cologns, with promises of increased sexual attraction. Researchers don't agree on their effectiveness.
More research is needed to figure out how and to what extent a woman's nose leads her to sex, and how adept she is at picking a healthy partner.
"We cannot rule out that other parts of the human nose are able to detect the peptides," Frank Zufall said. "We can now ask whether these peptides are present in human secretions such as sweat and saliva, whether they can be detected by the human nose, and if so, whether they have any influence on our own social behavior."
PS - another copied article, also pretty interesting too.
When a Woman Smells Best
The scent of a woman is more attractive at certain times of the month, suggests a new study that had men sniffing women's armpit odor.
"We were interested whether armpit odor changes across menstrual cycle," said study author Jan Havlieek of the Department of Anthropology at Charles University, Prague. "To test this, we asked a group of women to wear cotton pads in their armpits for 24 hours."
The women didn't wear perfumes, use deodorants, eat spicy or smelly foods, smoke, drink alcohol or use hormonal contraceptives such as the pill. Body odor was collected during three phases: menstrual (at the beginning); follicular (between the first day of menstruation and the onset of ovulation); and luteal (the fertile stage).
"The fresh pads were subsequently rated for their attractiveness and intensity by a group of 42 men," Havlieek told LiveScience.
The most attractive smells, men said, were from the time between the first day of menstruation and ovulation.
The cycle
The typically 28-day menstrual cycle involves the physiological changes that occur in a woman to prepare for a possibility of pregnancy. It is controlled by the reproductive hormone system.
A cycle is divided into four parts and starts on the first day of menstruation, which is the shedding of tissue and blood from the womb. In the follicular phase, a dominant ovarian follicle—which is a sack that contains the ova, or egg—grows, becoming ready to ovulate. The mature egg is then released in the phase known as ovulation around day 12. The cycle ends with the fertile phase.
Although many men would tell you they're always in the mood, Havlieek and colleagues discovered that men find odors during the follicular phase the most attractive and least intense. On the other hand, the highest intensity smells, corresponding to the lowest attractiveness for men, were found during the time of menstrual bleeding.
"Traditionally it's believed that ovulation in human female is concealed and there are no changes in attractiveness across the cycle," Havlieek said.
The study is detailed in the January issue of the journal Ethology.
Further sniffing
Two other studies by different research teams came to similar conclusions. But those investigationsused T-shirts for odor sampling, "making it difficult to pinpoint the source of the smell," said Havlieek, whose team restricted sampling to armpits only.
Finally, the attractiveness of women's faces also changes during the month.
Havlieek's team found that facial images of women in the follicular phase—when the dominant ovarian follicle is getting ready to ovulate—are considered more attractive as compared to images taken in the luteal or fertile phase of the cycle.
The researchers hope to find out which chemical compounds are responsible for the odor changes across a woman's menstrual cycle.
PS-well....this was also copied, no wonder some women have a nice smell while at other times, they may not smell as good. At least now.....I understand better and not becoz they didn't bath hahaha.
"We were interested whether armpit odor changes across menstrual cycle," said study author Jan Havlieek of the Department of Anthropology at Charles University, Prague. "To test this, we asked a group of women to wear cotton pads in their armpits for 24 hours."
The women didn't wear perfumes, use deodorants, eat spicy or smelly foods, smoke, drink alcohol or use hormonal contraceptives such as the pill. Body odor was collected during three phases: menstrual (at the beginning); follicular (between the first day of menstruation and the onset of ovulation); and luteal (the fertile stage).
"The fresh pads were subsequently rated for their attractiveness and intensity by a group of 42 men," Havlieek told LiveScience.
The most attractive smells, men said, were from the time between the first day of menstruation and ovulation.
The cycle
The typically 28-day menstrual cycle involves the physiological changes that occur in a woman to prepare for a possibility of pregnancy. It is controlled by the reproductive hormone system.
A cycle is divided into four parts and starts on the first day of menstruation, which is the shedding of tissue and blood from the womb. In the follicular phase, a dominant ovarian follicle—which is a sack that contains the ova, or egg—grows, becoming ready to ovulate. The mature egg is then released in the phase known as ovulation around day 12. The cycle ends with the fertile phase.
Although many men would tell you they're always in the mood, Havlieek and colleagues discovered that men find odors during the follicular phase the most attractive and least intense. On the other hand, the highest intensity smells, corresponding to the lowest attractiveness for men, were found during the time of menstrual bleeding.
"Traditionally it's believed that ovulation in human female is concealed and there are no changes in attractiveness across the cycle," Havlieek said.
The study is detailed in the January issue of the journal Ethology.
Further sniffing
Two other studies by different research teams came to similar conclusions. But those investigationsused T-shirts for odor sampling, "making it difficult to pinpoint the source of the smell," said Havlieek, whose team restricted sampling to armpits only.
Finally, the attractiveness of women's faces also changes during the month.
Havlieek's team found that facial images of women in the follicular phase—when the dominant ovarian follicle is getting ready to ovulate—are considered more attractive as compared to images taken in the luteal or fertile phase of the cycle.
The researchers hope to find out which chemical compounds are responsible for the odor changes across a woman's menstrual cycle.
PS-well....this was also copied, no wonder some women have a nice smell while at other times, they may not smell as good. At least now.....I understand better and not becoz they didn't bath hahaha.
Mating Game: The Really Wild Kingdom
When it comes to mating, wild animals make their own rules. From lionesses of East Africa that mate with many males before ovulating and committing their eggs, to male walruses that joust for several female partners, the animal kingdom is full of swingers.
In some human societies, sexual behavior akin to these animals would be shunned. Do these animals just not care what "society" thinks about their promiscuous behavior? Even the most domestic of animals, dogs, don't bat an eye before sniffing a fellow canine's butt or humping an owner's leg.
"Just about every animal is quite promiscuous," said Diana Fisher, a behavioral ecologist at the Australian National University.
Though such free animal love might appear light-hearted, survival and passing on genes are serious business in the animal world.
Animal "personal ads" would reveal a conflict between males and females. Males want to mate with as many females as possible with the goal of fertilizing the most eggs. Females are a little more selective, preferring to hook up with the best males to fertilize their eggs.
One end result is polygyny—the most common mating strategy in the animal kingdom—in which males compete for access to a harem of breeding females. Sexual selection tends to favor adaptations that enhance reproductive success, including a large body size to boost success in pre-mating combat between males, and high sperm counts to up the chances of successful fertilization.
Rather than investing limited resources in inflating their bodies, females typically have a more conservative growth strategy and allocate more into the production and provisioning of offspring. By waiting on the sidelines during male-male jousting, the female can mate with the strongest male.
Animal Sex: No Stinking Rules
"Males fight it out and the best fighters get large harems of females," Tim Clutton-Brock, an animal ecologist at the University of Cambridge, told LiveScience. "If you just take the winner, you've got the best male. You don't need to sit back and choose carefully between males."
Human males must decide how much energy to put into weightlifting, for instance, to woo women, and how much they should focus on a career, which would benefit a family.
For polygynous horned beetles, the same trade-off exists between allocating resources to developing mate-winning weaponry in the form of horns and having more sperm to increase fertilization. In one study, when researchers cut off the beetles' horns, the pupa reacted by developing larger testes, supporting a theory known as resource allocation trade-off.
Females in charge
For females, the drawbacks of sex with lots of partners include an increased probability of inbreeding, higher chances of predation, more risk of catching disease and physical injury or exhaustion from the frequent sex.
Even so, in some species, females "wear the pants." Called polyandry, by mating with multiple males, a mom can produce healthier offspring, and in some species, ensure devotion and help in child-raising by many fathers.
In a study of a mouse-like marsupial, scientists found that by sleeping around, females had a better chance of finding males with good-quality sperm and high sperm counts [video]. "So that means that females that mate with lots of males get more of their offspring sired by the good-quality males that increase the baby survival," Fisher told LiveScience, referring to the mouse-like marsupials.
In a lab study, researchers found that female guppies mating with four different males gave birth to 73 percent more young than their monogamous sisters. Plus, the young were more skilled at swimming in tandem with another fish and jetting out of trouble.
But strict polyandry, where one female guards a group of male mates, is rare. "The benefit for the female is quite clear, because if you have four husbands and you lay them each a clutch of eggs and they sit on it, you're doing much better than if you have one husband and you lay one clutch of eggs," Clutton-Brock said. "What's harder to explain is what the benefit to the male is."
Deciding factors
As with humans, animal mating often relies on a careful dance in which males and females develop ways of getting what they want without going too far and ending up empty handed.
The female Australian hanging fly will allow males that provide larger nuptial gifts to copulate longer, and in turn transfer more sperm, skewing paternity. Males providing insufficient gifts get flung off by the female before insemination is complete.
A study of 14 water-strider species found that species in which males had flat stomachs and powerful forelimbs for clutching lovers mated more frequently than species where females were in charge—those with spines protruding from their back ends. When the females had the upper hand, mating occurred about twice a day compared with 20 times a day in the male-dominating species.
PS - this too...was copied, now we know that the mating game is not for just the human kind but for all animals' big and small. Hahaha...power!
In some human societies, sexual behavior akin to these animals would be shunned. Do these animals just not care what "society" thinks about their promiscuous behavior? Even the most domestic of animals, dogs, don't bat an eye before sniffing a fellow canine's butt or humping an owner's leg.
"Just about every animal is quite promiscuous," said Diana Fisher, a behavioral ecologist at the Australian National University.
Though such free animal love might appear light-hearted, survival and passing on genes are serious business in the animal world.
Animal "personal ads" would reveal a conflict between males and females. Males want to mate with as many females as possible with the goal of fertilizing the most eggs. Females are a little more selective, preferring to hook up with the best males to fertilize their eggs.
One end result is polygyny—the most common mating strategy in the animal kingdom—in which males compete for access to a harem of breeding females. Sexual selection tends to favor adaptations that enhance reproductive success, including a large body size to boost success in pre-mating combat between males, and high sperm counts to up the chances of successful fertilization.
Rather than investing limited resources in inflating their bodies, females typically have a more conservative growth strategy and allocate more into the production and provisioning of offspring. By waiting on the sidelines during male-male jousting, the female can mate with the strongest male.
Animal Sex: No Stinking Rules
"Males fight it out and the best fighters get large harems of females," Tim Clutton-Brock, an animal ecologist at the University of Cambridge, told LiveScience. "If you just take the winner, you've got the best male. You don't need to sit back and choose carefully between males."
Human males must decide how much energy to put into weightlifting, for instance, to woo women, and how much they should focus on a career, which would benefit a family.
For polygynous horned beetles, the same trade-off exists between allocating resources to developing mate-winning weaponry in the form of horns and having more sperm to increase fertilization. In one study, when researchers cut off the beetles' horns, the pupa reacted by developing larger testes, supporting a theory known as resource allocation trade-off.
Females in charge
For females, the drawbacks of sex with lots of partners include an increased probability of inbreeding, higher chances of predation, more risk of catching disease and physical injury or exhaustion from the frequent sex.
Even so, in some species, females "wear the pants." Called polyandry, by mating with multiple males, a mom can produce healthier offspring, and in some species, ensure devotion and help in child-raising by many fathers.
In a study of a mouse-like marsupial, scientists found that by sleeping around, females had a better chance of finding males with good-quality sperm and high sperm counts [video]. "So that means that females that mate with lots of males get more of their offspring sired by the good-quality males that increase the baby survival," Fisher told LiveScience, referring to the mouse-like marsupials.
In a lab study, researchers found that female guppies mating with four different males gave birth to 73 percent more young than their monogamous sisters. Plus, the young were more skilled at swimming in tandem with another fish and jetting out of trouble.
But strict polyandry, where one female guards a group of male mates, is rare. "The benefit for the female is quite clear, because if you have four husbands and you lay them each a clutch of eggs and they sit on it, you're doing much better than if you have one husband and you lay one clutch of eggs," Clutton-Brock said. "What's harder to explain is what the benefit to the male is."
Deciding factors
As with humans, animal mating often relies on a careful dance in which males and females develop ways of getting what they want without going too far and ending up empty handed.
The female Australian hanging fly will allow males that provide larger nuptial gifts to copulate longer, and in turn transfer more sperm, skewing paternity. Males providing insufficient gifts get flung off by the female before insemination is complete.
A study of 14 water-strider species found that species in which males had flat stomachs and powerful forelimbs for clutching lovers mated more frequently than species where females were in charge—those with spines protruding from their back ends. When the females had the upper hand, mating occurred about twice a day compared with 20 times a day in the male-dominating species.
PS - this too...was copied, now we know that the mating game is not for just the human kind but for all animals' big and small. Hahaha...power!
How Women Pick Mates vs. Flings
Science might be able to explain our fascination with Brad Pitt's chiseled jaw and George Clooney's smoldering eyes.
Women seem to judge potential mates by how masculine their features are, new research shows. Men with square jaws and well-defined brow ridges are seen as good short-term partners, while those with more feminine traits such as a rounder face and fuller lips are perceived as better long-term mates.
In the study, 854 male and female subjects viewed a series of male head shots that had been digitally altered to exaggerate or minimize masculine traits. The participants then answered questions about how they expected the men in the photos to behave.
Overwhelmingly, participants said those with more masculine features were likely to be risky and competitive and also more apt to fight, challenge bosses, cheat on spouses and put less effort into parenting. Those with more feminine faces were seen as good parents and husbands, hard workers and emotionally supportive mates [compare examples].
Despite all the negative attributes, when asked who they would choose for a short-term relationship, women still selected the more masculine looking men. Brad and George then would be picks for a brief romance, if not the long haul.
Makes sense
The study, detailed in the December issue of the journal Personal Relationships, reached conclusions similar to research published earlier last year in Britain.
The new study's author, Daniel Kruger at the University of Michigan's School of Public Health, said that from an evolutionary perspective, it makes sense women would view more masculine-looking men as potential flings and less masculine-looking ones as long-term partners.
The key, he said, is testosterone, the hormone responsible for development of masculine facial features and other secondary sexual characteristics.
Testosterone is necessary for development, but can also have detrimental health effects. It has been shown, for example, to interfere with the body's immune response, so men who are able to maintain high levels of the hormone are typically strong and healthy—traits women would want to pass on to their progeny.
Increased testosterone has also been linked to male cheating and violence in relationships, so while these men might produce high quality offspring, they don't always make great parents or faithful mates, Kruger says.
The study suggests women could be equipped to use seemingly superficial characteristics "as a cue to pick up on trends in these behavioral strategies," Kruger said.
Get a clue
There are plenty of these signals in the animal world. Male peacocks' huge, outrageous tails can make foraging for food and evading predators difficult, but the plumage, which many researchers say indicates male fitness, is so effective at luring females that the trait has been preserved in the population, Kruger points out.
While the findings are compelling, the scientific community has typically greeted the field of physiognomy, which links facial characteristics to certain behavioral traits, with skepticism.
Kruger argues, however, that the research is a valuable tool for understanding mating strategies. And, of course, for explaining how Pitt and Clooney managed to snag People Magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" title two times each—it might have to do with their genes, but could also have something to do with ours.
PS - copied this from the internet...as I find this to be interesting. Or at least, help to explain why and how women pick their mates for flings and long term relationships. By the way, these are the first few posts for 2007, so Happy New Year to everyone...hehehe including myself
Women seem to judge potential mates by how masculine their features are, new research shows. Men with square jaws and well-defined brow ridges are seen as good short-term partners, while those with more feminine traits such as a rounder face and fuller lips are perceived as better long-term mates.
In the study, 854 male and female subjects viewed a series of male head shots that had been digitally altered to exaggerate or minimize masculine traits. The participants then answered questions about how they expected the men in the photos to behave.
Overwhelmingly, participants said those with more masculine features were likely to be risky and competitive and also more apt to fight, challenge bosses, cheat on spouses and put less effort into parenting. Those with more feminine faces were seen as good parents and husbands, hard workers and emotionally supportive mates [compare examples].
Despite all the negative attributes, when asked who they would choose for a short-term relationship, women still selected the more masculine looking men. Brad and George then would be picks for a brief romance, if not the long haul.
Makes sense
The study, detailed in the December issue of the journal Personal Relationships, reached conclusions similar to research published earlier last year in Britain.
The new study's author, Daniel Kruger at the University of Michigan's School of Public Health, said that from an evolutionary perspective, it makes sense women would view more masculine-looking men as potential flings and less masculine-looking ones as long-term partners.
The key, he said, is testosterone, the hormone responsible for development of masculine facial features and other secondary sexual characteristics.
Testosterone is necessary for development, but can also have detrimental health effects. It has been shown, for example, to interfere with the body's immune response, so men who are able to maintain high levels of the hormone are typically strong and healthy—traits women would want to pass on to their progeny.
Increased testosterone has also been linked to male cheating and violence in relationships, so while these men might produce high quality offspring, they don't always make great parents or faithful mates, Kruger says.
The study suggests women could be equipped to use seemingly superficial characteristics "as a cue to pick up on trends in these behavioral strategies," Kruger said.
Get a clue
There are plenty of these signals in the animal world. Male peacocks' huge, outrageous tails can make foraging for food and evading predators difficult, but the plumage, which many researchers say indicates male fitness, is so effective at luring females that the trait has been preserved in the population, Kruger points out.
While the findings are compelling, the scientific community has typically greeted the field of physiognomy, which links facial characteristics to certain behavioral traits, with skepticism.
Kruger argues, however, that the research is a valuable tool for understanding mating strategies. And, of course, for explaining how Pitt and Clooney managed to snag People Magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" title two times each—it might have to do with their genes, but could also have something to do with ours.
PS - copied this from the internet...as I find this to be interesting. Or at least, help to explain why and how women pick their mates for flings and long term relationships. By the way, these are the first few posts for 2007, so Happy New Year to everyone...hehehe including myself
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)