“We hypothesized that the quantitative and qualitative literary output of famous writers would correlate with their number of mates, children, and grandchildren. We further assumed that writing lyric poetry would be more beneficial for mating success than nonpoetry because the former consists of more verbal handicaps (e.g., rhymes) than the latter and thus requires special […]
Tag: marriage
Wedding spending and marriage duration, linked?
Are higher wedding expenses associated with longer-lasting marriages? And is the phrase “A diamond is forever” just a fairytale? Professors Andrew M. Francis and Hugo M. Mialon of the Economics Department at Emory University, US, express their opinions in their forthcoming paper for Economic Inquiry, entitled: ‘‘A Diamond is Forever’ and Other Fairy Tales: The […]
Disruptive technology: Twitter and marital breakups, maybe
If you enjoy fun, conceivably-partly-true tales about disruptive technologies (as some people do — see, for example, Harvard Business School Professor Clay Christensen‘s tidy tales of disruption), then pay heed to the scholarly studies from Russell B. Clayton. Clayton, at the University of Missouri-Columbia, has a new study about Twitter and marital breakups: “The Third Wheel: The Impact of Twitter Use on […]
A new pope, a new look at sacerdotal celibacy
The Catholic Church recently gave itself a new pope. On the question of priests engaging in sexual reproduction, history is repeating itself. The last time around, we wrote (in 2005), in The Guardian: Whenever there is a new pope, the air fills with questions about priestly celibacy. The more formal term for this practice is […]
Relative Finger Length and Age at First Marriage in Semi-Nomadic People
Here’s further evidence that Relative Finger Length sheds light on practically everything: “The Second to Fourth Digit Ratio and Age at First Marriage in Semi-Nomadic People from Namibia,” Piotr Sorokowski, Agnieszka Sorokowska, Dariusz Danel, Mara L. Mberira and Leszek Pokrywka, Archives of Sexual Behavior, Volume 41, Number 3, 2012, pp. 703-710.
Observational research: Penguins, proposal, London Zoo
A filmed marriage proposal in the London Zoo, witnessed by penguins and filmy-eyed tele-observers: [HT Ian Sample]
Dinosaur hunter Horner hoax? Huh?
Investigator Virginia Cox sent us this note: If you, like me, like dinosaurs, you have been following the adventures of paleontologist Jack Horner. He is my hero. Can you or one of your readers tell me, though, if this is a hoax? A newspaper called the Bozeman Magpie has this report: “Famous Paleontologist Jack Horner […]
Thought process of an outstanding psychiatrist & life coach, Dr. K. Ablow, in assessing the patient, Gingrich
One of the world’s outstanding psychiatrists—who is also a professional life coach—candidly reveals his thought process, in an essay for Fox News. Dr. Keith Ablow [pictured here, legs akimbo] applies his brain to a particular question of national (in the USA) and international significance—a question that others have found perplexing. Dr. Ablow also daringly reveals […]
The Unhappiness of Handsome Husbands
“Beyond Initial Attraction: Physical Attractiveness in Newlywed Marriage,” James K. McNulty, Lisa A. Neff, and Benjamin R. Karney, Journal of Family Psychology, vol. 22, no. 1, February 2008, pp. 135–43. (Thanks to Ron Josephson for bringing this to our attention.) The authors, who are variously at University of Tennessee, University of Toledo, and University of […]