5 Things Men Should Know About Women

Most men would like to think they have a pretty good grasp of women, but the majority of women would tend to disagree. Here are the five biggest things about women that most men would greatly benefit from knowing (or at the very least, being reminded of), uncovered over years of research.

1. Don’t Lie. She Can Read You Like a Book.

Despite what some men think, women do not posses psychic powers, and they do not have a brigade of girlfriends monitoring their every move. According to researchers, women are just naturally born to read nonverbal clues – when he is happy, unhappy, hurting and even when he’s lying. This comes from the evolutionary learning process, which has taught women the art of reading facial expressions to decode their baby’s needs and keep them alive and well. So don’t lie; they already know.

2. Speak Up

Men are generally fairly simple creatures when communicating with each other. One head nod means, “What’s up?” Two nods: “Well, okay, if I have to,” and three: “Yeah now, that does sound pretty good.” Women communicate using a full vocabulary designed to express their emotions and thoughts quickly and effectively. A man will fare best if he remembers that to keep the lines of communication open, he may need to travel beyond his comfort zone, learning to explore his feelings more. While men often clam up at the end of their day, women prefer they talk about it. When she talks about her day, he needs to know that this does not mean she wants him to solve all her problems, but only listen, repeat and understand. Let me say that again. Listen to what she says, let her know you are listening by repeating certain key points, and then try your best to understand where she’s coming from. She will love you for it!

3. She’s Not Rude, Just Excited!

When a woman gets excited or in a heated debate, some men might notice that her social etiquette seems to fly right out the window. Such symptoms will include finishing his sentences, talking over top of him and switching topics before he has even finished with the first one. Researchers remind guys that blame lies not in overactive hormones, but rather in an overactive brain. Women process language several times faster than men. Many men, in fact, decipher a woman’s voice as song, so you can only imagine how long it takes them to process a full conversation. This is a woman’s natural way to communicate with her female friends, so when she slips and falls into this habit with her man, it is actually a sign she is becoming very comfortable with him. So relax; it’s a good thing!

4. An End to All Driving-Related Arguments

A good majority of arguments that begin inside the cabin of a vehicle could be avoided if men and women just understood the way the opposite sex thinks. For a man, he is proud of his built in GPS mapping system, which he keeps in practice by getting lost and then finding his way back again. This goes back to prehistoric times, when men relied on self-navigation to hunt big game and then find their way home at the end of the day. This is why men do not like to get directions. Women, on the other hand, have evolutionary roots in gathering food and hiding it amidst various landmarks until ready to collect. This has given women a unique mapping system involving structural reference points rather than internal maps and compass settings. Men will fare best if they remember that in order to be a good copilot, they need to navigate using the terrain, rather than stuffy map talk, which will only bring misunderstanding (and agitation).

5. Keep Up the Pursuit

A man is often bad about doing the little things he used to do that let his partner know he’s thinking about her once a relationship becomes comfortable. This is why it’s important to remind him that the process of pursuing a lover should never really end. Studies show that the majority of married women who cheat do so because they either feel unappreciated or unloved, or they believe he’s involved in his own affair. It is true what they say: Good relationships take work. The good news is that the rewards of this so-called work far outweigh the effort required to say “thank you” when she does something nice. It outweighs remembering her favorite chocolate snack while at the grocery store picking up the milk, and it definitely outweighs taking the time to remember that intimacy is much more than sex, including touch (massage), romance, understanding, empathy and compassion.