Not Smoking is Contagious

A team of researchers at the Harvard Medical School has found that while the urge to smoke is contagious, so is the act of not smoking. These researchers also showed the same type of connection in the past to obesity. In addition, smokers who don't stop smoking while the rest of their group does increasingly find themselves pushed to the edge of their social circles. If this is the findings for general social behavior, it would only seem logical that couples who both smoke would find better success if they both quit at the same time? Do you have any experience with this? Read the complete article here.

How to Beat New Luggage Charge

American Airlines announced today that they'll begin charging travelers for their luggage. No, not starting with their second bag, but the first bag that travelers check-in. American Airlines will impose a $15 fee beginning June 15th. This article from MSNBC offers a few tips for how to beat the new charge. First, read your contract and make sure that AA doesn't try to charge you before June 15th. Second, carry your bag on. Obviously you'd have to pack lighter so that you could carry it on, but for a short trip it'll do. Third, flash your frequent flier card--they're exempt from the new charge. Finally, MSNBC recommends notifying the Transportation Department of your displeasure and ask them to act. Geez, as if traveling in the summer wasn't tough enough.

Surprise! Mom Does More than Dad at Home

The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that married mothers with full time jobs are more likely to do housework and provide childcare on an average day than married fathers who also have a full time job. This doesn't really seem surprising, but what's up with that guys? The report also says married moms who are not employed spend an average of 3.6 hours per day on housework, compared with 2 hours for those with full-time jobs and 1 hour for those who worked part-time. It's a little weird that full time mothers do more housework than those working part-time. Do you divide the housework and childcare evenly in your household?

Shoe Prices Going Up

With Sex and the City about to hit big screens, which will surely put high fashion shoes back in the spotlight, this article from the Wall Street Journal says shoe makers are raising the price tag, bucking a decade-long trend of declining prices. So why the increase? For one, the article says higher costs in China, which make about 85 percent of the shoes sold in the U.S.. Another reason is the weak dollar, which affects the price of shoes coming from European makers. It only makes sense then that the article suggests that price increases would follow suit for handbags, belts and other leather accessories coming from China. Overall, the rising shoe prices high- and low-end brands.

Why These Couples Won't Get Tax Rebates

An AP article has highlighted a segment of the married population that won't be getting their stimulus check from Uncle Sam. So who is this married group? They are couples where one spouse is not a U.S. citizen. So even if you are a U.S. citizen, if you filed your taxes jointly, you won't receive a stimulus check because both have to have a Social Security card. It's estimated that hundreds of thousands of married couples fall into this category, and this article highlights soldiers who have married foreigners as part of that group. The article goes on to discuss how the IRS didn't clarify this rule on it's website until April 14th. The couples could have filed individually, but as the article points out, the benefits of filing jointly would most likely outweigh the $600 a qualifying individual would receive. Read the full article here.

Sue Johanson Stops Talking Sex on TV

This Sunday will be Sue Johanson's last "Talk Sex" show on the Oxygen network. At 77, Johanson has decided to get some sleep. The show, which ends at 1 a.m. Oxygen's most popular late night show and had it's best ratings ever this season with the young demographic. Johanson still plans to lecture and her shows will still be available on Oxygen's website. Her final show will count down the year's top 10 sex toys.

We'll miss you Sue, and thank you for all your help and insight!

Study Says IUDs Can Reduce Cancer Risk

A report presented to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in New Orleans says that women who used IUDs experienced a 40 percent reduction in the risk of endometrial cancer. Dr. David Grimes of Family Health International in Chapel Hill, North Carolina says "the IUD is underutilized as a contraceptive in the United States. Research is showing that it has health benefits far beyond preventing pregnancy." This is good new. Unfortunately, only 2 percent of women use IUDs according to Grimes. This article from MSNBC also says that women who take contraceptive pills also have a lower risk of this disease.

Fathers' Depression Stunts Kid Development

There have been previous studies that have mentioned that mothers suffering from depression hamper the academic performance of their children. A new study says the same goes for fathers who are depressed. Furthermore, fathers of 9-month-olds are about twice as likely as other men their age to show symptoms of major depression. As a result, depressed fathers read less to their kids and the children know slightly fewer words by age 2. The study interviewed over 4,500 fathers and was presented at the American Psychiatric Association meeting in Washington D.C. Read the full article here.

New Book Explains to Child Why Mom's In Bandages

Have you heard about the new book by plastic surgeon, Dr. Michael Salzhauer called "Beautiful Mommy"? It's only 21 pages and it's aimed at 4 to 7 year olds to help explain why mommy has a bandage over her nose. There's a Business Week article that discusses this book and mentions there's been a 60 percent increase in cosmetic surgery in the U.S. since 2000. Dr. Salzhauer says he thought his book would help explain to kids why their mom is wrapped in bandages after they've had rhinoplasty or a tummy tuck. In the article he says, "You might roll your eyes, but this is a reality for hundreds of thousands of families. It's not going to go away." What do you think?

Summer Movie Calendar

USA Today has released a summer movie calendar that lists all this summer's most anticipated movies starting the month of May. After this past weekend's monster hit, Iron Man, the movie season looks bright. For those looking for summer blockbuster movies for couples, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull comes out May 22nd, Sex and the City: The Movie comes out May 30th, Wall-E comes out June 27th, X-Files: I Want to Believe comes out July 25th, and The Accidental Husband comes out August 22nd. For more details on these movies and others, including links to their sites, synopsis, cast and more, click here.

Exercises Built for Your Gender

We've written about it many times before and it's definitely not an original opinion: Men and women are different! As such, researchers have begun to unravel the physical differences between men and women during exercise. For example, lung function is different, energy metabolism is different and much more. Earl Noble, director of the school of kinesiology at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada sums things up best when he says exercise is like a drug "that needs to be given in the appropriate dose and intensity and should be varied for sex differences."

Part of this newfound discrepancy is because until recently, exercise tests were typically only conducted on men. One tidbit that may make some women feel better in what they already know, is that the new research coming out shows that it is in fact harder for women to lose weight through exercise than men. Be sure to let your husband know this is now a scientific fact! Women's bodies go into a survival mode and try to hold onto the fat, according to this article from MSNBC. One expert even says that women may have to do more exercise at a higher intensity compared to men to lose weight. Ultimately, researchers believe sometime in the future, individual will receive "exercise prescriptions" based on their age, sex, overall health and fitness level.