According to a new study, three-quarters of women admitted that they have snuggled with shirts or other clothing worn by someone they were missing, and two-thirds of men confessed to sniffing another person’s clothing. Most of the people surveyed reported smelling the clothing of a boyfriend or girlfriend, but some said that they had also sniffed the clothing of a child or family member. It isn’t new news that the sense of smell is closely linked to memory, but it is interesting how much smell can subtly influence our lives. Women can sync up menstrual cycles because of a hormone detected by scent, and recent studies have shown that we prefer the scents of those who were more ethnically close. [MSNBC]

The adorable bear has a timer set in his tummy, and, as the literature explains, you can "use the built in timer for time-outs when they’re naughty, but also for rewards ("Sit quietly for 15 more minutes and mommy will read you an extra bedtime story"), setting limits ("Only 30 minutes of video games today"), tasks ("Brush your teeth for 3 minutes"), and other day-to-day functions and lessons where time is a factor. Can be set from one minute to one hour." In other words, this bear will be your child's conscience. Just don't let the batteries run out! [Random Good Stuff]

I should say, the article is very instructive — I mean, how else would you possibly know that your "man" is protective (chest-puller), emotionally detached (spooning), needy (head in lap) or takes instruction well, like an arm-wrapper? And once you know, of course, you can set about correcting and improving him — jerking him forcibly into a more sensitive position next time you lie down to watch a movie. Don't relax your guard for a moment! Why enjoy uncomplicated intimacy when you can mine every facet of your man's behavior for flaws?

Of course, we totally get that it can't be fun to come up with this stuff month after month — and it's pretty harmless on its own. But besides being complete balderdash, it does seem like the cumulative effect of this kind of stuff is to strip spontaneity from every facet of a relationship, reducing the day-to-day pleasures of intimacy to a punchline on a Sex and the City episode. And seriously, aren't there enough real problems and complications and mysteries in a relationship without having to invent new ones? I foresee, in the coming days, several 15-year-old girls seriously questioning their "men's" emotional commitment based on how he holds her while they watch Batman on his mom's couch.

What His Cuddling Body Language Reveals [Cosmopolitan]

Earlier: Once More With Feeling: Ladymags Generate Anxiety Over Orgasm Faces