Q: A guy friend of mine insists that by talking in a low voice he can get women to lean in more because they have to try to listen. I know I've stepped in closer to a guy at a bar in order to hear him. Is this a thing guys do often that I didn't know about?
A: That only works if you want to hear what he is saying. Men like to think there are tricks or one-liners to get women; fact is that if we're leaning in to listen to what he is saying, we've already made the decision that we're interested.
Q: My wife and I are going to start trying to have a baby. I heard that if a woman orgasms, she's more likely to get pregnant. Is that true?
A: Yes. When a woman climaxes the muscular contractions and uterine suction pull more sperm into the cervix than if she does not have an orgasm. Luckily you don't have to have on-screen synchronized orgasms - as long as she does one minute before he ejaculates to 45 minutes after, you are good to go.
Q: I read somewhere that fashion magazines can make you depressed. Are there any out there that you, as a psychologist, would recommend then?
A: If you need some fashion, get Marie Claire; they do excellent reporting as well. Bust is fabulous (and I rarely use that word). Widen your magazine horizons and try Radar; they give you better and more accurate gossip and are hilarious to boot.
Q: I just got divorced and started putting together my profile for internet dating. I am 52, but I feel a lot younger. Can't I write that I am 47?
A: Here is why that doesn't work. When you are a kid, you want to be older; in fact, you are so anxious to be older that you count the years by month increments ("I'm six and half, I'm eleven and three quarters," etc). Next come a few years where you are where you want to be. These fly by, you don't even notice--until you go to fill out some questionnaire, and all of the sudden you are in the 35-45 block. Suddenly your brain automatically rounds to the number and you realize you are closer to 50 than anything else. Now you start figuring out reasons you should lie. Fact is, everyone reading this feels younger than their chronological age. One reason is that we live in a society where being young is good and being old is bad. Another reason is that there is a new idea that "real age" and "chronological age" are different--so we are all polite, and guess lower than we really think when faced with the question, "How old do you think I am?" Gush, gush, no, really? Wow, I'd never known. Blah, blah. I remember The Post writing an article about me some years back, with a cute picture attached, and when I unabashedly mentioned I was 39, my father's first response was, "Why did you say that?" (Oh, Dad, hang in there; we have fertility treatments now, there is still hope.)
So back to the topic. The women who are internet dating know that men who are older can look better, so they include men who are George Clooney's age, Sylvester Stallone's age, even Hugh Hefner's age, if that is what they're into. If you fib, you are starting the relationship with a lie. Plus if you put your real age, but a super cute picture, you can contact women whose age range you don't fit into, but in a more respectful way. Then they can decide if they want to contact you.
By the way, we also adjust for height, and take an inch off as well. Sorry.