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London - It seems mother was right after all. Relationships that start slowly are more satisfying in the end.
A study of hundreds of couples found those who waited to have sex were happier in the long run.
Women particularly benefited from not leaping into bed at the first opportunity. Marriage also seemed to make them happier than co-habiting.
The researchers said delaying sex gave couples time to get to know each other and work out just how compatible they were.
Without this period of courtship, judgment can be clouded, leading to couples falling into unfulfilling long-term relationships. The study's authors said: "Precocious pre-marital sexual activities may have lasting effects on relationship quality.
"Courtship is a time for exploration and decision-making about the relationship, when partners assess compatibility, make commitments and build on emotional and physical intimacy.
"The rapid entry into sexual relationships may, however, cut short this process, setting the stage for 'sliding' rather than 'deciding' to enter co-habiting unions."
In one of the first studies of its kind, the research team from Cornell University in the US asked almost 600 married and co-habiting couples how happy they were together. They were asked how committed they were to the relationship, how emotionally involved they were and how well they communicated, as well as about how often they argued and about their level of sexual satisfaction.
They were also asked how long they had waited before sleeping together.
Money worries and other factors that could have skewed the results of the study were taken into account.
Around a third of the men and women said they'd had sex within the first month of dating, while about 28 percent waited at least six months, the Journal of Marriage and Family reported.
Analysis of the data clearly showed the women who had waited to have sex to be happier. And those who waited at least six months scored more highly in every category measured than those who got intimate within the first month. Even their sex lives were better.
The link was weaker for men. However, those who waited to get physically involved had fewer rows.
The researchers said couples may benefit from taking things slowly.
"A strong sexual desire may thwart the development of other key ingredients of a healthy relationship such as commitment, mutual understanding or shared values," the report said. "Good sex is sometimes confused with love; some couples overlook problematic aspects of their relationship that ultimately matter more in the long run." - Daily Mail


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The conspiracy theory that the Right won't let die becomes an advertisement. (h/t: CriticalDragon):
Muslim Brotherhood ads hit Obama
BY ALEX SEITZ-WALD (Salon.com)
Tired of political ads about jobs and the economy and the deficit? The conservative group Let Freedom Ring will break that monotony with a new spot straight out of the Michele Bachmann school of Muslim scaremongering. The new online ad, part of a $7 million campaign targeting swing states, seeks to "expose" President Obama's "cozy ties with the Muslim Brotherhood," according to a press release.
The ad features ominous music behind scenes of scary brown people rallying with Egypt's new president, Mohamed Morsi, who is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood party. Another image shows an Islamic crossed-swords seal superimposed on the White House. The female narrator, sounding genuinely hurt and confused, asks Obama, "You invited the Muslim Brotherhood to the White House? Legitimizing a group that wants to undermine America and destroy Israel?"
Indeed, a Muslim Brotherhood delegation was invited to the White House after the party won Egyptian's elections in the country's first democratic elections. The ad does not mention Obamadistancing himself from the Muslim Brotherhood-led country last week in a minor diplomatic flub that was closer to the hawkish views of the ad's creators than the apologetic ones it claims Obama holds. "You sent them 1.5 billion of our taxpayer dollars? Why, Mr. President, why?" the narrator continues. The U.S does send billions of dollars in military aid to Egypt, but the practice started under former dictator Hosni Mubarak.
The ad neatly picks up on Mitt Romney's aborted narrative of the attacks last week on U.S. diplomatic outposts in the Middle East. "After our embassies were stormed, President Obama's administration offered apologies while the Muslim Brotherhood stood by as we were attacked," Let Freedom Ring president Colin Hanna said in a statement. "Instead of confronting our enemies such as the Muslim Brotherhood, Obama kowtows to them. We must shine a light on his record that ultimately weakens our image abroad and emboldens our most dangerous enemies."

subset: commoncrawl


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Xiaoying Qin
Xiaoying Qin received a B.S. degree (solid state physics) from the Department of Physics, Anhui University (1978–1982), an M.S. degree (solid state physics) from Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (1984–1987), and a Ph.D. degree (condensed matter physics) from the same institute (1993–1996). Between 1998 and 1999, he served as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Department of Metallurgy & Materials Science, Hanyang University, Ansan, South Korea. Since 2000, he works as a Professor at the Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. His research areas include (1) fabrications and characterizations of nanostructured materials (specially bulk nanomaterials) and their mechanical and magnetic properties; (2) nanocomposites; (3) thermoelectric materials including nanostructured thermoelectric materials.
Biography Updated on 15 February 2011