Let's face it: Having good looks means nothing if you're a bad person. Beauty is only skin deep. Those who are smug and think they can treat others with disrespect only because they're physically attractive are demonstrating one thing: they're ugly on the inside, and that makes them ugly as a whole. I don't care whether you have a gorgeous face or an amazing body. A rotten personality undermines one's best physical attributes. I'd take a "4" with a big heart over a "10" who's as deep as a puddle any day of the week. I can't stand people who are conceited -- the ones who walk around thinking they're owed something on account of their good looks. They act as if they're God's gift to the world and often belittle those who aren't as physically eye-catching. It's these people who eventually wind up alone. Looks fade. People get wrinkles and gain weight. Old age catches up with us sooner or later. On the ot...

Thinking, of all things, can make us overeat. Studies show that intellectual activities -- from reading to writing -- can make people eat more than when they're merely resting. Researchers discovered that intellectual work leads to more pronounced fluctuations in glucose levels than rest periods, perhaps because of the stress of thinking. The body reacts to these fluctuations by demanding food to restore glucose, a sugar that serves as the brain's fuel. Glucose is converted by the body from carbohydrates and is delivered to the brain through the bloodstream. Because the brain cannot produce glucose, it needs a constant supply. Moreover, brain cells require twice as much energy as other cells in the body. Interestingly, studies in animals have shown that consuming fewer calories overall leads to sharper brains and longer life, and most researchers concur that the findings generally extend to human beings. Caloric overcompensation following intellectual work, coupled wi...

In many relationships, partners are particularly finicky about how much they feel their partner should weigh. As someone who prefers curvier women, I'll admit that I've told my wife I prefer she not get too skinny . But it seems most women (and men, for that matter) have the opposite dilemma: their partners insist that they keep their weight at or below a certain threshold. Notice how I used the word "prefer" above when referring to my wife's weight. If she chooses to lose more than I'd like, that's really her decision. I won't love her any less for it. If she were to gain weight, I'd still love her just the same. I would never put pressure on her to cater to my preferences. I might only become more emphatic in my desire that she gain or lose weight if I see her going too far in one direction. When health becomes a serious concern, that's when I'll make sure she hears me loud and clear. I think it's perfectly normal for our part...