If I were to ask you what might make someone in your life -- whether a friend or dating prospect -- build a deep affection for you, what would you say? Your first instinct might be to respond with, "Doing nice things for them." Ironically, though, research has shown that we can actually get people to care about us more by having them do favors for us.  At first blush, this might seem rather counterintuitive, but it actually makes perfect sense. We have an affinity for the things and people we invest resources in -- whether time or money. So if we're taking time out of our busy day for someone, we start to think, "Hey, I must really care about this individual if I'm going the extra mile." Sure, if people do nice things for us, we can form a favorable impression of them. But it isn't until we find ourselves going out of our way for them that we realize they may very well occupy a special place in our heart. If being nice alone did the trick...

While we can say that our closest friends are usually reliable, we should refrain from depending on them all the time. Unfortunately, even they can let us down every once in a while. I'm sure you have at least one who comes to you in times of need, but seemingly vanishes when he or she no longer needs you. Then, when you try arranging outings with the person or need a favor, they're always busy. It really grates on me when friends act this way. Truthfully, those you call true friends should not be so flaky. A friendship is a two-way street. When only one person shows interest, it makes the other person feels as though they're being taken for granted. I don't care how busy you are. When you value someone else's company, you find a way to make time for them, even if it's a quick lunch or jog around a nearby park. Some people are all about give and take. Little do they realize that in order for a friendship to remain strong, there has to be reciprocat...