I've met some people whose interests might make you flinch at first blush. One guy I met in college liked collecting bugs. Another had the most extensive collection of coins I'd ever seen. What's more, a woman I currently work with says she enjoys watching videos of people getting their hair cut. However outlandish your interests may seem to the world, you should never apologize for them . They're one of the many things that make you you . You're a composite of various unique behaviors, quirks, thoughts, and interests -- ones you should never change for anyone unless you truly desire to. As long as you truly love the activity in question, aren't being pressured into it by anyone, and aren't doing it merely to conform to societal expectations, you should never feel weird for calling it one of your passions. I myself collect historical memorabilia -- from figures of presidents to books and DVDs to reproductions of historic documents. I've been call...

Contrary to popular belief, venting our frustrations in an overtly aggressive or hostile way -- whether by puncturing a pillow with a knife, punching a wall, or screaming at your neighbor -- doesn't help us feel better. If anything, it has the opposite effect. Studies have found we feel even more upset after doing these things. Engaging in aggressive or destructive behaviors when we're upset not only adversely endangers our well-being, but it potentially puts others at risk. Some people have been known to get wasted and drive erratically after some disappointing event, whether it's a fight with their boss that ultimately led to their being fired or having their partner break up with them unexpectedly. You can only imagine how terrible the consequences of such reckless acts. Once it has all passed, we experience a host of emotions ranging from regret to shame. Instead of reaching for a knife or bottle, there are other things we can do to channel our anger in more constru...

New research published by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology has found a clear link between perfectionism and burnout at work, school, and sports. The findings suggest that perfectionistic concerns create a great deal of stress, resulting in depression, eating disorders, fatigue, anxiety, and even early mortality. Sounds almost counter-intuitive, right? When we're perfectionists, we're aiming to do our very best, so we figure that trying to be perfect at everything can only lead to positive health outcomes. But when things aren't going our way -- say, we can't seem to earn the grades at school or promotion at work we've worked so hard to get -- we start doubting our performance. Such feelings of insecurity can snowball into myriad health issues and interfere with our relationships. We begin viewing every mistake as a setback, and we lash out at people who display genuine concern in us. Not surprisingly, perfectionist concerns had the stronges...

Ladies, take a moment to read the four categories I've listed below. Would you say you're a: 1) A girly girl : You're almost as passionate about discussing shoes, makeup, and clothes as you are about buying them 2) Like one of the guys : You love watching and/or playing sports, and you know more about sports than many of your male buddies 3) On the nerdier side : A night isn't fun unless it's intellectually-stimulating. You'd be perfectly content spending it at home reading a gripping book. 4) A little of each : Depending on the day and your mood, you can be any of the above If you asked me which type of women men generally like being around the most for an extended period of time, it would probably be those who fall under #2. They say that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, but a woman who knows her sports or cars is irresistible to most guys. Men want their women to be feminine, so #1 can be important. However, you'll want to ...