Dating Advice, Great Myths Of Intimate Relationships

Skip navigation!

Begin Slideshow

You’ve heard them all before: Opposites attract. You should play hard to get. Men want sex more than women do. So much about dating feels random and out of our hands that we grab onto clichés like these. Like Jack and Rose clinging to that frozen plank, we hope to ride out the waves and someday find a lasting relationship.

Well, it might be time to finally let go. In Great Myths Of Intimate Relationships, psychologist Matthew D. Johnson, PhD, tackles long-assumed assumptions about romance with cold, hard scientific study. And guess what? Most of them are far from the truth. Ahead, 12 myths about sex and dating, demystified once and for all.

More from Sex & Relationships

What’s A Cock Ring And Should You Be Using One?

Want To Orgasm Faster? Try This

There are plenty of articles on the internet instructing men how to make a woman come in five minutes, 10, or 15. But what if a woman wants to learn to mak

by Erika W. Smith

Taylor Swift And Travis Kelce Have (Almost) Survived Cuffing Season

For years, I thought cuffing season was fake — something we made up and clung onto each fall as a beacon of hope for the prospect of love (or any kind of

by Elizabeth Gulino

PSA: There’s up to 50% Off LELO’s Luxury Sex Toys For...

by Charlotte Lewis

4 Questions To Ask Yourself If You Think You Are In A Toxic Relat...

Trigger warning: This article contains themes of abuse. If spending time with your partner feels like it drains, upsets or hurts you, you might be in a tox

by Erika W. Smith

6 Signs You Just Had An Orgasm

You might have heard an orgasm described as a vaginal sneeze or called “la petite mort” — French for “the little death.” Others might describe or

by Erika W. Smith

8 Women On What Their Messiest “Situationship” Taught Them

by Maybelle Morgan

Lovehoney’s Best Selling Vibrators Are Up To 50% Off For Va...

At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by us. Al

by Charlotte Lewis

29 Women Spill On How Many People They’ve Had Sex With

Why So Many Relationships End After Christmas

Have you ever noticed that a lot of relationships end after Christmas? Call it the January comedown, call it breakup season, call it whatever you want. But

by Maria Del Russo

Gaslighting Happens In Friendships Too. Beware Of These Signs

‘Gaslighting’, quite tragically, now has a cemented place in our modern lexicon. The term was one of Oxford Dictionaries’ words of the ye

My Partner & I Both Struggle From The Same Mental Illness. How Ca...

Thanks for reading Can We Talk?, a sex and relationships column that aims to tackle the burning questions about sex, dating, relationships, and breakups

by Moraya Seeger DeG...

R29 Original Series