Summer – what better way to spend those long hazy months than with a partner?  You may be looking for love or something purely physical, and if you are looking for a heterosexual partnership you may have already come across the age old problem: the difference between men and woman.  This battle between the sexes has been present since time began and still fascinates us today.  After all, the divorce statistics today are very different to just thirty years ago and ever more people are turning to online dating in a bid to cut to the chase in the look for love.

One thing that love and dating experts keep reminding us is not to forget that the two sexes are different!  Once we try to change each other too much to our own way of thinking, things can get confusing – and often lead to break ups.

Pyschotherapist Bjorn has some insights into a healthy relationship: “Men show their love in a different way to women.  While women may find it easier to express themselves through words, many men find it difficult to put their feelings into words.  They may show their love through acts instead.” 

But often, women can find it hard to spot these signs and feel that their attempts at talking about personal issues are blocked off by men.  If they want to address this, Bjorn warns that it is best to do so in a relaxed, stress-free atmosphere.  “If you address your boyfriend or husband when he has just finished a hard day’s work, he may be even less inclined to want to talk about it – stick to a loving relaxed time.”

Tolerance on both sides is above all important – while women often seem to have all the answers in a relationship, they should try to avoid ‘changing’ the man to their way of thinking and vice versa men may need to realise that women are merely trying to deal with and further the relationship.  Remain open to the other’s needs and wants – allowing each other to enjoy pursuits that interest them is one way of doing this. 

Ok, so some women may find the idea of an evening watching the Champion’s League the epitome of hell, and men may find the idea of yet another three-course romantic dinner exhausting, but if both sides incorporate the others’ likes and dislikes, a healthier climate can be brought about.