We’ve waited all year for summer to roll around and it’s finally here! Take advantage of the beautiful weather and try out these simple sex tips to make it the best season yet!

Explore Hot & Cold Erogenous Zones

As your skin adapts to prolonged periods of heat, your sensitivity can decrease, but a little temperature play can reinvigorate your sensual response. The areas of the skin most sensitive to heat include the fingertips, nose and elbows while the upper lip, chin, nose, chest and fingers are more responsive to cold. Get creative this summer using warm oils, frozen grapes, popsicles or chilled champagne to add some well-timed temperature changes that will awaken your senses in the most erotic of ways.

Switch to Deodorant (as opposed to antiperspirant)

A little sweat can breathe new life into a stale sexual routine, as perspiring involves the secretion of powerful sexual chemicals known as pheromones. Not only do these subtle sexual catalysts send out signals to...

If your ex cheated, diving back into the world of dating can be intimidating. But being cheated on doesn’t mean the end of romance, intimacy and happy relationships — in fact, it’s just the beginning. If your ex cheated, you can still find love, fulfilment and commitment - and you deserve it all.

Consider these strategies for moving onward and upward:

Do not accept responsibility for a cheater. Know that it’s not you — it’s them. Your ex cheated because they chose to cheat. You were not the “cause” of their cheating, so there is no reason to assume that your next partner will cheat too.

Date outside of your comfort zone. Do you have a certain “type” to which that you tend to be attracted? Try getting to know different types of people and hang out in different venues to see if your attraction is broader than you realized. You might attract someone with whom trust arises more...

By Alison Minor

Earlier this week, Elle Brazil celebrated their 29th anniversary and the LBGTQ community in a beautifully commendatory fashion. They featured a same-sex couple on their highly anticipated, glossy annual issue of the magazine. The cover is irrefutably beautiful and was met with an inspiringly positive response all around.

For the current sexual and political landscape of Brazil, this cover matters a lot. Members of the LBGTQ community in Brazil have been subject to fatal hate crimes, most of which did not involve any form of robbery. In the past four years, Brazil has lost nearly 1,600 beautiful gay, lesbian, and transgender souls to mindless and hate-fueled violence. This number is most likely higher, due to police’s preference to omit details of victims’ sexual orientation because of the strong taboo that surrounds the subject.

The issue’s theme was affection, and we applaud Elle Brazil, and all those who bravely stand for inclusivity and...

By Alison Minor

We all have a friend who always seems to be in a relationship and who never seems to be single for more than (what feels like) five minutes. I can sincerely say that I have been that person for a majority of my mature life. As a result of this, I became codependent in the process. It came to a point where I was dating people who were not a good fit for me. It became an issue that I was far too afraid to solve.

However, now that I've finally broke the habit of clinging to my partner-of-the-moment, I will never go back.

Whether you find yourself constantly involved in a relationship, but yearning for a sense of independence or you’re generally unhappy in a relationship, but too comfortable to leave, these are my tips to break free of “codependence.”

1. Find things you love to do. As someone who always had a partner, I found that I would lose my personality in them. If they liked hockey, so did I. If they liked spending time outdoors, so did...

It’s road trip season! Pack up that car, rally the troops and get ready for the open road.

What fun!

That is, until, you get lost, take a wrong turn, take a few too many pee breaks and find yourselves hangry in a hot car with a backseat driver who can’t stop humming 80s pop songs. Jess discusses this roadtrippin' research on Global TV's The Morning Show. Check out her advice in the video below.

1. What are couples fighting about in the car?

71% of couples have fought in the car and the most common cause relates to getting lost. But no topic is off limits. Couples fight about a range of subjects including:

44% — directions/getting lost
37% — where to park
34% — driving too quickly
24% — driving too close to other...

France just elected a president whose partner is 24 years his senior. Donald Trump is 23 years older than Melania. We’re seeing more high-profile May-December relationships, so let’s talk about them. Much of the cultural disdain toward large age gaps between partners is fuelled by fear — the fear that relationships may be transactionally driven by money, sex, power, and lust. But age is but one factor that determines marital satisfaction and longevity — and money, power, sex, and lust are relevant in all relationship regardless of age.

Jess delved into the data on inter-generational relationships and shared her advice with Global TV’s The Morning Show earlier today. Here is a summary of the conversation:

How common are these relationships?

• They’re less common than close-in-age relationships; most people seek partners who are of similar attractiveness, socioeconomic status, and age. The average age gap in marriage in Canada at first marriage...

In my first post I introduced you to the fascinating field of sex science and how studying the brain might help explain some of the big why questions that everyone has about their sex life. What I’d like to do now is come up with some answers to these questions, starting with what most men describe as their biggest sex-related fear…erectile dysfunction.

via GIPHY

For those of you who don’t identify as playing an “active” assertive role in sex, don’t exit the screen just yet, I promise you’ll be in the spotlight soon enough. But for now I’d like to focus on the penile partners. We’ve all been there, that moment when it seems like everything to do with sex is up except your penis. Or when you felt as though you were about to orgasm, but couldn’t climax regardless of how hard you focused. If any of these situations apply to you then you’re probably pretty…normal. That’s not to say that for some people...

If you’re looking for signs that your relationship is moving in the right direction, look no further. These science-based indicators can help you to assess your relationship health and potential for longevity.

1. They’re On Your Mind Even When You’re Apart

According to a 2007 survey, thinking about your significant other when you’re not together is a sign of a strong bond with your partner. Those who find it difficult to focus on other matters when thinking about their loved one report stronger feelings of love and connection. Apparently absence not only makes the heart grow fonder, but may also provide a barometer for assessing your relationship.

2. You Have More Fun Than Fights

Though fighting is inevitable in the happiest of relationships, if it dominates your interactions, it may be a sign that your relationship is in jeopardy. Researcher John Gottman suggests that there is an ideal ratio of 5:1 for positive versus negative interactions in terms of...

Continued from Part 1 here...

Drugs

If you remember what I said about the male body’s complex balancing act, it’s no wonder that drugs can influence our sexual behaviour. Let’s start with prescription drugs, which include; medications to control high blood, antihistamines, pain medication, muscle relaxants, antiarrhythmic drugs, medications used to manage Parkinson’s and chemotherapeutic drugs.  Then we have the drugs that everyone knows and loves, i.e. psychotropics, which are chemical substances that change brain function and result in alterations in perception, mood, or consciousness. These include stimulants like amphetamine, cocaine, caffeine and nicotine, depressants like alcohol, barbiturates, benzodiazepines and heroin, hallucinogens such as marijuana and LSD, antidepressants, and antipsychotics. Each of these drugs acts on different neurochemical pathways in the brain that are important for sexual desire, performance and orgasm. Some these...

Are you curious about open relationships? This morning on Global TV's The Morning Show, I discuss consensual non-monogamy in research and practice with the lovely Carolyn Mackenzie. Check out the video and full notes (we always run out of time!) below.

 

What did the study find?

• The study, conducted by the University of Michigan, involved 2100 people; they examined satisfaction, commitment, trust, jealousy and passionate love, which is the intense love feeling often described in new relationships.
• Researchers found no difference between monogamous couples and consensually non-monogamous (CNM) couples with regard to satisfaction and passionate love.
• CNM couples revealed lower levels of jealousy and higher levels of trust than monogamous couples.
• Overall, the researchers conclude that CNM and monogamous relationships offer similar benefits.
• To date, research that addresses CNM has been significantly biased with researchers using loaded terms like...