Word play
GBF abbreviation Gay best friend.
Origin Carrie and Stanford, Will and Grace and now Glee’s Mercedes and Kurt. Having a GBF (a real one rather than a fictional one) can be good for your selfesteem, says Nancy Bartlett, a psychologist at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax. In Bartlett’s research, women reported that they feel more sexually attractive as a result of their friendships with gay men. Your line “I’m looking for a GBF and I’m no cat lady!” Try it “Who’s up for a girls’ night out at the gay bar? Anyone?” – ALLISON DEAN
Dealing with disconnect
Feeling ostracized at parties or rejected by your co-workers? Taking a Tylenol might help. A recent study published in Psychological Science reports that acetaminophen reduces emotional pain caused by difficult social situations. Researchers had study participants pop a Tylenol every day for three weeks and tested them by slowly excluding them from a virtual game of ball. Participants who were taking the painkiller felt less rejected than those who were taking a placebo. So, save yourself a headache at that next singles mixer and don’t let those awkward silences and petty digs get to you! – PHOENIX TARAMPI
’til friends do us part
Depending on who your friends are, divorce can be as contagious as the flu, concludes a study at Brown University in Providence, R.I. Researchers found that if a close friend’s marriage is on the rocks, your chance of a split increases by 75 percent. Even the divorce of a friend of a friend ups your chances of getting unhitched by one-third. This “divorce clustering” occurs when the breakup of friends causes couples to question their own relationships. Thankfully, the divorce effect disappears at a friend of a friend of a friend. Phew! – AVA BACCARI
First impressions
1 hour The amount of time it takes for a woman to determine whether she wants to see a man again or not.
15 minutes The amount of time it takes for a man to decide whether he wants to see a woman again or not.
Call of the wild
First it was Demi and Ashton; next came Madonna and Jesus. And then Kick-Ass star Aaron Johnson, 20, became a baby daddy to his Nowhere Boy director and fiancée, Sam Taylor-Wood, 43. The cougar-cub love affair is still going strong in Hollywood! Now, with reality-TV star Linda Hogan, 50, allegedly engaged to 21-year-old Charlie Hill, we want to know: Will we be seeing The Real Cougars of Beverly Hills on TV anytime soon? – ALANNAH O’NEILL
Read more
Love yourself to cultivate a healthy relationship
Online dating dilemmas
Are you a people pleaser?
Newsletter
Join our mailing list for the latest and biggest in fashion trends, beauty, culture and celebrity.
More from Life and Love
Read Next
Fashion
Zendaya Welcomes Spring in a Retro Floral and Tulle Dress
Another day, another preppy tennis-core look.
by : Briannah Rivera- Apr 23rd, 2024
Culture
A Joe Alwyn Source Explains Why He Didn’t Want to Talk About Dating Taylor Swift
Following the release of The Tortured Poets Department, new insight about the British actor’s decision emerges.
by : Alyssa Bailey- Apr 23rd, 2024
Culture
This University Elevates Women to New Professional Heights
You shouldn’t have to pause your life to move forward in your career.
by : ELLE Canada- Apr 16th, 2024