We're big fans of oxytocin understanding.  It generally makes people nicer and  and relationships are difficult.   When you introduce stressful issues into relationships, such as home finances, it can only get worse.    Oxytocin has been found to make relationships a little less difficult because it can take the "edge" off sensitive discussions.

The actual biology of human social relationships is just beginning to emerge as research on social cognition conducted in animals is now informing research in humans. 

According to a 19th century nursery rhyme, the biological distinctions between males and females are thus:

What are little boys made of?
What are little boys made of? 
Frogs and snails
And puppy-dogs' tails,
That's what little boys are made of.
What are little girls made of?
What are little girls made of? 
Sugar and spice
And all things nice,
That's what little girls are made of.

This was pre-Mendel but we bet he agreed.    Boys seem to really get cheated on cute rhymes about gender differences.   But what came first, the rhyme or the differences?   

LOS ANGELES, April 28 /PRNewswire/ --

Taking a cue from the number one women's wardrobe staple, the little black dress, Hurley and Bar Refaeli introduce the Little Black Bikini, a timeless essential for beaches everywhere.

The limited-edition Hurley Little Black Bikini by Bar Refaeli will retail for US$120, with a portion of proceeds donated to Boarding for Breast Cancer, a youth-focused non-profit that promotes early detection and an active lifestyle as the best prevention for breast cancer. It will debut on May 1, 2009 at select boutiques worldwide. As of June 2, it will also be available at select Victoria's Secret stores nationwide.

In ancient stories, and even some newer ones, the appearance of a comet or any heavenly object could symbolize a God's displeasure and even mean a sure failure in battle for one side.   Tel Aviv University researchers say comets could be even more relevant than mythology suggests; they might have actually provided the elements for the emergence of life on our planet.

Young children think about gender in the same way they think about species of animals. They believe, for example, that a boy's preference for football is innate, as is a girl's preference for dolls, just as cats' behavior is innately different from dogs'.

That's the finding of a new study from researchers at Pacific Lutheran University and the University of Michigan. The study appears in the March/April 2009 issue of the journal Child Development.

A new longitudinal study of children's personality traits and interests tells us that sex-typed characteristics develop differently in girls and boys. The study, by researchers at The Pennsylvania State University, the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and Purdue University, appears in Child Development.

The researchers looked at first- and second-born siblings from nearly 200 mostly White, middle-class American families. They collected information through home interviews conducted over seven years, activity diaries provided by the children, and saliva samples that measured the children's testosterone levels.