By Charlotte Hilton Andersen, Reader’s Digest

What you didn’t learn in high school sex ed: the surprising, science-backed proof about aphrodisiac foods, men’s and women’s desire, and more.

Myth: Sex burns major calories

Truth: Experts estimate thirty minutes of sex burns 85 to 150 calories. Theoretically, you need to burn about 3,500 calories to lose a pound of body weight, so if you were using up 100 calories every time you had sex, you could lose one pound if you had sex 35 times. The problem is this: Most people are not having sex for thirty minutes. Instead, the average duration of sex is closer to five minutes. In fact, the biggest increase in your heart rate and blood pressure during sex only occurs for about fifteen seconds during orgasm, and then things quickly return back to normal. Sex may not burn a lot of calories, but having sex once a week can actually help you live longer.

Charlotte Hilton Andersen, Reader's Digest

We include everything from why wearing socks is sexier than lingerie to how sleeping with your wife can get you ahead with your boss.

Nearly 10 percent of all dreams include sex

Sex dreams aren’t just the territory of horny teenage boys. In fact, nearly one in ten dreams contain some R-rated sexual content—and that’s true for both men and women, according to a study published by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. There were some gender differences though: Women were more likely to have sex dreams about politicians, celebrities, or their exes while men were more likely to dream about having sex with multiple partners at once. Check out these sex facts about committed couples.

By Carolyn Steber, Bustle

Some conversations are easier to have than others, especially when it comes to saying difficult things to your partner. It can be tempting to sweep certain issues under the rug, as a way of avoiding conflict, tension, and discomfort. But if something's eating away at you, it's best to get it all out for your own sake — as well as the health of your relationship.

Start the new year with actually useful goals.
​By Paige Smith, HuffPost

When it comes to New Year’s resolutions, people are either staunch defenders of the practice or vocal critics. On one hand, resolutions provide purpose and structure for those interested in self-improvement; on the other hand, they tend not to work.

Most people quit their resolutions after a couple of months, said Melissa Coats, a licensed professional counselor, psychotherapist and owner of Coats Counseling in Georgia. If you struggle with anxiety or feelings of inadequacy, she explained, the pressure to succeed can be particularly damaging.

by AnnaMarie Houlis, SheKnows

Though for many, they’re a joyful time and, for some, even relaxing, the holidays can be particularly stressful for those with sick loved ones at home.

More than 65 million people — about 29 percent of the U.S. population — spend an average of 20 hours per week providing care for a chronically ill, disabled or elderly family member or friend, according to the National Alliance for Caregiving.

​​By Eva Taylor Grant, Bustle

Everyone says bad things about themselves every once and a while. But when negative self-talk happens regularly, it can become really destructive. If you're looking to curb unhelpful thinking, finding out what habits cause negative self-talk might be a step in the right direction.
 
Self-talk is your way of figuring out who you are in relation to the world around you. "We use self-talk to interpret what is happening around us, and to essentially explain to ourselves what we are seeing, how we are feeling and what it all means," Joshua Klapow, Ph.D., clinical psychologist and host of The Kurre and Klapow Show, tells Bustle. "Our self-talk is used to guide us through every moment." Good self-talk, like positive affirmations, can make even the most difficult moments easier.