Ladies, listen up! Toward the end of a 2-1/2 hour phone conversation with my dear, older, half-brother the other night, I think he may have let slip 2 golden rules to keeping your man happy in a relationship:

1) Nothing is more sexy to a man than a woman that is totally into him

2) Be nice to him

They sound simple, but anyone who has tried to maintain a long-term relationship knows these are many times the first to go out the window when problems arise.

Men have delicate egos. I have a theory that the reason men are, on the whole, so self-conscious, is that they are constantly comparing themselves to other men. Not only are they always mentally sizing themselves up next to other men, men never hesitate to unabashedly point out other men’s faults when they get together in groups. “He so bald, he’s so fat, he’s a minuteman, he’s so short, he’s gay, etc., etc., etc.” To make it even worse, they will point out a man’s faults when eligible women are around, resulting in a complete humiliation. At least women usually only bash on other women behind their backs. Not sure which is worse.

Anyway, my point is that men need women to feel good about themselves, so use your power! Understand that your man spends all day trying to prove he’s good enough. So the next time he comes at you in a bad mood, instead of reaching into your back pocket for that ace you’ve been saving for a few months, refrain from jumping into the death spiral of negativity and try instead to be nice, reminding him that he is the center of your universe. Besides, it’s best to bring up issues when both parties are relatively calm and open. Communication is best done in a spirit of love and compassion. I am going to try this myself, and if you have any experience in this, I’d love to hear about it ;)