Are you a shy guy? - Relationships

Are you a shy guy?:

Not everyone is good at making friends. While some of us have a problem to take the first step, there are others who don't like opening up to strangers at all. But then, there are a few of us who click at the first go. Take this quiz to find out how well you gel with a complete stranger.

1. When you meet someone new, you...

A. Introduce yourself and make sure you let the person to feel comfortable.
B.Wait for the person to talk and only answer to their questions, without initiating any conversation.

2. At the first meeting with a person you...
A. Get to know everything about the person, from the name of their dog to where they studied last.
B. Just stick to the regular 'hi-hellos' and courtesy talking.

3. After your first meeting, you...
A. Already have a date and time fixed up for the next meeting.
B. Never ever keep in touch.

4. Your friends take you out to a common friend's party. By the end of the party you...
A. Are busy talking to many people and storing their numbers.
B. Cling to your friend and make sure you accompany him/her wherever he/she goes.

5. When you are all alone with no one to hang out with...
A. You call this friend you met once, and in an hour you both are busy conversing over a cup of coffee.
B. Pull out all the DVDs off your shelf, and watch them back to back.

If your answers are...

Mostly As: You are an extremely friendly person. Be it a new place or new city, you know how to make friends and also keep in touch with them. You are known to be the perfect host at a party as you make everyone feel comfortable and at home.

Mostly Bs: You are a complete introvert. Be it a party, reunion or a get together, all you do is interact with people you know already. But this doesn't get you anywhere as you tend to be lonesome when the 'few' friends you have are not around. It's time you change this attitude and make new friends. Try and socialise with new people as well.

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10 shortcuts to happiness - Relationships

10 shortcuts to happiness:

Beat the blues and boost your mood with these simple tips

A brisk 10-minute walk can boost your mood and self-esteem while reducing anxiety and stress, according to a new report by the Mental Health Foundation. But there are some other much overlooked ways that can get you the same results.

1. Buy theatre tickets, not shoes: Psychologists at San Francisco State University, US, discovered that experiences make us happier than objects because the excitement of buying something new fades faster than great memories. So use your savings to snap up a holiday or theatre tickets, not a designer handbag or fancy shoes.

2. A regular night out with friends: The happiest 10 per cent of people prioritise relationships with friends and family, researchers at the University of Illinois, US, say. Instead of going out for drinks or a meal, try something different such as mastering the art of bridge or poker.

3. End your walk with a sprint: Finishing your walk or your bicycle ride with a 30-second sprint doubles your endorphins and increases levels of noradrenaline, boosting your mood for up to 90 minutes afterwards.

4. Drink a cup of banana tea: Simply boil the banana skin in water for 15 minutes, let it cool and then sip the water. After a two-year study, Taiwanese researchers found banana peel contains several ingredients that increase levels of serotonin, the happy hormone.

5. Turn off the box: Unhappy people watch 20 per cent more television than self-described happy people, according to scientists from The University of Maryland, US. But reading was an activity linked to happier folk in the study.

6. Check your bank statement: Money can't buy you happiness but a survey says that being in control of your finances most certainly makes you feel better. A London university study revealed that happiness, wellbeing and self-esteem are influenced by our sense of financial control and not by how much we deposit in the bank every month.

7. Buy flowers: A study at Rutgers University in New Jersey, US, showed people became less depressed, agitated and anxious after receiving flowers, and also had a higher sense of enjoyment and satisfaction in their lives.

8. Do a good deed: Lending a hand, volunteering or doing something nice for free can increase your self-esteem and wellbeing, studies have proven.

9. Sing a song: Listening to a choir lifts the spirits, but you'll be happier still if you're doing the singing, according to research from the University of Frankfurt in Germany. Also, making time to listen to your favourite tunes enhances your mood.

10. Savour some dark chocolate: The feel-good sensations that pure chocolate gives you are created by a natural chemical in cocoa called phenylethylamine, which researchers believe can cause a feeling of mild euphoria, similar to the experience of being in love.

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Why are boys planning to skip college on Rakhi - Relashionships

Raksha Bandhan : Why are boys planning to skip college on Rakhi:

While city colleges do not observe a holiday on Raksha Bandhan, most city boys consider it a holiday and stay away from colleges and private coaching classes on the day of festival as well as the following week — for the fear of being tied a rakhi by their female acquaintance.

Ashwini Deshpande, a college lecturer reveals, "Every year it is the same scene. On the day of Raksha Bandhan and the following week, the attendance of boys is very low. This year, boys have already requested me to avoid teaching important topics as they will be skipping the lectures this week. Even the boys who come for private coaching have told me that they will not be coming to class this week because they fear that the girls will tie them a rakhi."

Usually boys make it a point to meet their friends around the college campus even on holidays, but during the week of Raksha Bandhan, they make sure they stay away from any such place where they are bound to meet their classmates.

Sagar Kathe, a 12th science student, says, "We usually hangout at the kattas near the college campus even on holidays but on the day of Raksha Bandhan, we don't even go there for fear of being noticed by the girls." He further adds, "We also avoid meeting the girls for the entire week. The basic problem is that the girls start discussing whom they are going to tie a rakhi days before Raksha Bandhan." While some consider it as a big problem, the girls aren't complaining. Chaitali Karmarkar, a commerce student shares, "Last year we had tied rakhi to all the boys in our group. None of them objected to it. This year we are planning to do the same." As it is considered inauspicious to deny a rakhi, boys prefer avoiding girls on the day. Atharva Joshi, a third year arts student, says, "When a girl comes to tie rakhi we can't say no."

By tying a rakhi on a boy's wrist, girls put an end to a possible affair. A commerce student on the condition of anonymity shares, "I liked a girl and she knew about it. Only to avoid being taunted, she tied a rakhi in front of everyone last year. But after three months we got into a relationship. I felt guilty and felt I did not live up to the purity of that relationship."

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Things men don’t want to say but mean to - Relashion Ships

Things men don’t want to say but mean to:

Here is a list that may help you understand your man better...

Who says only women are difficult to understand? It is not always easy to find out what a man really wants because most of the time he does not convey it in words. Here is a list that may help you understand your man better:

I like being the 'boy' friend

Most men prefer remaining Peter Pan for all their lives if possible. Girls often think that guys are players-at-heart who love the single life and only settle down for societal norms. Don't be surprised but that's the truth. While there might be some guys who would like to have one in hand and one in bush and love chasing around other women too, fact of the matter is that most of them love being the immature children. Girls anyway love to play mom.

I want you to be on your toes for me

While men like the chase, but sometimes they would rather be the chased. Especially when the initial stages of the impression making is done with. If you keep acting pricey, you might actually be pushing them away from you. Once they reveal their love, everything changes. So once you've got a person, play the game of attention giving on an equivalent scale. Too much pampering can also be injurious to health.

I don't like my friend ogling at you and you smiling back at him

Believe it or not, but for a guy, it is very important that they get a good enough approval from people around about anything they do. Especially in matters of the girl. But again, they wouldn't be able to take it if the friends start ogling at their girl and she somehow remain oblivious or is more sporting towards it. And more often, they might just end up dumping the girl. This happens for the simple fact that they cannot handle even the thought of losing their girl to any of their friends.

I don't want you to fall for my friend

This one goes along with the other one for obvious reasons but there is a little more to it. Obviously they don't want to be ditched and that too with their friend. Secondly, they don't want their girl working overtime to please the friends as that would mean divided attention. Now that could sound as immature behaviour, but hey, don't forget we are talking about men!

Ok, I'm scared that you might leave me!

While most magazines and relationship guides talk about 'men cheating', or 'how to win your man', or 'how to keep him hooked on to you'; fact is that most men are actually scared about the exact opposite. True, they are actually scared that the girl might leave them. Call it a defence mechanism that they resort to and hence while you find some men to be extra possessive, others might take up to cheating. The only key to have your guy and keep him too is to be normal and yes don't forget they constantly want that shower of attention!

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