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Oscar Curse: 10 Best Actresses Who Won Academy Awards, Then Divorce Cases
The 83rd-annual Academy Awards are Sunday, February 27, but current Best Actress nominees who believe they’re happily coupled may want to think twice before accepting that precious career-friendly gold. A new study from researchers at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management and Carnegie Mellon University found that Oscar winners in the Best Actress category are at a higher risk of divorce than nominees who don’t win. On the flip side, Best Actor winners apparently don’t experience this potential pitfall. Researchers concluded that when the traditional role of “breadwinner” is reversed (i.e. the woman starts to earn more money than her partner, or earns a major award), the relationship experiences a strain that’s often irreconcilable. The study looked at 751 nominees between 1936 and 2010: Turns out, Best Actress winners are 63% more likely than nominees to see their marriages end. The median marriage length for winners is just 4.3 years, while losers (kidding!) enjoy a 9.51 year relationship duration. This year’s married or engaged nominees who need to start worrying include Annette Bening (to Warren Beatty), Nicole Kidman (to Keith Urban) and Natalie Portman (engaged to choreographer Benjamin Millepied). Perhaps it’d be better for everyone’s marital status if an unattached Best Actress nominee like Michelle Williams or Jennifer Lawrence unselfishly collected Oscar gold this year. Here’s our top ten list of formidable actresses over the years who watched their Hollywood marriages disintegrate after (and maybe because of) their Oscar victory and subsequent major career boost: … More »
Post from: BlissTree
Oscar Curse: 10 Best Actresses Who Won Academy Awards, Then Divorce Cases
Facebook Status Updates May Be Hazardous to Your Emotional Health
It’s mind-boggling that one in every 13 people who walk the Earth is on Facebook. This 24/7 show-and-tell of how a user is feeling, what they’re doing, who they’re dating, and of course photo albums showing their amazing life is usually a fun distraction for a while. But when you’re battling the blues, being subjected to your friend’s chirpy, happy, status updates can get really annoying. And, according to TIME, a recent Stanford University study says that logging too many hours on the social networking site when you’re feeling down can be detrimental to your emotional well-being.
The study claims that feelings of worthlessness, resentment, and anxiety are heightened when faced with your friend’s perky pictures of smiling children and exotic international travel, but that users don’t know the whole story behind their peer’s polished profiles. … More »
Post from: BlissTree
Facebook Status Updates May Be Hazardous to Your Emotional Health
5 Productive Things to Do On a Snow Day
Guess what? It’s snowing. Or it’s going to snow. Or it’s been snowing for a while and there’s no indication that it’s going to stop anytime soon. Ever. Though we Blisstree staffers live in the heart of urban New York City, where snow days for working adults are as rare as an empty cab at 5 p.m., we’re very envious of those of you who live in cold-weather climates and have bosses who actually tell you not to come into the office because of a snowfall. And if this latest snowstorm pans out, you lucky folks may well have some snow day free time on your hands very soon. (In between sledding with your kids, and making them grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup, and hot chocolate, of course. Did we mention that we’re jealous?) So here are five productive ways to spend your next snow day, which will likely be tomorrow. And probably the next day. Us? We’ll be at work no matter what the weather, but we’re damn well at least going to buy ourselves a friggin’ hot chocolate. … More »
Post from: BlissTree
Become Our Facebook Fan, Enter to Win $150 In Nautica Gear For You and Your Valentine
It’s that time of year again, lovers. And with the dreaded V-Day fast approaching, we here at Blisstree want to help you get your sexy on — in the form of a $150 gift certificate from Nautica.
One lucky fan of Blisstree on Facebook will be able to pick whatever they want from Nautica’s online shop, like this fluffy fleece robe or this Pure Nautica gift set for him — the only rule being it has to be something you or your Valentine will use (in other words, no kids clothes allowed on the most romantic day of the year). Pick your prize of up to $150 in swag and we’ll ship it to you in time for Valentine’s Day. … More »
Post from: BlissTree
Become Our Facebook Fan, Enter to Win $150 In Nautica Gear For You and Your Valentine
Modern Family Infographic: Marriage In 2011
One of the most popular New York Times articles over the weekend, “What ‘Modern Family’ Says About Modern Families,” contemplates why the hodgepodge families depicted on one of television’s most popular shows are so well-loved. The author suggests that fans connect to the show’s portrayal of our (sometimes dysfunctional) relationship with technology and media; that the characters’ confessional interviews with the camera reflect our own running monologues, updated regularly on Twitter and Facebook. But in conclusion, the article suggests that many of us love the Pritchett-Thacker family so much because under the surface of their oddball characters, technologically-advanced snafus, and unconventional relationships, they’re acting out the very traditional family values that even we modern viewers crave. … More »
Post from: BlissTree
Birth Control: Why Sterilization Is Secretly More Popular Than the Pill
The recent 50-year anniversary of the pill sparked an onslaught of articles about the revolutionary force of birth control, making it seem like every woman in modern America is benefiting (or suffering) from its use. But according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s newest Statistical Abstract, the pill isn’t the unmatched Goliath of contraceptives it’s made out to be; in fact, sterilization is even more popular — we’re just not talking (or reading) about it nearly as much.
The Census Bureau statistics reveal that, while 61% of women between the ages of 15 and 44 use some form of contraception, only 17.3% of us are actually on the pill. Meanwhile, sterilization is just as responsible (or more) for keeping us from breeding like Catholics. According to the census report, 16.7% of women have been sterilized themselves, and 6.1% have male partners who’ve been sterilized. It’s not a shocker that women between 15 and 44 use methods besides the pill (or none at all), but last we checked, most women weren’t gabbing about sterilization options, either. So why are so many women getting their tubes tied, and why isn’t anyone talking about it? We asked around to find out why sterilization is secretly the most popular kind of birth control. … More »
Post from: BlissTree
Birth Control: Why Sterilization Is Secretly More Popular Than the Pill
Marriage: Where Are All the Mail-Order Husbands?
Earlier this week, NBC’s The Today Show did a very curious segment about the resurgence of mail-order brides. Evidently, it’s still a “flourishing trade.” Who knew? I sat in astonishment as Matt Lauer interviewed two couples who had met and married through European matchmaking agencies — and swear by the process.
But forget the antiquated idea men selecting Russian life partners after flipping through catalogs. Today’s mail-order brides are women who register with matchmaking agencies that organize mixers to introduce potential mates at swanky events. Think of it as fancy foreign-affairs speed dating. … More »
Post from: BlissTree
Family Traditions: Why My Wife and I (Now) Spend the Holidays Together
Right before Thanksgiving, the good folks here at Blisstree posted My Wife and I Spend the Holidays Apart (And We Like It That Way), a little look at our non-traditional non-together festivities. The piece struck an online nerve, eliciting a fair number of comments, both here and abroad. It even landed Kim and I a guest spot on a the NPR radio show “The Story,” fulfilling a personal goal even if it had nothing to do with Ira Glass. Although, host Dick Gordon has a much more soothing put-you-at-ease voice, the kind made for hot cocoa. (Hear for yourself: Our segment begins around 29:30.)
http://thestory.org/archive/the_story_1175_Bley_Brothers_Thanksgiving.mp3
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with the responses. Not that everyone thought our way of doing things made a lick of sense, but nearly everyone took a live-and-let-live whatever-works-for-you attitude about it. It warmed my Grinchy heart, but it also made me feel guilty for a bit of writerly withholding to the readers. I apologize. I wasn’t entirely forthcoming … More »
Post from: BlissTree
Family Traditions: Why My Wife and I (Now) Spend the Holidays Together
America’s Healthiest Women Live In Plano, Texas
Feeling under the weather and fabulously unfit? Then it might be time to move to Plano, Texas. According to a recent USA Today article, a new survey from Men’s Health and Women’s Health states that Plano is the top spot for healthy living. Following closely behind Plano are Fargo, North Dakota, and San Jose, California. The survey ranked cities based on 30 criteria, including obesity rates, smoking rates, and the availability of fresh fruits and vegetables. Plano earned the top spot in part for its great ratio of single men to single women – 139 single men for every 100 single gals. … More »
Post from: BlissTree
2010 Celebrity Divorces: 12 Star Splits
It’s time for 2010 retrospectives, and why not get the bad news out of the way first? Eva Longoria and Tony Parker are officially filing for divorce, acting as the (hopefully) final reminder that 2010 has not been a good year for celebrity marriages. Al and Tipper Gore’s 40 year union significantly pulled up the median duration of marriage for the year’s divorced celebs, but we are also astounded by how quickly some of these couples went from wedded bliss to courtroom splits. … More »
Post from: BlissTree
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