It’s that time of year again. Time for all the news organizations and websites to start pumping out stories about relationships in the run-up to Valentine’s Day. Here are some highlights that I’ve come across recently (some are old stories, but new discoveries):

• Online dating — Helping pathetic women get their hopes crushed more efficiently (The Onion)
• The man date (NY Times). Why guys keep a seat between them at the movies and more.
• Women are harder to read on the first date (UPI). The small sample size and the researcher’s description of flirty-but-not-interested women as “deceptive” makes me distrust the results a bit.
• The dating go round (Science News). Lots of fascinating nuggets here: Uncertainty feeds attraction in the initial stages of relationships. Couples seek out emotional bonds at the earliest stages of relationships. Also, there’s a big discrepancy between what people think they want and what they pursue (no surprise there).
• It’s the economy, girlfriend (NYTimes). About a blog called Dating a Banker Anonymous. Um, any guy who consoles his colleague when your dad has just had a heart attack is a d-bag.

The other thing that keeps popping up is the He’s Just Not That Into You movie, which I am kind of excited about.