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Reading Horizons has a program for children, adults and those with ESL needs. This is a proven program that helps struggling readers of any age. This program is endorsed by the Florida Center for Reading Research and is used at Harvard and several other universities across the nation.

 
Reading Horizons provides:

 

• Non-consumable manuals
• Teaching software
• Free online parent training
• Orton-Gilingham based method
• Research based instruction

 
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Do you know your own IQ score? Do you know what it means?

One of the things we’re working on, here at AcademicSurveys.net, is providing a full free IQ test online.  Still not ready, but we promise it’ll be ready soon.

You have probably heard the term ‘IQ’ many times, and you probably know it has something to do with measuring intelligence.

If your IQ number happens to be high, you may feel lucky and superior to other people.

If your IQ score happens to be low, you may worry that this number dooms you to a life of failure and mediocrity.

The letters ‘IQ’ stand for ‘intelligence quotient’, and an IQ test is widely used as a way to measure intelligence.

IQ tests are often used by educational institutions to segregate students into categories such as ‘normal’, ‘gifted’, and ‘challenged’. Children and young people are scored relative to each other on a variety of factors, including verbal and logical understanding, vocabulary, arithmetic and spatial orientation.

The test most frequently used today to measure intelligence is called the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test. The earliest version of it was developed in France in 1905. The original test has been revised several times over the years, with a major revision completed at Stanford University in 1960. The Stanford-Binet test is not the only intelligence test, but it is probably the best known.

A person with an IQ score of 100 is considered to be of average intelligence, while a person with an IQ above 130 is deemed to be intellectually gifted. Although the IQ test is very widely used, and the results are almost synonymous with our idea of intelligence, there has also been a lot of criticism of the test, and of the way the results are used.

Does having a high IQ score guarantee success in later life? No, it doesn’t! It doesn’t even guarantee success in school. A Canadian television program recently tracked down some of the people with the highest IQ scores in North America. One man who was interviewed on the program has an extremely high genius IQ, one of the highest scores ever recorded. Guess what line of work he is in? Is he a genius doctor or famous researcher? No! This man works as a motorcycle mechanic. He hangs out with biker gangs and is frequently in and out of jail.

Another man shown on the program has the highest IQ recorded in North America. He has worked as a bouncer in a bar for ten years. This man, who by virtue of his IQ score is a genius, earns minimum wage, and lives in a tiny garage. Clearly, a high IQ is not enough to guarantee success in life.

What IQ tests measure is a certain type of potential. That potential still needs to be developed and nurtured by the person who has it. Not everyone who has a potential talent also possesses the desire to do something with it.

One person may have a fantastic God-given singing voice, but may have no interest in music, and no desire to perform. Another person may have the perfect physique to be a high jumper, but may hate sports. You can probably think of other examples. Having potential is just a beginning.

The IQ tests we have now may predict which people have a certain type of intellectual potential, but they don’t necessarily predict who will become a good teacher, a good manager, a good president, or a good parent. Some critics say that the only thing IQ tests can really predict is who will do well on IQ tests.

No matter what your IQ score is, other qualities such as determination and vision can be more important to your ultimate success in life than the IQ number you started out with.

Being creative, optimistic, and flexible are important hallmarks of many successful people. Common sense, the ability to get along with other people, and knowing a good idea when you see one, may be more useful qualities than having a genius IQ.

Author: Royane Real

Royane Real is the author of the book "How You Can Be Smarter - Use Your Brain to Learn Faster, Remember Better and Be More Creative" To learn many ways to improve your brain power, download it today or get the paperback version today at http://www.lulu.com/real

Technorati Tags: Average IQ, Free IQ test, Genius IQ, Gifted IQ, Highest IQscores, Intelligence Quotient, IQ, iq tests, Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test

Ever since the first IQ test was made by French psychologist Alfred Binet in 1905 and the term "Intelligence Quotient" was coined by American psychologist Lewis Terman in 1916, IQ has been the most discussed topic across the globe. IQ has fascinated many eminent scientists and psychologists around the world and several studies and researches have been conducted on it. Although there is no argument over the fact that a person who has a high IQ is considered as a genius, yet there are several myths related to IQ.

In this article, we will discuss with you the myths associated with IQ and also provide you with the evidence that negates it.

• Myth: IQ can measure intelligence: This is the first and the most common IQ myth. Majority of the people tend to confuse themselves between IQ and intelligence.

  Reality - A person is said to have a high degree of intelligence if he or she can quickly adapt to new surroundings and act according to the immediate demands of the new situation. If that person is successful in overcoming all the hurdles and in the process acquires some specialized knowledge from which he can benefit immensely in his future, he is declared as an intelligent person. Intelligence is just a relative term. It cannot be measured. On the other hand, IQ is a "measure of relative intelligence which is determined by a single or a set of standardized test." IQ is a mathematical ratio.

• Myth: IQ is fixed; it doesn’t change: The second most common IQ myth is that a person’s IQ never changes. People who are found to be academically poor in their childhood are tagged as one with low IQ for the rest of their lives.

  Reality - Since IQ is a ratio, the number changes depending on what a person learns. A study at Michigan University led by Swiss postdoctoral fellows Susanne M. Jaeggi and Martin Buschkuehl has revealed that at least one aspect of the IQ - a person’s fluid intelligence can be improved. Fluid intelligence depends upon short-term memory. The researchers gathered four volunteering groups and provided them with auditory and visual cues that they were supposed to store and recall. The training session would be held for half an hour after a gap of several days. The researchers found that the volunteer’s fluid intelligence would go up after every session. In addition, an IQ can actually go down: certain illnesses or medical problems (mercury poisoning, led poisoning) can actually cause brain damage and result in a person’s IQ becoming lower. Sad but true.

  If you wish to increase your IQ and memory, you may want to try those brain games at Lumosity. The claim is that they ‘Improve memory with scientifically designed games’.

• Myth: IQ depends fully on the genes of a person and is hereditary: This is also a popular myth. People have this misconception that IQ is solely the product of good genes. A child born out of parents having low IQ will also have low IQ. Besides, they also believe that this IQ will never change. 

  Reality - We all know that IQ comes from a combination of both genetics and environment. Experts believe that the genes affect our IQ by 40 to 80 percent and the remaining comes from external environment. Now, just think what will happen if a person is kept in isolation from all external stimuli? What will be the proportion of their intelligence coming from the environment? Obviously zero! Isn’t? Hence, the more stimuli a person gets from the world, the more is their intelligence based on the environment. It is, thus, proved that IQ is not fully depended on the genes and it does change based on the environment. Besides, studies have also found significant increase in IQ from one generation to the other. It increases 21 points on an average in 30 years.

• Myth: IQ is restricted to a single parameter of intelligence: Since there many types of intelligence and some people are good at something and some bad in that thing, most people have proclaimed that IQ is just restricted to a particular type of intelligence.

  Reality - IQ covers all types of intelligence. It deals with the general mental ability. Research has shown that different types of intelligence are highly correlated and IQ measures this relative intelligence. In short, smart people tend do well on most tasks, while a dull person fails to do most of those tasks.

• Myth: IQ is not important; it doesn’t matter at all: This is the last and the most deadly myth of IQ. Many people have this false notion that IQ is not required for success in life. Success depends more on personality, motivation and hard work.

  Reality - Personality, motivation and hard work are needed for success in all our endeavors, but these are primary requirements. The basic and the most important requirement for success is at least an average IQ. It is IQ that is the best predictor of a person’s capabilities. Moreover, it is hard to measure motivation while personality measures can be faked. Generally, it is IQ that is incredibly used for choosing employees at work place or students at a school. Hence, IQ does matter and one has to work upon it.

I hope the evidences and justifications which I have presented before you must have shattered all the IQ myths and cleared several of your misconceptions regarding IQ. However, it is quite unfortunate that a huge number of people, despite being able to see the differences between myths and realities, are still eager to promote these IQ myths for gaining their selfish ends.

To sum it all, I can just say that there have been many controversies concerning IQ and its meanings, and the controversies are likely to continue. But no one can deny that if you want to be a genius like Einstein and Newton, you need to have a high IQ. This is because Einstein and Newton were considered genius only for their extraordinary IQs that was far superior to the general mass.

Author: Linda Vincent

The author is an editor with IQTestExperts.com 

Technorati Tags: Improve your memory with games, Intelligence Quotient, IQ, IQ facts, IQ myths, IQ's importance

For centuries, people have been trying to define intelligence. However, a universally agreed upon definition proves to be elusive so far. To some, intelligence is the ability to acquire new information and to adjust to new circumstances, while others regard the skills to solve complex problems as more important. Thus, many contrasting theories have emerged. The four theories with the largest number of followers are the theory of general intelligence, the theory of primary mental abilities, the multiple intelligences theory, and the triarchic theory of intelligence.

General intelligence

The oldest theory is that of British psychologist Charles Spearman, who, at the beginning of the 20th century, proposed the existence of general intelligence. He observed that people’s scores on different IQ tests tend to correlate. In other words, somebody who received a high score on one IQ test usually scored high on all other IQ tests, and vice versa. Therefore, he concluded that intelligence tests all measure one common factor, which he called general intelligence or "g". In addition to that, Spearman argued that each test also measures some specific ability, which he termed "s" - vocabulary knowledge or mathematical skills, for example. However, what was of real importance to Spearman was general intelligence, which he believed to be the basis of all intellectual activities.

Crystallized and fluid intelligence

A similar theory by R. Cattell and J. Horn argues that there are two types of intelligence - fluid intelligence and crystallized intelligence. Fluid intelligence is one’s biological ability to reason and acquire new information. On the other hand, crystallized intelligence is the set of specific knowledge and abilities that an individual has acquired by learning and experience throughout his life.

Primary mental abilities

In 1938 American psychologist L. Thurstone suggested, that intelligence is composed of seven independent factors, which he called primary mental abilities:

1. verbal comprehension;
2. verbal fluency;
3. mathematical ability;
4. memory;
5. speed of perception;
6. reasoning skills;
7. spatial visualization.

Multiple intelligences

Similar to Thurstone’s theory is that of Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner. In 1983, he proposed the existence of multiple intelligences, which are independent from each other. According to him, everybody possesses a certain combination of the following:

1. Linguistic intelligence;
2. Logical-mathematical intelligence;
3. Spatial intelligence;
4. Musical intelligence;
5. Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence;
6. Interpersonal intelligence;
7. Intrapersonal intelligence.

The Triarchic theory of intelligence

Finally, there is the Triarchic (three-part) theory of intelligence by R. Sternberg. According to him, there are three different types of intelligence. The first one is analytic intelligence, which is the ability to reason. It resembles the notion of general intelligence. The other component of intelligence, as defined by Sternberg, is creative intelligence or the ability to draw upon previous experience in order to solve new problems. The last part of intelligence, Sternberg argues, is practical intelligence, which reflects one’s ability to deal with everyday situations (4).

In conclusion, no unified theory of intelligence has been proposed yet. Until that happens, the debates on what intelligence really is are bound to continue.

If you want to measure your own IQ, check out this book: Test Your IQ. By practicing using Succeed at IQ Tests: Improve Your Numerical, Verbal and Spatial Reasoning Skills you will actually be able to watch your IQ increase (though whether you actually become smarter is a different matter).

Author: Alexander Roulinski

Alexander Roulinski is a member of MENSA and founder of IQScoreNow.com. His site offers online IQ tests and other interesting articles on human intelligence.

Technorati Tags: Crystallized and fluid intelligence, General intelligence, Intelligence, IQ, Multiple intelligences, Primary mental abilities, The Triarchic theory of intelligence, What is Intelligence

A. Which actor portrays the character Captain Jack Sparrow?

1. Heath Ledger
2. Johnny Depp
3. Orlando Bloom
4. Eddie Murphy

B. Which actress portrays the character Elizabeth Swann?

1. Keira Knightly
2. Linsey Lohan
3. Mandy Moore
4. Natalie Portman

C. In which year was the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie released?

1. 2000
2. 2001
3. 2003
4. 2004

D. How many movies were there in this series?

1. Movies? There was just one!
2. Two of course.
3. It’s a trilogy
4. Four so far.

E. There is a cursed ship in the movie: what is the name of the ship which carries the curse?

1. The Dauntless
2. The Black Pearl
3. The Fighting Sparrows
4. The Ghost Ship

F. Who said the following line: "You can keep doing that forever, the dog is never going to move"

1. Will Turner
2. Barbossa
3. Jack Sparrow
4. Norrington

G. Who said the following line: "No one. He’s no one. Distant cousin of my Aunt’s nephew twice removed. Lovely singing voice. Eunuch."

1. Will Turner
2. Elizabeth Swann
3. Jack Sparrow
4. Norrington

H. Who said the following line: "Ten years you carry that pistol and now you waste your shot."

1. Barbossa
2. Elizabeth Swann
3. Jack Sparrow
4. Will Turner

I. Who said the following line: "Any man who falls behind, is left behind. "

1. Barbossa
2. Norrington
3. Jack Sparrow
4. Will Turner

 J. Who said the following line: "And the crew - the crew are not to be harmed."

1. Norrington
2. Elizabeth Swann
3. Jack Sparrow
4. Will Turner

Answers

Summarize the number of correct answers.

A-2, B-1, C-3, D-3, E-2, F-3, G-3, H-1, I-3, J-4

If your score is between 0 and 2: You haven’t really seen any of the movies, have you?

If your score is between 3 and 4: Ok, you’ve seen the movie but you really didn’t get it, didn’t you? At least you don’t seem to remember much.

If your score is between 5 and 6: You certainly remember some of the movie.

If your score is between 7 and 8: Wow, you really liked that movie. Well done.

If your score is between 9 and 10: Ok, This is too much. How many times did you see this movie? Maybe it’s time to try out a new one?

If you’ve reached this point, you’ve definitely seen the movie. Why not get a copy for yourself?

•  Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl (Two-Disc Collector’s Edition)
•  Pirates of the Caribbean - At World’s End (Two-Disc Collector’s Edition)
•  Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man’s Chest (Two-Disc Collector’s Edition)
•  Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy [Blu-ray]
•  Fun stuff: Pirates of the Caribbean Monopoly
•  Fun stuff: Mega Bloks Pirates of the Caribbean 3 Deluxe Ship - Black Pearl      

Technorati Tags: Movie quiz, Pirates of the Caribbean

People love to see what their personality says about themselves. They also love to see how much they know about topics that they think they have knowledge about such as television shows and such. So, that’s why people like quizzes in general, but how do you answer why they like the online quizzes?

One of the major reasons that these are so popular online is because of the instant gratification people get. Every blog site has a space to post your scores so those who get a thrill from competition can allow others to try to beat their scores. They have quizzes on every thing from love to movie stars so there are always ways to see how much you know or what your personality is like.

Another reason that these online quiz sites are becoming popular. As with other quizzes that were done on paper like the ones in the magazines that us women love to take, you have to score them yourself. Now, ladies you know how long those can take. Mostly A’s this is what it says about you or count up all the points A’s are worth this amount. You remember those. I know I do and I remember being in a rush to see what it had to say about me. There’s a perk to online quiz sites and those are the instant answers. People thrive on how quick you can get the results. The quicker you get the results, the quicker you can share them with others who took the same quiz with you. Some are so quick that you don’t have to wait until the end they give you the answer after the question.

Another reason that people play these online quizzes is due to the large amounts of cash or prizes you can win for your participation. As they become more and more popular there are so many more big money prizes up for grabs ranging from hundreds to thousands of Pounds, Euros or Dollars.

The last perk these online quiz sites is that they are more personal as well. Some of these sites allow you to create your own quiz. This can be somewhat entertaining as you come up with the quirky answers if it is of a more fun quiz. It’s no wonder that people love these sites with all the things that they aim to do to please those that spend hours taking random quizzes like the many people I know.

Here’s a fun online quiz.

Author: Stephen Brian Roper

Stephen Roper is the owner of Games for Cash. Visit my site to win cash and prizes for playing free online quizzes, competitions, lotteries, games and lots more.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stephen_Brian_Roper

Technorati Tags: Fun Online quizzes, Why do people like quizzes?

We have seen that stress is at the root of all troubles, particularly in triggering anxiety and depression. The following quiz would help you find out whether stress has become part of your life style yet. Answer the quiz with ‘YES’ or ‘NO’.

1. Do you see the negative side first or exclusively in everything you do?
2. Do you often feel completely overwhelmed by seemingly insignificant incidents or tasks?
3. Do you find yourself experiencing sudden mood changes over which you have no control?
4. Do you feel the compulsion of eating something all the time, though you are not hungry? Alternatively, do you feel repulsed by the sight of food? (answer the question that applies to you)
5. Do you find that in spite of your best efforts there is nothing that you find motivating enough to make you get up from the bed in the morning?
6. Do you find that you are mentally and physically crippled until you have a cup of coffee in the morning?
7. Do you experience back, neck or joints pain?
8. Do you find yourself suffering from persistent cold and flu often?
9. Do you find that sex does not excite you anymore no matter what?
10. Do you suffer from digestive disorders such as bloating, absence of hunger or voracious appetite or gas?
11. Have you developed of late high or low blood pressure?
12. Do you find that all the weight seems to accumulate around your waist while your hands, legs, neck and face remain thin?
13. Do you experience sudden lower back pain?
14. Is cholesterol present in your blood?
15. Do you often feel the urge to drop everything and run away?
16. Do you systematically cut yourself from those who love and care for you, and prefer to live in isolation?
17. Do you feel suicide is a good way out from the present situation?
18. Do you find that your memory is playing tricks on your once too often?
19. Do you feel guilty about everything that goes wrong around you?
20. Do you find that you are unable to think clearly on any particular (and loved) topic or situation? Everything seems surreal?

Answers

If you answered ‘Yes’ to 2-5 questions - you are okay, leading a very balanced life

If you answered ‘Yes’ to 6-12 questions - you are experiencing the first signs of stress, which unless checked, would lead to health problems.

If you answered ‘Yes’ to 13 -20 questions - you are definitely stressed out and need to take a careful look at your present life style and take concrete steps towards reducing stress.

If you answered 13 or above, we recommend that you try two stress relieving techniques:

1.  Conquering Stress: Get Your Life Back
2.  400 Breakthrough Stress Elimination Strategies  

Remember, the root cause of almost all health problems today can be traced back to stress. It is very important that you find ways to release tension and stress else you would be walking on a path of sure self-destruction. As mentioned earlier, stress can cause serious health problems including autoimmune diseases, infertility, heart problems, circulatory problems, mental disorders and respiratory and skin allergies.

Very often the first signs that you are exposed to more stress than you can handle are flashed through feelings of anxiety. This should act as an alarm for you; this is a time when you need to identify the stress inducing factors and introduce measures to minimize their effect on you. The following quiz would help you recognize anxiety even in the earliest stages.

Author: Ian J Spencer

Click Here to grab your FREE Stress Relief Manifesto Report. It’d show you how you can achieve inner calm and eliminate stress from your life forever. For more information on dealing with anxiety, panic attacks and stress. Visit the attack anxiety blog today.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ian_J_Spencer

Technorati Tags: are you stressed out?, cool quizzes, serious quizzes, stress quiz

It is often perceived that one’s IQ score correlates with income level. This conception even sounds self-evident - smarter people usually do earn more money! Though, some real-life evidence shows that in some cases it is not true., and in fact, actually quite opposite from the truth - one of the world’s smartest men has worked as a bouncer for half of his life.

The smartest persons of the world

The measurement of intelligence is very problematic and incomplete - even IQ score are claimed to be biased measure of intelligence (which are biased towards people who grew up in Western countries). However, there are several persons that are widely recognized for their intelligence all over the world. Which of them is the smartest?

Christopher Michael Langan is said to be "the smartest man in America", many believe that he is even "the smartest man in the world". What is so special about him? Christopher started talking when he was only six months old. He taught himself to read at the age of three. In the university Christopher understood that he could teach more to his lecturers than they can teach him - therefore he never finished his studies. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that his IQ is immeasurable - he scored 195 which is off the charts.

Despite his genius intellect, Christopher Langan hasn’t become a CEO of a big corporation. Instead he has worked as a fire fighter, farmhand and as a weight-lifting bouncer for twenty years of his life.

Marilyn vos Savant is being perceived the world’s smartest woman. She has stated the Guinness World Record in the highest IQ category - she scored 228. Here it is important to note that IQs of Marilyn and Christopher were measured according to different scales.

Similarly to Christopher - Marilyn also dropped out from the university - she wanted gain financial freedom. For most of her life Marilyn has worked as magazine columnist, writer and lecturer.

The richest persons of the world

One of the well-know billionaires of the world is the Microsoft founder Bill Gates. He used to take the first place in the world’s billionaire list until very recently. To be more precise, his net worth of his properties is around $40 billion.

Bill Gates is also considered as one of the most influential persons of the 20th century. This is actually nothing unexpected as he is one of the computer revolution originators.

The wealthiest woman of the world is Liliane Bettencourt. She is principal shareholder of L’Oreal and her assets are worth about $13.4 billion. Liliane inherited the enterprise from her father in 1957. Currently Liliane is 86 years old, and besides being the richest woman of the world, she is also world’s 21st richest person.

Why the smartest are not the richest?

This is definitely not the question which we intended to answer in this article. I’m also not claiming that world’s richest persons are not smart - they definitely are! There is just one thing that is completely evident - correlation between IQ score and predicted income or level of education is far from being strong. Though many IQ advocates claim the opposite…

Here are three eBooks that can help you become smarter. Although we cannot promise you that by becoming smarter you will start earning more money, it is definitely possible

• Ultimate Brain Power: Zox Training System. Unlock Your Hidden Brain Power
• Brain Power Control: Designed To Help You Increase Your Brain Power
• Double Your Brain Power: Tips Tricks And Techniques To Make Your Brain Sharper, Smarter And Faster In 2 Weeks Or Less!

Author: Mat Brown

Matthew Brown is a researcher and analyst of QuizBoom.com. Online quiz QuizBoom.com is a global skill-based game where players compete from all around the World by using their knowledge. Each game consists of 16 multiple choice questions with different difficulty levels covering various subjects. Registered users can play the daily quiz game by buying chips and taking stakes on ones game score. At the end of each day’s quiz game all the individual games played are ranked by their scores. The daily game pool is distributed to all players of the particular day according to pre-defined winnings distribution.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mat_Brown

Technorati Tags: Highest IQ scores, How is intelligence measured, IQ, Richest people, Smartest people

Answer "True" or "False" to each of the following questions:

1. Conflict and anger are signs that your relationship is failing.

2. You’re more likely to divorce if there are differences in your backgrounds, likes and dislikes and interests.

3. In healthy relationships, major disagreements get resolved over time.

4. In healthy marriages, spouses have the same definition of what it means to be loving. 

5. People just fall out of love.

6. Affairs don’t have to ruin marriages.

7. Most people are much happier in their second marriages because they’ve learned from their mistakes.

The Answers

Conflict and anger are signs that your relationship is failing. (False)

It’s amazing to me how many people believe that their marriages are dysfunctional when there is conflict. The fact is, the single best predictor of divorce is the constant avoidance of conflict! All marriages, even the best of marriages, have their ups and downs, times when spouses are angry and argumentative. It’s impossible to live under the same roof with another human being for any length of time and not disagree now and then.

You’re more likely to divorce if there are differences in your backgrounds, likes and dislikes and interests. (False)

Here’s a surprise for you. The answer to this question is false. Research shows that people who stay together and are happily married are no more similar than those who divorce! They come from decidedly different backgrounds, hold different beliefs and have sharply different interests. But what separates those who have successful relationships from those who don’t is this- they learn effective ways to deal with their differences. They have definite methods for handling conflict. Although they don’t necessarily have a lot in common, they nurture the interests they do share and try to develop new ones from time to time. Successful couples understand that their partners are not supposed to be their clones. They believe that life would be incredibly boring if their spouses were mirror images of themselves. Instead, happily married people learn to both appreciate their differences, find ways to grow from them or simply make peace with them.

In healthy relationships, major disagreements get resolved over time. (False)

Research tells us that approximately sixty percent of what couples argue about is unresolvable! If you eavesdrop on couples’ arguments as newlyweds and then again after they’ve been married for twenty-five years or more, you might be surprised to find that much of the content is the same. Certain issues will remain sticking points throughout one’s entire marriage, even in the best of marriages! However, the way in which people discuss these heated issues does change over time. We tend to mellow a bit, which makes a huge difference in how our partners react to us and visa verse.

In healthy marriages, spouses have the same definition of what it means to be loving. (False)

No two people define love in exactly the same way. What it takes for you to feel loved is probably fairly different from what it takes for your spouse to feel loved. There is a good reason for this. Your definition of love springs from a number of factors, your upbringing, your culture, your gender and your life experiences in general. Since you and your spouse have had different life experiences, you will undoubtedly view love differently as well. Sometimes very differently, in fact. Although this, in and of itself, is not problematic, it will become a problem if you fail to honor and accommodate your partner’s point of view.

People just fall out of love. (False)

Some people believe that they need to divorce their spouses because they’ve fallen out of love. They didn’t mean for it to happen, it just happened. To them, love is a feeling that is either there or it’s not there. If it’s there, you get married. If it’s not there, you divorce. This is one of the silliest ideas I have ever heard.

The number one cause for the breakdown in marriages in our country is that people don’t spend enough time together. They take their marriages and their spouses for granted. Everything- work, the kids, soccer games, community activities, extended family obligations, and so on- becomes more important than spending time together-. The marriage gets placed on the bottom of the priority list. When this happens, people grow apart. They become two strangers passing in the night. They’re no longer a team. And, because they’re distant, the little time they do spend together, they end up fighting.

This distance and alienation sometimes fools people into thinking they’ve fallen out of love. They feel numb. They can’t imagine ever re-igniting those loving feelings. But the truth is, the love hasn’t been destroyed, it’s just camouflaged beneath the numbness. And, by retracing the steps taken to weaken love’s bond, the feelings of warmth, connection, friendship and intimacy can be restored.

Affairs don’t have to ruin marriages. (True)

There is little that is more devastating than to discover your spouse has been unfaithful. Most people take to heart the promise they make to forsake all others. An intimate relationship is one of the primary things that set marriages apart from all other kinds of relationships. The connection, closeness and satisfaction you feel with your mate is very personal, something that is meant just for the two of you. This is why infidelity feels like such a violation.

Yet affairs happen, with some regularity, I might add. And when they do, the repair of the marriage is no easy task. Sometimes those who have been hurt swear they will never recover. They’re convinced that they will not be able to forgive and move forward in the marriage. And although I completely understand why people feel this way, I also know that the future isn’t as bleak as they are anticipating. Most people survive infidelity and can, in fact make their marriage stronger once they work through the issues infidelity has brought into their lives.

Most people are much happier in their second marriages because they’ve learned from their mistakes. (False)

Is love more beautiful the second time around? Although it’s true that some people learn from their mistakes in their first marriages and are able to develop happier second marriages, by no means, is this the rule. In fact, sixty percent of second marriages end in divorce!

One of the reasons there are more divorces in second marriages is that people enter their second marriages with the bad relationship habits they learned the first time around. They simply find new partners with whom they can do that old familiar dance. Step-parenting issues make second and subsequent marriages challenging. But there is another reason second marriages aren’t necessarily better than first ones.

Unless you understand that marriage doesn’t make people happy, you will spend the rest of your life trading in marital partners for new ones. It is unfortunate that too few people recognize and internalize that no one can make you happy. Happiness is a do-it-yourself job. You can’t rely on another person to fulfill you. You need to love what you do in your life, regardless of what your spouse brings to the marriage. Love needs to be icing on the cake, not the cake.

If you are of the belief that marriage should make you happy, then you will undoubtedly start to think something major is lacking in your spouse and that you should get out of your marriage. The problem is, unless you feel satisfied with your own life, you will not be able to decipher whether your unhappiness stems from personal or relationship issues. If you jump to conclusions and assume you need to dump your partner and try another, you are likely to be sorely disappointed because you will find yourself in the same state of unhappiness. Your next marriage won’t cure the unhappiness problem either.

If you found this article interesting, there are three eBooks we’d like to suggest:

•  The Magic Of Making Up (Get Your Ex Back)
•  1000 Questions For Couples By Michael Webb Relationship Expert
•  Breakup Reversed   

Author: Michele Weiner-Davis

2009 Copyright - Michele Weiner-Davis. All rights reserved.

Michele Weiner-Davis, MSW, Founder of http://www.divorcebusting.com

Michele is an internationally renowned relationship expert, best-selling author, marriage therapist, and professional speaker who specializes in helping people change their lives and improve important relationships. Among the first in her field to courageously speak out about the pitfalls of unnecessary divorce, Michele has been active in spearheading the now popular movement urging couples to make their marriages work and keep their families together.

The Divorce Busting Center has offices in Boulder, CO. and Woodstock, Illinois 800-664-2435 or 303-444-7004

Author of several best-selling books including, Divorce Busting, Sex-Starved Marriage, Sex-Starved Marriage Read Michele’s blog at Divorce Busting

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michele_Weiner-Davis

Technorati Tags: Fun Quizzes, Fun Tests, Relationship quizzes, Teenage Quizzes

Question: What is a blue moon?

Answer: Second full moon in a calendar month

Interesting Fact: ‘Once in a Blue Moon’ is a common way of saying not very often, but what exactly is a Blue Moon? According to the popular definition, it is the second Full Moon to occur in a single calendar month. The average interval between Full Moons is about 29.5 days, while the length of an average month is roughly 30.5 days. This makes it very unlikely that any given month will contain two Full Moons, though it does sometimes happen. On average, there will be 41 months that have two Full Moons in every century, so you could say that once in a Blue Moon actually means once every two-and-a-half years.

Question: Where was chess invented?

Answer: India

Interesting Fact: The invention of Chess has been attributed to the Indians by the Persians. Abu al-Hasan ‘Al+ al-Mas’kd+, an early Islam historian, provided scholarly details of the game as it was played in India and Persia. He details the use of chess as a tool for warfare strategy, mathematical calculations, gambling and even its vague association with astronomy. Mas’kd+ notes that Ivory was chiefly used for the production of chess and backgammon pieces, and asserts that the game was introduced from India to Persia along with the book Kelileh va Demneh during the reign of Persian emperor Anushirwan.

Question: What was Gatorade named for?

Answer: University of Florida Gators football team

Interesting Fact: Gatorade was created by Drs. Robert Cade, Mandel Dequesada, Alex DeQuesada, Dana Shires and Jim Free at the University of Florida in 1965 for the school’s football team and named after the university’s athletic nickname, the Gators. Cade entered into an agreement with the Indianapolis-based fruit and vegetable canning company Stokely-Van Camp, Inc. (S-VC) to produce the product, which he had already patented.

Question: Why do whales spout?

Answer: To Breath

Interesting Fact: All whales have to surface to breath and when they exhale they produce a "spout" of moist, warm air from blowholes on the top of their heads. The different whale species can be distinguished by the size and shape of their spout.

Question: Who thought of Daylight Savings Time?

Answer: William Willett

Interesting Fact: Traditionally, Americans adjusted their hours to fit changes in daylight. Farmers, as well as railroads, steamship lines, shops, and factories changed their hours of operation seasonally. These seasonal schedules declined after American railroads implemented standard time zones in 1883. In 1907, an English builder and golfer named William Willett proposed the basic outline of what became daylight saving time. His plan found ready ears in the United States.

Question: What is the longest insect?

Answer: Giant Stick Insect

Interesting Fact: Giant stick insects are some of the longest insects in the world. In fact, the longest insect on record is a stick insect of the species Pharnacia kirbyi, found living in the rainforests of Borneo, and it can grow up to 20 inches long.

To do a fun IQ test (a different one than we’ve posted before), click here.

Author: Deanna Mascle

Find more general knowledge quiz questions and free trivia questions and answers at http://funtriviaonline.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Deanna_Mascle

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