4 things no guy wants to hear: improve communication by skipping the subjects that make men shut down.(MAN MANUAL: his point of view)

* Guys know that a good relationship requires having a few conversations that aren't totally fascinating to us. We can deal with that hell, sometimes, we'll even engage. But certain topics are so torturous, it takes all of our willpower not to run into oncoming traffic. So if you'd like a long, harmonious existence with your man, consider sparing him from the following:

"Why won't you tell me what's wrong?"

We know you just want to help, but this gets old fast. If you haven't heard, verbalizing comes less naturally to guys than it does to chicks, so asking us to spill after we've 'already balked adds more stress to an already-bad day A better idea: Say 'Tin totally here if there's anything I can do," and change the subject. "It's sweet but also shows she's not taking it personally that I'm not ready to talk," says Cal *, 27.

"So he's like 'Huh?' And she's all 'Whatever!'"

Besides the fact that nonstop gossip makes you sound like a Laguna Beach castoff (yes, we've been made to sit through it), these topics aren't about interacting with your man. So he's forced to head nod while you go off--not fun. It also makes him worry that he'll become the target of your tirades. ...