Just what we need – another study to tell us how we women can understand men

Women should wait until they are safely seated before bringing up inner thoughts and feelings with their men, according to one relationship expert.
DO you ever wonder if you and your partner are actually speaking the same language? Science has finally found the answer. The bad news is that you're probably not because men and women aren't from different planets after all. They just don't understand each other because men speak "Menglish" and women haven't even bought the phrase book.You might think Menglish is just another form of English. It certainly sounds the same. But its words and phrases are packed full of subtle little differences that cause a big breakdown in communication between the sexes. There's now an online course that will introduce you to the concept of Menglish and will heighten your awareness of the gender specific behaviours and communication styles that have been causing your misunderstandings and conflicts.

Julie-Anne Shapiro, an "international love and relationship expert" (yes this is an actual job title), says: "Men and women actually have their own unique languages. But you can learn how to approach and respond to your man in a whole new way that will bring you into synch, and bring you closer together."

One of the examples she gives is a woman trying to chat to her manabout her day on their way to a dinner date but only gets back terse, monosyllabic responses. Sound familiar? It could be because your guy is focused on actually finding the restaurant. "A man is single focused whereas a woman can do many things at once," she says. "A man will put his complete attention on one thing until he is happy with the result. Meanwhile, a woman has a huge desire for connection and feeling close to her man." Her advice? Wait until you're both safely seated in the restaurant before you bring up your inner thoughts and feelings.

Then there's the time you ask your partner for his opinion. Shapiro says: "When you ask a man for information, for his opinion or about his feelings, he will take it incredibly seriously. Therefore he will take some time to consider what he has to say. Women, on the other hand, are mostly run by their feelings and can usually express them easily – in fact it is a huge release for a woman to talk and express her feelings." She suggests always giving him 30 seconds to think about his response first.

Then the book goes totally over the top with this extraordinary piece of advice for independent women everywhere: "A man loves a receptive woman so allow him to carry your suitcase, open a door for you or run your bath. Receive his help gracefully – he wants to treat you like his queen and make you happy!"