Should She Delay the L-Word?

It may seem dated to say women can kill relationships with a poorly timed or premature "I love you." Or it may just seem dated to women, observes Sarah Hepola, who read an article advising women never to be the first to show their cards, emotionally, and was so annoyed she forwarded it to some of her guy friends. To her surprise, she writes on Salon, some agreed.

"Getting the 'I love you' early is like getting the foie gras for your appetizer at the French restaurant in town," one tells Hepola. "Tasty, even transcendent, but afterwards you really aren’t that hungry for your entrée." She begs to differ, saying it takes two to do that "beautiful, painful, corny, cliched little dance" of courtship, Hepola insists. "The delicious friction is about who will spill first and how it will be received." (More love stories.)