What Game of Thrones Can Teach You About Your Relationship

Looking to Game of Thrones for relationship guidance might sound like watching the Star Wars movies for parenting pointers. But amid all the brutality and misogyny on the HBO series, which returns for its final season on April 14, there are some insightful romantic lessons for guys who don’t settle their differences with a sword. Especially if they’re attracted to strong, ambitious, tough-as-dragon-glass women.Helen Fisher, Ph.D., a biological anthropologist and senior research fellow at the Kinsey Institute, is studying what men are searching for in relationships, and her research indicates that most of them would make a long-term commitment to a woman who earns considerably more money than they do (90 percent) and is considerably more educated (86 percent). “Men want powerful and effective women,” says Fisher. “We’re moving back toward a hunter-and-gatherer--type lifestyle, where women are the economic and social equals of men.” However, dating a Mother of Dragons or Queen of the Seven Kingdoms involves navigating some complex power dynamics; it’s about more than just who has the biggest weapon. Use these suggestions to build a stronger relationship that can endure what-ever winter brings.