If you've ever had a love/hate relationship with someone, you know how frustrating and confusing it can feel, but according to new research, there's a reason why these kinds of relationships are so common. In a recent study, participants were shown images of individuals they hated and the brain activity pattern it revealed partially occurs in areas of the brain activated by romantic love as well. Written in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS One, researchers said, "This linkage may account for why love and hate are so closely linked to each other in life. Our results show that there is a unique pattern of activity in the brain in the context of hate." The study also revealed one conclusion to this research:

While both emotions are all-consuming passions, it may be that people in love are often less critical and judgmental about their partner but need to maintain their focus when dealing with a hated rival.

Since there's such a thin line between love and hate, tell me ladies, have you ever been in a love/hate relationship before?

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Affordable healthcare should be of particular importance to women this election season, as new insurance-company data dissected in today's New York Times reveals that women pay much more than men of the same age for individual insurance policies providing the same coverage.

When women (who have lost their jobs or do not receive employer-based insurance) shop for an individual plan, they are offered higher premiums than men. Insurance companies explain that this makes total sense because women 19-55 years old cost more, for reasons such as childbirth. However, even women without maternity coverage get charged higher rates. To see why, read more

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With last week's news that Missouri sixth-graders had organized "Hit a Jew Day," it appears a new generation of children are being exposed to hateful attitudes towards the traditionally targeted minority.

The total number of religiously motivated hate crimes dropped in 2007, yet the number of crimes directed against a people because of their Jewish religion increased from 2006.

Of the 1,477 crimes perpetrated against victims because of their religion in 2007, 68 percent of them were against Jews. Comparatively, only nine percent of those crimes were perpetrated against Muslims.

Crimes based on race still make up the biggest proportion of hate crimes. While it's promising that overall religious tolerance is growing, let's hope more Americans avoid violence based on hate.

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