Some men simply find it difficult to hold on to the woman they love for a prolonged period of time. Most of them suffer from the “cold feet syndrome,” which miraculously develops when things start getting a bit serious, or when she begins to talk about such things as responsibility and dependability. Here is a list compiled by New Scientist, designed to help all you guys looking to keep your twin soul close to your heart do just that.

First of all, the most important thing a female looks for in a relationship is love, dependability, and financial stability. Most women feel very comfortable with a man that is not always absorbed by his work, and who, on occasions, finds time to be with his partner, focusing on couple activities. Also, telling your girl how much she means to you is obviously a good way of keeping her close, without having to lie for that.

Secondly, always keep in mind that a simple “thank you” can do wonders, and that your partner will highly appreciate you taking time from your football game to thank her for doing the laundry, hypothetically speaking. Scientific studies have shown that couples who practice this wonderful habit report that everything is running a lot smoother than in the case of those couples where one or both partners does/do not feel appreciated to the extent they would want to.

It's also highly important in a relation that jealousy be set aside, especially as far as males are concerned. Women have been scientifically proven to be less likely to cheat after meeting a good-looking, single guy, than before meeting him. Counter-intuitively, it seems that such encounters actually increase females' desire to make the relationship work. On the other hand, the same studies have shown that men who meet a good-looking single girl are 12 percent less likely to forgive the mistakes of their current partner, which is really not fair.

Another study, published in the December 2008 issue of the journal Personal Relationships, also shows that women indeed like watching their man getting a bit rough on the sports field, but that aggression at the same time has no place in a long-term relationship. Basically, for short-term affairs, females would rather be with the proverbial “bad guy.” But, for the long haul, they would rather have a man who manages to balance tenderness with attitude at the correct times.

The fifth advice might come as a shock – it refers to watching your partner's health condition, and especially her heart's. Women are highly-predisposed to developing afflictions of the heart, and you guys should always make sure that your loved one gets regular check-ups. “Women must get serious about heart disease and take control of their heart health, starting at an early age. Younger women need to take steps now, like eating a healthy diet and being physically active, to help prevent heart disease later,” the director of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, Elizabeth Nabel, further explains.