Lemondrop

A.J. Jacobs, professional stunt journalist, has done it again with his latest Esquire piece "Do I Love My Wife?" in which he has his brain scanned to find out how he really feels about his wife and mother of his three children ... compared to Angelina Jolie.

I get that when you're with one partner for a long time, the love you feel for them may not be of the can't-stop-thinking-about-you, junkie's-fix variety, but if I were Mrs. Stunt Journalist, I'm not so sure we'd want the whole world reading just how lukewarm my hubby's feelings are.

For instance: "I think I love my wife. At least most of the time," Jacobs begins, and on finding out that he's equally aroused by both his wife and Angelina Jolie: "I do find my wife beautiful. But hotter than Angie? Like my wife, I'm not sure how to explain it."

Obviously Jacobs' wife agreed to the piece (and to let Esquire print photos like the one above), but I guess the whole public display of waning romance just made me feel kind of sad. By far the apex of depressing is the following section:

"I tell Julie I don't have head-over-heels romantic feelings toward her.

'Shocker,' she says.

'Why, you aren't head-over-heels in love with me?' I ask.

'Uh, no.'"

After reading this piece, I find myself wishing Jacobs had just left his marriage (and my romantic illusions) unscanned.