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By Laura Snyder

Myths are more than just unfair. When you buy into any sweeping generalization - like that all men care about is getting you in the sack - you'll make it impossibly hard for the guy who bucks the stereotype to defend himself against your misperception.

No matter how hard you try to not be influenced by these common misconceptions, most women can't help but let them have an effect on how you (mis)interpret a man - even yours.

Are you buying in to any of these male myths?

Man Myth #1: He's Not Emotional

Emotions are traditionally held as a property of the fairer sex, but lately research and analysis have revealed that men report emotions as often as women and describe their feelings similarly. In a study of the emotional intelligence of 500,000 adults, men rated just as high in emotional awareness.

Man Myth #2: He Never Has to Fake It

According to a Cosmopolitan/Men's Health poll, 83 percent (!) of guys surveyed have staged a counterfeit climax at least once, with 29 percent admitting they bluff in bed every few months. With those numbers, there's a good chance your man is one of them. Fear not, it's usually just a one-time thing, due to anything from stress to medication.

Man Myth #3: He Doesn't (or Can't) Communicate

Popular wisdom has been that women are much chattier than men, but a new study published in Science magazine debunks the commonly held notion that men speak an average of 7,000 words per day (compared to women's 20,000). In fact, both men and women use about 16,000 words per day.

Man Myth #4: He's Always Got Sex on the Brain

The most often repeated statistic is that men think about sex every seven seconds. But the reality is that only 23 percent of men claim to fantasize frequently. Like you, he's got to dedicate some mental power to his work and everything else that happens outside his bedroom.