It's fascinating how so many people can lead a double life, with even those closest to them not having even the slightest clue about it. Access to vast sums of money can be so tempting to some that they indulge their fantasies without any regard for morality, law, or the damage such actions may cause those around them. And once they start on this road, they often just keep going until they get caught!

Take the case of this Brisbane businessman:

DAMIAN O'Carrigan was outwardly a devoted husband, father and a trusted manager with one of the nation's biggest firms.

He had also siphoned $20 million from his employer over more than a decade, while having secret affairs and building his own property and racing empire.

Much of the money that he gained illegally was spent on a high priced call girl:

For eight years Belinda Leonard was the secret lover of Leighton Contractors finance manager Damian O'Carrigan, attending to his every beck and call, court documents reveal.

In return, he lavished her with extraordinary gifts, including a 21ha property, a new house and car, overseas trips and the unfettered use of a credit card.

Ms Leonard used the credit card to rack up an estimated $1.4 million in bills, it is claimed.

Ironically, just as he was deceiving his wife about this clandestine affair, the call girl herself seemed to have no idea about where he was getting all this money from.

Amazing that someone could keep going for years with such secretive behaviour. Money, and sex are powerful drugs indeed!

Relationships are difficult to navigate for pretty much everyone. But if you're in the public eye that makes them even more problematic. That's why celebrities tend to really struggle to keep them going for anything longer than a few months.

And if you're a professional sportsperson playing hard for very high stakes there's yet another thing to contend with...

For these reasons the budding relationship between boxer Lauryn Eagle and rugby player Todd Carney appears to have the odds stacked well and truly against it!

But you never know. It may turn out to be the exception that proves the rule and they end up being blissfully happy together for a very long time.

These days there is so much talk about the need for equality between the sexes. The notion of sameness -- while not necessarily the same thing -- is often promoted strongly as well.

You often hear this in relation to debates about economic inequality. For example, feminists bemoan the lack of female CEOs, saying that women can be just as tough, ambitious and decisive as men.

Much of this is laudable, of course. It's also true, because there are many aspects of male and female psychology that hardly differ at all. But it can cause a lot of confusion and frustration as well -- particularly in intimate relationships. This is because whether we like it or not, men and women are also very different in so many ways -- often ones that are unchangeable.

Take the issue of a potential partner's relative height. Both men and women prefer it if the man is taller than the woman. And it seems that this requirement is more important for women than it is for men.

Here's an interesting and comprehensive post on this particular phenomenon.

Pundits and commentators have long been saying that the huge rise in the use of online communication such as e-mail, live chat, and vidoeconferencing has contributed to the erosion of relationships and the lack of empathy. It seems they may have a case, with two Amercian studies showing that while these online methods make connections easier and quicker, they are not as valued as those maintained offline.

In the past there was a very strongly held cultural view that men were not only physically stronger than women, but emotionally stronger as well. That stereotype has certainly taken a battering over the years. If anything, it seems that women are often more emotionally resilient than men.

And some recent research confirms this perception. It seems that women cope better with relationship breakdown than men, mainly because they tend to have more close friends who supply much needed emotional intimacy and support.

Quite often research confirms something that most of us know already from personal experience. Here's an example: A study carried out at James Madison University in Virginia has confirmed that when it comes to dating, men are more in it for no-commitment fun, while women tend to look for long-term, committed relationships.

William Shakespeare wrote: "To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man". Not only is this a memorable line, beautifully worded. It's also very good practical life advice - particularly when it comes to relationships.

This was confirmed in a recent study in which people who felt they were being most true to themselves turned out to be the ones who had the most satisfying and healthy relationships.

The Lara Bingle nude photo scandal - and subsequent highly publicized interview with Woman's Day - has ended up creating a total train wreck. It looks highly likely to end up destroying her relationship with Michael Clarke. (That's something I thought was likely, but didn't expect to happen quite so quickly.)

Interestingly, as this article states, Clarke was less annoyed with the photo in question than the dredging up of all that old stuff about a previous relationship with Brendan Fevola. As anyone who's had a few dates knows, it's a real drag when someone keeps talking about their ex. It shows that they haven't quite moved on from it yet! The fact that Bingle was telling the whole nation about it must have magnified the negative effect a thousandfold. No wonder Clarke wants out.

While Lara Bingle is claiming that she is suing Brendan Fevola because she felt violated by those nude shots of her in the shower, it seems that her desire for publicity is paramount. And while Fevola himself clearly wouldn't be too happy about it, I can imagine that Bingle's beau Michael Clarke must find the legal stoush all very stressful as well. Who would want to be emotionally involved with someone who is exacting revenge against a former lover, and in such a public way? Wouldn't you want to "move on" and try to build something meaningful in the present? (Of course, you could say that Fevola's leaking of the shots - if that is what actually occurred - was an even lower act. That's true too. Still, why give the issue any more oxygen?)

While Lara Bingle herself clearly thinks that she's doing the right thing, it will cost her in the long run. I suspect that her current relationship and maybe even subsequent ones will suffer greatly because of this and related issues. When you continue to exploit your private life for public exposure (and ultimately monetary gain) you end up trashing your own soul, and hurting people who are close to you.