Valentine's Day gifts can bring problems.

• Position: Your Life - Brief Article

"Gifts can send a very strong message, and one that is easily misinterpreted," cautions Robert Billingham, associate professor of human development, Indiana University, Bloomington. "This is especially true if the giver presents a nice gift believing it will lead to sexual intimacy. This is something done too often by men, usually with disastrous results."

Billingham, who has more than 20 years of teaching and research experience in interpersonal relations, marriage and family, and romantic relationships, says Valentine's Day should be "a reflection of a...