Science of Relationships

Leave it to scientists to come up with a very unromantic way to approach relationships — that would be, um, scientifically. Basically, guys, if you want your relationship to last, researchers says you should choose a smarter, younger woman.

In a report called "Optimizing the Marriage Market" published in the European Journal of Operational Research, academics tracked 1,074 Swiss couples who were either married or in serious relationships over five years and then looked for patterns among those who were still together. (For the record, the journal usually analyzes business decisions.)

They found that — for best results — neither should have been divorced in the past, the man should be five or more years older and the woman should have received more education than the man. The numbers: If the wife is five or more years younger, the couple is six times less likely to divorce than average. Well-educated couples are half as likely to divorce as average, and if the woman has spent more time studying than the man, the couple is eight times more likely to keep the wedding rings on than an uneducated couple (and three times more secure than if the husband is the bookworm half.)

According to the BBC, the report did say that men and women choose partners "on the basis of love, physical attraction, similarity of taste, beliefs and attitudes, and shared values."  But it added that using "objective factors" such as age, education and cultural origin "may help reduce divorce."

As for the effect of a previous divorce on relationships: If both partners have been involved in a split, the chances of the relationship surviving dip — but not as much as they do if only one partner has been divorced.

Our conclusion? It all adds up to a formula for a new online dating service. You heard it here first.

Photo courtesy moriza via Flickr.