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Ideal husband is none too bright
Bride should be five years younger and more intelligent, academics claim
They have apparently discovered that a bride should be five years younger than her groom, from the same cultural background, and be the more intelligent of the couple. Sticking to the formula would increase the chances of a long and happy marriage by up to a fifth, the team from the Geneva School of Business found.
One couple that it appears to apply to in several ways is the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. At 83, the Queen is four years, 10-and-a-half months younger than the Duke.
They certainly share the same sort of background, even if the foreign-born Duke, a member of the Greek and Danish royal families by birth, had to become a naturalised British subject before their marriage.
As to their respective intelligence, it would be inappropriate to speculate. It would be fair to say that the Queen's natural sense of diplomacy has shone through countless times over the decades, matched on some occasions only by the Duke's seemingly innate ability to offend.
The academic study, published in the European Journal of Operational Research, looked at 1,074 couples aged between 19 and 75. The researchers concluded that a wife should be at least 27 per cent more intelligent than her husband. She should hold a degree, while he should not. Marrying a divorcee reduced the chance of wedded bliss.
Nguyen Vi Cao, who led the research, promised: "If people follow these guidelines in choosing their partners they can increase their chances of a happy, long marriage by up to 20 per cent."
Relationship experts thought there might be something in it. Kate Figes, who interviewed 120 people for Couples, her recent book on understanding relationships, said: "Aren't most women the more intelligent in a relationship anyway? That's my first reaction."
Bride should be five years younger and more intelligent, academics claim
- The Telegraph Group Limited, London 2010
- Published: 00:00 March 4, 2010
- http://www.gulfnews.com
- The researchers concluded that a wife should be at least 27 per cent more intelligent than her husband.
- Image Credit: Supplied
They have apparently discovered that a bride should be five years younger than her groom, from the same cultural background, and be the more intelligent of the couple. Sticking to the formula would increase the chances of a long and happy marriage by up to a fifth, the team from the Geneva School of Business found.
One couple that it appears to apply to in several ways is the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. At 83, the Queen is four years, 10-and-a-half months younger than the Duke.
They certainly share the same sort of background, even if the foreign-born Duke, a member of the Greek and Danish royal families by birth, had to become a naturalised British subject before their marriage.
As to their respective intelligence, it would be inappropriate to speculate. It would be fair to say that the Queen's natural sense of diplomacy has shone through countless times over the decades, matched on some occasions only by the Duke's seemingly innate ability to offend.
The academic study, published in the European Journal of Operational Research, looked at 1,074 couples aged between 19 and 75. The researchers concluded that a wife should be at least 27 per cent more intelligent than her husband. She should hold a degree, while he should not. Marrying a divorcee reduced the chance of wedded bliss.
Nguyen Vi Cao, who led the research, promised: "If people follow these guidelines in choosing their partners they can increase their chances of a happy, long marriage by up to 20 per cent."
Relationship experts thought there might be something in it. Kate Figes, who interviewed 120 people for Couples, her recent book on understanding relationships, said: "Aren't most women the more intelligent in a relationship anyway? That's my first reaction."
