A bride should be five years younger than her groom, should come from the same cultural background, and be the more intelligent of the pair if couples are to have a successful marriage, scientists have announced. 

Sticking to the formula would increase a couple’s chances of a long and happy marriage by a fifth, the team from the Geneva School of Business found.

One couple that the formula appears to fit is the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. At 83, Her Majesty is four years, 10-and-a-half month 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 naturalized British subject before their marriage.

As to their respective intelligence, that would not be for one to speculate. However, 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.

Their marriage has now seen off the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune for more than six decades, since they wed at Westminster Abbey in November 1947.

The academic study, published in the European Journal of Operational Research looked at 1,074 couples aged between 19 and 75 years, to find which social factors were most important to a long and happy relationship.

Besides the man being five years older than his bride, and that his bride should share the same heritage, they concluded that a wife should be at least 27 per cent more intelligent than her husband. She should also hold a degree, while he should not.

… Well, somehow I don’t find it surprising that women should be more intelligent

But Ok. I agree that everything is about teamwork. We can’t without them, they can’t without us, so we have to cooperate – our brain, their muscles! Perfect combination for long-lasting and happy marriage! Just kidding folks :) I adore my intelligent Man. I don’t know who is more intelligent, but we are a very good team, let say: Dream team…

News source: Telegraph