Math can predict marriage success

WHEN they waltzed into each other's hearts, Lin and Adrian Zimmerman were creating a perfect formula for a blissful marriage.

They did not realise it at the time, but as the dancing couple's feet stepped to the beat, they were ticking all the boxes for a life of happiness based on scientific fact.

Scientists claim to have unlocked the mystery of a life-long partnership with a mathematical formula that predicts if a couple will stick or split.

And the loved-up boffins have discovered a shared passion helps all the figures to add up.

The Zimmermans struck up a rhythm when Adrian decided to shake up his life with some dance classes at Lin's Jacaranda Academy of Ballroom Dancing in Redbank Plains.

“The passion we had for dancing grew into a relationship,” Mrs Zimmerman said.

“Having a shared passion has made our relationship grow stronger.”

Psychologist John Gottman said the formula was created using data collected from hundreds of conversations between couples.

The lab-rat lovers scored points for positive interactions while negative reactions like arguing dropped their odds.

“When the masters of marriage are talking about something important, they may be arguing, but they are also laughing and teasing and these are signs of affection because they have made emotional connections,” Dr Gottman said.

“But a lot of people don't know how to connect or how to build a sense of humour, and this means a lot of fighting that couples engage in is a failure to make emotional connections. We wouldn't have known this without the mathematical model.”

Dr Gottman said by studying behaviour the model could determine the chances of a couple staying together with an accuracy of 94 per cent.