Jo Craven McGinty wrote a very fascinating article titled, The Math Behind Successful Marriages, which in The Wall Street Journal. In this article, she discusses the research of psychologist John Gottman, who counselled troubled couples, and Mathematician James Murray, who specialized in modeling biological processes. Both were professors at the University of Washington at the time. The goal was to create a mathematical model to quantify how couples interact and influence each other during an argument. Their subjects initially included 130 couples who applied for marriage licenses in King County, WA. Each pair was videotaped for three 15-minute conversations. In one conversation, the couples were told to talk about their day. In another they were told to talk about something positive. In the third, they were asked to talk about something contentious. This exchange turned out to be most predictive. The interactions were then scored by two independent observers who rated every emotion in the exchange. According to Dr. Murray, “In the ones (marriages) that went continuously down, it was clear they (the partners) found it very, very difficult to appreciate what the other one was thinking. That made it clear that the marriage wasn’t going to last.” According to the article, all the couples that the researchers predicted would divorce did, most within four years. The researchers’ advice to couples: “Face each other when talking. And, acknowledge your role in the dispute.” If you would like to read Ms. McGinty’s excellent article in its entirety, click on this link.