Want your marriage to last longer? Then choose a husband who is five years older than you (or a wife who is 5 years younger, if you are a guy) and from the same cultural background, suggest experts from the Geneva School of Business.

They claim this formula increases the chances of having a long and happy marriage by a fifth.

How to be a happy couple

One couple that seems to fit the criteria is the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh. At 83, the Queen is four years and 10 months younger than the Duke and they share the same Royal background as Philip was a member of both the Greek and Danish royal families.

Of the 1,074 couples looked at aged between 19 and 75, the report concluded that the wife should be 27 per cent more intelligent than her husband, hold a degree while he should not.

However, marrying a divorcee reduced the chance of marital bliss.

"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," the dailymail.co.uk quoted lead researcher Nguyen Vi Cao as saying.

For marital bliss

Another study has revealed that married couples are their happiest two years, 11 months and eight days after tying the knot. The research team asked 4,000 spouses to pinpoint their happiness during married life and calculated the time period when wedded bliss began.

The study showed that just under three years was the time when couples feel completely comfortable with each other's bad habits and have a clear plan for their future.

The couples enjoy a full and active sex life and have carried out enough DIY for their house to feel homely and still find time for romantic meals together.

"Three years after walking down the aisle and everything seems to come together - making each other laugh the most and cuddle up in front of the TV," said Carol Richardson of wedding website www.confetti.co.uk that carried out the research.

"They'll also spend the longest amount of quality time together each evening and make small gestures like offering to cook dinner and help with the washing up.

Secrets to a happy marriage

"But there's no reason why you can't have a long and happy marriage if you stick to the guidelines our study also revealed. We're found the secret to the happiest time together isn't about big, expensive and lavish gifts but being there for each other to share special moments."

The study also found they enjoy their best sex, romantic meals and nights out with mates partying after two years and four months.

Wives are likely to receive a respectable number of flowers, chocolates and compliments two-and-a-half years into their marriage.

Men helping with household chores like cleaning and cooking peaks just before the third anniversary, while big arguments will be a distant memory three months later.

Researchers also found couples who stay faithful spend 24 minutes a day having a heart-to-heart each evening and never go to bed after a falling out.

Two - or more - in the hand better than one in the errr… bush? Do you personify this new-age adage when it comes to dating? Find out.

1. Your take on multiple dating:

a. I'm cool with it, as long as the dates involved are cool with it too.
b. Hmmm… Wouldn't mind considering the idea…
c. Not in India, no way. Such stuff happens in the wild, wild West.
d. It's perverted.

2. The next best thing after a date:

a. Duh… Another one!
b. An amorous invite to spend the night at his/her place.
c. A passionate kiss goodbye.
d. A date? That supposedly romantic thingammy that people get all dressed up for? Uh…

3. If your life were a sitcom, it'd be called:

a. The more the merrier
b. Three's company too.
c. Two to tango
d. I'm so lonely!

4. If you found out that your date was seeing other people, you'd:

a. Heave a sigh of relief and blurt out, "So am I, honey!"
b. Ask why he/she didn't tell you about it earlier
c. Feel cheated
d. Scoot. You should have never let your friends force you into going out on a date anyway.

The verdict:

Mostly As: You one of the few that can pull off the Multiple Dating Routine - guilt-free. Good luck to you, and to the many that pop in and out of your colourful life.

Mostly Bs: You neither a slave to society's norms and conventions (whatever they are!), nor a die-hard rebel. The ground in between is where you tread; no wonder you're always uncertain as to whether you ought to take a step further or a step behind.

Mostly Cs: You believe in 'Love at First Sight', 'Made for Each Other' and 'Happily Ever After'. Triangles, quadrangles et al belong in the worlds of geometry and Bollywood movies. For you, it about finding and keeping The One.

Mostly Ds: Somewhere within you lives a voice that says "Good Indian girls and boys don't date. Let alone Multiple Date. Period."

To do or not to do is the question here, says one of my former alter-egos Ms Sexpeare. Find out if you could well be her mirror image. Let's get quizzical about the physical…

1. One night stands are:

a. The way to go. No commitment, no strings, no heartache, no heartbreak.
b. Um, exciting? I wouldn't mind it as a one-time experience, but what about STDs?
c. Wrong. Immoral. I can't believe I'm taking this quiz.

2. Have you ever kissed a complete stranger?

a. Duh, yes! I've lost count of how many.
b. A couple of times, and I still feel like it was so not "me".
c. You mean like, on the lips? No!

3. The "Two ships passing by in the middle of the night" scenario spells:

a. The ephemeral evanescence of bittersweet life.
b. Um? Pleasure? Pain? Maybe both.
c. A Titanic-size disaster.

4. TV shows that are enormously stupid, but make sense in these stupid times are:

a. Splitsvilla, Emotional Aytachaar.
b. All those family sagas trying to be different from the saas-bahu soaps.
c. The bad old saas-bahu soaps.

5. You go ballistic on the dance floor when the DJ plays:

a. Sexual Healing, Tempted to Touch…
b. Good ol' "classics": Madonna and the like.
c. The latest Bollywood chart-buster, remixed.

6. Your fave drink:

a. Sex on the Beach, Dirty Martini
b. Fuzzy Navel
c. Virgin Mary.

Mostly As: Hello, Ms Sexpeare! You could well go own in the um… annals of one-night stand history.

Mostly Bs: You're precariously treading the tightrope of what you ought to do and what you'd like to do. Choose wisely, and realise that you're going to have to live with memories thereof for life.

Mostly Cs: One-night stands are just not your thing. And you didn't need this quiz to tell you that!

The age-old belief that men have no idea when it comes to basic facts about their women has been determined credible after a poll.

A study surveying 2,000 men for The Perfume Shop found that millions of men were clueless about the clothes size worn by their other halves, her favourite perfume and even her natural hair colour.

What was revealed

Researchers discovered one in ten were oblivious to their wife's date of birth, while eight and 12 per cent were unaware about their natural hair and eye colour respectively. One in three were ignorant about what her favourite perfume was, 27 per cent confessed purchasing the wrong size in clothes or underwear, the study showed.

''The results of this survey are actually quite shocking. The basic details like date of birth and hair colour are what you expect your partner to know about you, but it seems many men don't," the Telegraph quoted spokeswoman Michelle D'vaz as saying. ''This is especially the case with everyday things like eye colour, or the perfume they spray on each morning," she added.

Top five things men don't know about their partner:

What perfume they wear

Clothes size

Eye colour

Date of birth

Natural hair colour