Ever thought that the person you fancy is your intellectual equal? Well, psychological research into romantic relationships has long suggested that the single most powerful predictor of attractiveness and long-term romantic success is IQ; yes, intelligence as measured by mathematical and verbal ability tests.

Even compared to personality traits (e.g., extraversion, friendliness, moodiness), physical factors (height, weight) and demographic variables (age, ethnicity, and religion), IQ is a very strong predictor of relationship and marital success and satisfaction. In simple terms, partners with more similar IQs tend to have longer-lasting, happier, and more successful relationships. Conversely, when a couple is asymmetrical in terms of their intelligence (regardless of whether he or she has more of it) the consequences are likely to be negative.

But why do couples with similar IQs work better? One answer to this question is that similar IQs make similar interests more likely. I’m not saying that, for example, David and Victoria Beckham have similar interests (e.g., football and fashion) because of their IQs (which, incidentally, the average layman can estimate quite accurately), or that Jean Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir would have ran out of conversation if he had the IQ of Peter Andre and she that of Jordan (Katy Price); but the truth of the matter is that our choices of partners seem to be influenced by our perceptions of their intelligence, that is, how smart we think they are.

Unless you are a psychologist, it is unlikely that you go around measuring people’s IQs or even consciously consider intelligence when assessing the suitability of your potential boyfriend or girlfriend. That said, your parents (and grandparents) would have probably told you, at some point, to avoid going out with someone who is stupid.

Well, perhaps the definition of “stupid” is so subjective that, when trying to find a romantic partner who at least isn’t stupid, we simply end up choosing one that resembles us (whether you are Sartre or Peter Andre).

If you want to find out how similar your and your partner’s IQs are here’s a quick and free test that will give you instant feedback on your numerical and verbal intelligence http://edhec.mi-id.com