Mathematics may be able to tell you if your relationship will last ...Salon

[adirondacker]

"in the 1990s, fictional boy band 2GE+HER (pronounced Together) introduced a simple equation for romance in their song aptly named “U + Me = Us (Calculus).”

The above boy band brand of “calculus” might get some relationship results, but it hardly accounts for the many variables of love. Timing, attraction, beliefs, personality, family, sexual chemistry, mental health — these factors, and more, can make or break a relationship.

One of the most amazing and infuriating parts of falling in love is how arbitrary it feels. However, if people would like to add some mathematical logic to the mix, the folks at MSN commissioned a “formula to help you predict how long your current relationship will last.” With this equation people can get their special number: the one. The equation is below:

“For heterosexual couples the formula is:

L = 8 + .5Y – .2P + .9Hm + .3Mf + J – .3G – .5(Sm – Sf)2 + I + 1.5C

L: the predicted length in years of the relationship
Y: the number of years the two people knew each other before the relationship became serious
P: the number of previous partners of both people added together
Hm: the importance the male partner attaches to honesty in the relationship
Mf : the importance the female attaches to money in the relationship
J: the importance both attach to humour (added together)
G: the importance both attach to good looks (added together)
Sm and Sf: the importance male and female attach to sex
I: the importance attached to having good in-laws
C: the importance attached to children in the relationship

Still with us? In case you’re scratching your head, all ‘importance’ measures can be scaled from 1 to 5 where 1 is not important at all and 5 is very important."

<snip>

"If folks who are not in a relationship are worried about the probability of finding a soulmate there’s a mathematical equation for that too. A video from It’s OK To Be Smart, reveals that there might be 871 specials someones out there for you."

http://www.salon.com/2014/03/13/true_love_calculus_its_more_complex_than_you_plus_me_equals_us/

[fishwax]

1. Huh. Apparently honesty and money matter for straights, but w/ a gay relationship it's just sex

Note: our research findings for same-sex couples differed slightly from heterosexual couples, so we had to adjust the formula slightly:

L = 8 + .5Y – .2P + 2J – .3G – .5(S1 – S2)2 – I + 1.5C
(where S1 and S2 are the two partner’s ratings for the importance of sex)”

Well, and sense of humor, which apparently is twice as important in a gay relationship.

Anyway, I can't help but roll my eyes at that.

[adirondacker]

2. Yea, I agree it's a bit lame of an equation, but I haven't seen anything that expressed relationship

probability mathematically so I was intrigued.

I think they also left out the "stability" factor which can be an important component in many longterm relationships.

[Jim__]

3. What does ".5(Sm – Sf)2" mean?

It seems to mean &quot Sm - Sf)".

[adirondacker]

5. I think they meant sqrt ^2 .nt

[undeterred]

4. Hm: the importance the male partner attaches to honesty in the relationship

Is this concerning his own honesty or hers?

Trick question.