I am observing a bizarre tendency lately: several acquaintances have stopped wearing their wedding rings. Only one of them has openly announced her divorce, the others pretend as if nothing. But I can’t get rid of the feeling that somethin’s brewin’.

It’s therefore time for a few pointers from economists. Follow these seven rules for a sizeable discount on your divorce probability.

Before marriage:

1.       Don’t marry too young. The younger you are, if under thirty, the higher the likelihood of divorce. (This is apparently even more true for women than men).

2.       If possible, marry within your own religion. – And you save yourself about 10-20% points of divorce probability. (Don’t ask me why, but common religion is particularly good at preventing divorce when your IQ is above 135, says this survey.)

3.       The more exceptional you are, the more time you should take to find your match. People  “with an lQ over 150, $1 million, a height in excess of 6 feet 6 inches, or being a Moslem in South Dakota” can expect to spend considerable time until they find their soulmate according to these smart economists.

After marriage:

4.       Have some kids. The first four kids prevent divorce (the first two especially strongly), the fifth makes it more probable.

5.       If a man, improve your income and keep it stable. Rises in the expected income of men after marriage increase marriage stability. Discrepancies between expected and actual income (even if the actual is higher than expected) are a challenge to marriages.

6.       Keep as healthy as you are. Apparently, deviations from original health status increase the likelihood of divorce. Especially if the deviation is negative.

7.       Achieve a high degree of sexual harmony with your spouse. Practicing good sex is a marriage-specific investment; the skills learned to be in tune with one specific person are not easily transferable outside marriage. Couples with high sexual harmony have more to lose through separation and are more likely to stay together.