It’s an age-old question: How do you know if someone is right for you? Should you listen to your gut feeling? A new study has shown that yes, you should – as this is a far more 
accurate predictor if long-term happiness than what your head may be telling you.
A group of scientists from a number of universities across the pond measured the happiness of 135 newlyweds who had tie the knot less than six months previously – and assessed their conscious take on marriage as opposed to their elemental gut feelings.
The researchers matched their answers against how the romance was faring four years down the line and rather than trust your brain – it seems all about tyusting your gut.
The couples were asked six questions about how happy they were in their marriage on a sliding scale of one to six, and unhappy to very happy. They were asked to use words like ‘satisfying’ so everything was on a conscious level.
For the subconscious – or ‘gut feeling’ – tests, this was measured as a person’s automatic attitude. The psychologists used a trick of the eye when an image of the person’s face – either stranger or their spouse – was flashed up against a screen for less than a third of a 
second, words like ‘awful’ or ‘awesome’.
When people saw a picture of their partner, it activates that automatic attitude. People who are happy with their partners hit the positive key faster compared to unhappier ones. The researchers stated that people who took longer to take note of the positive words for their other halves were discontent with the marriage four years later.
The written responses were not an accurate predictor of happiness, and the scientists said they didn’t know if the people had a sense or not of their gut-level attitude or whether they just couldn’t admit how they felt about their partners.
Hmm, interesting! Do you always listen to your gut feeling when it comes to dating? Tell us @lovestruck.
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