Looking to meet Mr Right but don't want to waste time on MR-Not-Right-For-You? We've found out how to tell if he's going to be a keeper quicker than you can say 'how do you feel about settling down If you're anything like the average woman, you'll date 24 (yes,24!) men before meeting The One. Not only does this equal a lot of time spent on a search for long-term love ( 35 percent of women said they'd give a guy at least a three-date probation before deciding he wasn't who she was looking for, according to the same UK survey of almost 3,000 women), but a lot of effort and cash, too (most women who were surveyed spent on average almost Dhs500 on a date, including glamming up with things like a blow dry and a new outfit, as well as a taxis and their share of the bill). So how can you reduce the time- and effort, and cash- it takes to weed out the men you'll never end up with, and pinpoint the one that you just might? Your answers are below Your physical characteristics match Ever notice that some married couples, particularly older ones, tend to look alike? According to research, there's a reason for that, which goes beyond tendencies to dress alike- science subtly pushes us towards those we're likely to end up with. Philippe Rushton, a psychologist at the university of Western Ontario, says that we are wired to use physical likeness, which can mean that subconsciously, we're attracted to reflections of ourselves. So by having kids with people who are genetically similar, you ensure that "your own segment of the gene pool is safely maintained and transmitted to future generations," says Philippe He and his colleagues studies have also shown that married couples often have a correlation in physical qualities that go beyond similar facial features, to things like close neck and wrist circumferences and middle finger length. If nothing else. this is a great excuse to have another lingering look at your Mr Might-Be-The-One Your instinct tells you he is Just like our women's intuition is great at picking up on things like how the people around us are feeling, instinct has also been found to be a useful tool in picking whether a guy is worth sticking around for. A study by the University College London used brain imaging techniques (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Known as, FMRI ) to take pictures of couples' brains. After being shown pictures of their partner, four areas of the brain became active, including the one responsible for gut feelings. In fact, loved-up and happy couples' 'gut feeling' part of the brain was highly active; much more so than those that were not. So that niggly feeling you have that's feeling you that it might be worth looking past that guy's terribly dress sense because he could be a great match for you? Listen to it His actions match his words It's all very well that he says he cares for you and wants commitment, but if he ditches you after your cat died to go on a bender with his mates, he's not likely to be a keeper. Conversely, if he's making you chicken soup and fluffing your pillows when you're dealing with the flu, he's showing you, not just saying, that he's into you and is in for the long haul "The person does another thing entirely and then does another thing entirely or nothing at all, is passive aggressively acting themselves out of any perceived commitment, " says Natalie Lue, author of Mr Unavailable & The Fallback Girl. "When someone's actions and words don't match, you can never truly trust in them ore where your relationship is headed, which by the way is nowhere. You'll be left hungry for substance and very confused In short, even if he says he wants to settle down/have a commitment relationship/ take you away for a weekend, if he doesn't actually do it, a proper relationship with this guy could be out of the question Your attitudes to finance are similar Whether you're flush with or strapped for cash, one of the biggest attributors to divorce is arguments over finances. In fact, a new study by the Utah State University found that couples who reported disagreeing about finance at least once a week were over 30 per cent more likely to get divorced than couples who reported disagreeing about finances a few times a month. It's no surprise then, that relationship counselors advise that having similar views on how you spend and save money plays a huge role in keeping a couple together. So if you're the type to buy your own flat, yet your guy is constantly living pay cheque to pay cheque, this is likely to impact how long your relationship lasts. "Financial irresponsibility will create life-long stress and deprivation," says psychotherapist Tina Tessina. "If he fritters money away or even just spends it on the latest tech toys when you're looking to secure your financial future, the relationship will not work He doesn't roll his eyes at you It's easy to see that he's interested (or at least gentlemanly) if he puts his hand on the small of your back as he ushers you through a door (ladies first!), but other body ******** can be a less obvious, but worryingly accurate, indication of his feelings. Researchers at the University of Washington found that even when it's accompanied by a laugh or a smile, eye-rolling is harmful to your relationship outlook because of what it indicates - that he doesn't value or respect you and even that he holds you in contempt According to Tara Parker-Pope, author of For Better: How the surprising science of Happy Couples Can Help Your Marriage Succeed, in one important study, Dr John Gottman and research scientist Sybil Carrere tracked 124 couples and found that they were able, very early on, to accurately predict future marital unhappiness by analyzing couples' facial expressions during recorded conversations. "Eye rolling, it turns out, is one of the best indicators of relationship turmoil because it is an obvious sign of contempt," she says. So statistically, if he's an eye roller now - things are only going to get worse. If he's not, you could be onto a good and happy thing
