Researchers have found what they think is a key to a happy marriage. The secret ingredient for marital bliss could be a difference in height between the two partners. South Korea's professor Kitae Sohn said the taller a woman's husband is, the happier she is. Mr Sohn said: "A greater height difference in a couple was positively related to the wife's happiness." However, he said the attraction of a tall husband did not last forever and diminishes over time. He said he was surprised that it took around 18 years of marriage for this appeal to disappear.

Professor Sohn was intrigued as to why women preferred taller men. He said: "Although it has been known that women prefer tall men in mating for evolutionary reasons, no study has investigated whether a taller husband makes his wife happier." He analysed data from 7,850 Indonesian women. They did not know why they preferred a taller mate. Sohn wrote: "Women simply like tall men….This is similar to people favoring fatty, salty and sugary foods without knowing exactly why." However, the BBC noted that shorter men can be more stable, better husbands.