Is He Smart Enough For You?

by Cathi Hanauer and Dan Jones

All of which is to say: Intellectual compatibility matters. Because if and when the gold treatment does start to fade, you’ll still have the same ironic sense of humor to share, the same books to discuss, the same opinion of global warming to chew over. It’s not that you have to have the same taste in food, art, or home decor. But having large tracts of overlapping brain and soul can save and enrich a marriage more than all the flowers and chocolate in France. And being so in sync that your interests, tastes, and opinions are able to change and evolve together— without leaving the other person behind—is what will make your marriage last.

Cathi Hanauer is the editor of The Bitch in the House. Daniel Jones is the editor of The Bastard on the Couch. They have been married for 13 years.