Updated on Wednesday, November 18, 2009, 14:05 IST Tags:Love, marriage

New Delhi: Believe it or not, love isn't everything when it comes to a lasting marriage.

A new study has found that it's not only love but a couple's ages, previous relationships and whether they smoke are all important factors which actually influence whether their partnership will survive in the long run.

Researchers followed 2,500 couples that were married or living together over a six-year period. The results showed that a quarter of relationships would end within six years.

A husband who is nine or more years older than his wife is twice as likely to get divorced while women who want children much more than their partners are more likely to separate, the 'Daily Express' reported.

And the study also showed 16 per cent of those whose parents separated later split up themselves.

Bureau Report