I wouldn't be such a cynic if people didn't always prove me correct.

Valentine's Day isn't billed as the holiday for cynicism, but it very often can wind up that way -- especially when you see a news article that a researcher has supposedly developed a mathematical formula that can predict whether a marriage will last or not.

Right. It sounds like just another taxpayer-fed flight of fancy.

But I had to admit that after reading through the researcher's justification -- basically that spouses' interactions, what they say as well as how they say it, can be plugged into a mathemical formula or graph and tendencies uncovered.

John Gottman from the University of Washington says he has uncovered three types of stable marriages after 20 years of studying videos of more than 600 couples interviewed by marriage counselors.

You can both be what Gottman calls "avoiders" -- people who will never argue about anything and have a cold but safe marriage. Gottman also said couples who argue passionately and frequently can make it. The ideal couple, the "validating" couple, who listen to each other and only occasionally pick an issue worthy of arguing about, was also singled out by the researcher.

With several opportunities for success, Gottman said the trouble comes when people who are of different temperments -- an avoider and an arguer, or a person who likes the frequent argument and someone who carefully picks his battles --attempt to hook up.

So chocolates and flowers really can't buy love. But you might be able to plot your compatibility, if someone actually wants to go to a little more effort.