Averaged across the two experiments, he said “the top 10 percent of smilers had a divorce rate of about one in 20, whereas if you were a bottom 10 percent smiler, your chance of divorce was five times more likely!”

While the exact reasons for smiling’s link to divorce remain unclear, the researchers suggest both genetics and the individual’s environment can come into play, with upbeat, stable people conveying a readiness to affiliate, taking better advantage of opportunities and being “more open to social relationships.”  Some have commented that a person’s willingness to take direction from a photographer (”Say Cheese”) might also suggest that conformity is also a factor in successful relationships.

The finding adds to a growing body of evidence that smiling behavior in photos, no matter how fleeting, staged or contrived, indicates underlying emotional dispositions that can have direct and indirect consequences throughout the person’s entire life.

As with most academic studies, these findings are not absolute.  Just because your partner may have looked a bit like Oscar the Grouch on photo day, doesn’t mean you need run home and start packing.   We aren’t all blessed with the ability to take a perfect yearbook photo.  (Why do you think I have not included MY yearbook photo in this article?!  It was the 90’s.  I had a perm.  Nothing more to say.  At least I was smiling…although I’m not sure why with that haircut!)  So the question of the day is… have you seen your partner’s yearbook photo yet?   Might be time to go through those boxes in the garage!

For more information on the study visit Discovery.com.

Official Press Release:

Gay, bi, and curious men looking for a date can find him on Grindr, a new social networking/dating app now available on iTunes. This free location-based service works with the Apple iPhone or iPod Touch to hook up local users in seconds. It’s fast, fun, and easy to use—offering profiles, photos, and stats at a touch. And unlike other dating sites, Grindr is mobile and works based on your location. Grindr uses the GPS technology in the iPhone and Wi-Fi in the iPod Touch to determine your exact location and instantly shows photos of the guys around you.

“Grindr is the next generation of social networking—it’s about location, location, location,” says creator Joel Simkhai. “Men seeking men are technology and online dating trailblazers. We were the first to fill chat rooms on AOL, the earliest adopters of Friendster, MySpace, and Facebook. Grindr takes meeting people to the next level. If you want to hang out with a guy who’s right around the corner, Grindr is the app that makes it possible.”

The genius of Grindr is in its immediacy. It allows men to connect with anyone, anywhere, anytime. Once Grindr is launched, local men looking to meet up appear. The closest men appear first. More info on a chosen guy is available in seconds, as are chat, additional photos, and his map location. There is no complicated registration process or account setup. To protect privacy, users can share as much or as little info as they desire.

Scott Lewallen, the creative mind behind Grindr, is confident that it is the next killer app. “Other apps take five steps to do what Grindr does in a single tap. It’s a simple, sexy user interface that connects you instantly with dudes in your area, all from the comfort and privacy of your iPhone.”

Grindr works with both the iPhone and iPod Touch and is available now on the iTunes App Store for FREE. Grindr is available to download in 77 countries. Visit www.GrindrGuy.com for more information. To download Grindr, please visit www.iTunes.com/app/Grindr.