True marital bliss relies on doing less than your other half, according to an American scientist.

Customer Liz Siviter in the household department of Stubbs Ironmongers store, York. Picture: Frank Dwyer

Research carried out by Chloe Bird, of Brown University, has found happiness is best found when both partners do precisely 45.8 per cent of the washing-up, cleaning, cooking and other shared necessities.

But seekers of the happy relationship will soon be knee-deep in dirty pots, pans and washing, suffering from empty food cupboards and uncooked dinners as the work nobody wants to do shows its mark.

Dr Bird's equation leaves 8.4 per cent of work undone.

And she has no answers as to who should carry out the excess chores.

It seems other family members or paid help must pick up the shortfall, or one half of the relationship will be forced to sacrifice their contentment for a clean and well ordered domestic life.

The findings come from a survey of 1,256 adults. Dr Bird compared the amount of housework each did with their assessment of personal happiness and distress.

The results, published in the Journal of Health and Social Behaviour, conclude that an uneven work split lowers morale.

According to those selling household goods in York, though, local people must be pretty happy.

Glenn Turner, manager of FR Stubbs ironmongers in Fossgate, said: "We have male and female customers and there must be a pretty even split.

"For the trade equipment we sell there are a lot more male customers, but when it comes to household goods we sell to both sexes. There is certainly nothing to suggest that only one of the partners does the work."

Brian Shearer, owner of Pexton's hardware shop in Bishopthorpe Road, agreed.

He said: "It would be difficult to say that women do more household chores than men, or vice-versa, because we get both in here for various jobs.

"We even have situations where couples come in, the woman goes for the DIY stuff while the man goes to buy cookery equipment, although that is the exception to the general rule.

"We don't have percentages or any figures showing who does come in here, but it does seem quite an even division."

But Liz Siviter, from Osgodby, near Selby, said that wasn't the way it worked in her relationship.

She said: "I would say I work full-time and then I do the majority of the housework, although my husband does the DIY.

"It certainly doesn't cause us distress and I don't think it has anything to do with happiness. Basically we both do things, it's just different jobs and I do the housework.

"Maybe for younger people it's different, but this was the way I was brought up and I'm quite happy doing the housework."

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