So you got down on bended knee, pulled out the ring, and proposed to your significant other, and they said “yes.” As you walk down the aisle, gracefully in your tux or wedding dress to exchange your wedding vows, and then complete the phrase, “till death do us part,” you anxiously wonder how you can maintain a successful and happy marriage until death. Although the divorce rate in the U.S. is 50 percent, you can divorce-proof your marriage, statistically, by adopting these ways to secure a successful marriage. After all, men, a happy wife is a happy life.

1. Trust Your Gut Feeling

As the Journey song goes, “Don’t stop believing, hold on to that feeling.” That could actually be the key to avoiding a divorce. A 2013 study published in the journal Science found gut feelings can predict whether a newlywed couple will remain happy. While a number of factors determine marital success, it is the initial attitude that a newlywed carries toward their spouse that is one of the biggest. A person’s unconscious gut feelings going into a marriage will initially determine whether he or she will be satisfied.

2. Marry a Positive Spouse

It’s common sense if you marry someone with a positive outlook on life, your experiences will be positive, but this effect only extends to women. A 2014 study published in the Journal of Marriage and Family found temperamental qualities of a husband were most important to the happiness of a long-lasting marriage. Aside from personality, a man’s health also predicted whether couples would achieve a happy marriage through the decades. However, the wife’s positive attitude or good health did not affect the marital outcomes of heterosexual couples in the study whether they were married or unmarried. In the study, couples stayed together for an average length of 39 years, and ranged in age from 63 to 90.

3. Marry Someone You Met at School or Work

While marrying your high school, college, or grad school sweetheart seems far-fetched, it can actually help divorce-proof your marriage. A 2011 survey conducted by online dating website eHarmony found couples who met their spouse at work or school reported a higher relationship satisfaction similar to those who met on eHarmony. Couples who met in school were also found to be 41 percent less likely to get divorced than the statistics predict. Those who met in bars were 24 percent more likely to get divorced than initially expected by the researchers.

4. Live in a Blue State

Your state’s political affiliations may determine the likelihood of whether you will get a divorce. Although divorce rates are expected to be higher in states with more liberal residents, a 2009 Census report revealed those living in conservative states are more likely to get divorced than their liberal counterparts. This finding is supported by the fact residents in states located in the South and West of the country, tend to marry younger than those in the Northeast, which results in eventual marital disputes. These states are also known to have a larger population of immigrants, which can lead to a lack of family support and can negatively affect immigrant marriages, which causes higher divorce rates.

5. Share Chores

Couples who split household duties evenly could be saving their marriage and making room for extracurricular activities. A 2010 study published in the journal Feminist Economics found the stress on a marriage due to the wife working can be offset when the husband contributes to doing chores in the house. The study revealed the most important thing in a marriage was that all tasks are shared equally, not just cleaning and tidying.

6. Go to the Movies

If you share your chores, chances are you will take the workload off your spouse and have more time for date night, like going to the movies. A 2014 study published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology found that watching a handful of movies and discussing characters’ relationships afterward was capable of cutting couples’ divorce rates in half. Enjoying a movie together and having a discussion could help strengthen the bound between couples unexpectedly.

Remember, communication is key to the success of any relationship, and these tips will help secure a successful and happy marriage.