How many times have you seen this situation?

You're having dinner with a few friends at (insert Hoboken restaurant) when the closest thing to the perfect girl walks in. She's standing alone, waiting to be seated. Confusion sets it for a moment.

"She can't be alone, right?" you say to one of your friends...with no need to explain who "she" is.

And before the question can be answered, he clumsily walks in. He's about her height (meaning any time she wears heels we have a Katie Holmes towering over Tom Cruise photo-op on our hands), could use some of her make-up (not the best skin), and has a hairline going north and a waistline moving south.

You overhear him say something about finding a parking spot three blocks away (meaning he dropped he off while he went through the daunting task of looking) and she kisses him by squeezing his cheeks the way your Aunt used to when you were little.

The smooch almost says, "None of the hot guys I dated ever did that for me" and they sit down at their table. All the while, you're looking for the camera crew from Beauty and the Geek to emerge.

Guys trading up and girls trading down is something that has existed since the birth of Western Civilization. I confirmed this with an attractive, fit, intelligent, successful girl yesterday (Wednesday) upon seeing this report.

"Here's how it works," she said to me over dinner at Anthony and David's (get the lamb steak, I beg you). "You hook-up with the hot guys, maybe even date them for a bit. But you marry the nerdy guy who you know will never cheat on you, never disrespect you, and will always take care of you by putting himself second. Those kind of men tend to concentrate on their careers in their 20s to put themselves in the position to get the girl, while the gorgeous men think they can always do better."

I took that to mean that they'll be more tempted to stray. She nods her head in agreement.

"And the proof is in the pudding..." as we named at least five couples over dessert we knew where the guy definitely had no business being with the girl from a looks perspective. I trust those of you playing at home can do the same thing.

So are the best marriages those where women marry men who are less attractive than themselves?

The study seems a little subjective and shortsighted (the 82 couples included have been married less than six months, so other factors may come into play later in their marriages), but the results are interesting:

Psychologists who studied newlyweds found men who were better-looking than their wives were more likely to be unhappy and have negative feelings about their marriage.

While I'm not planning to go out and find the ugliest potential mate I can, something like this is a good reminder that marrying a guy who looks like he stepped out of a fashion catalog isn't the secret to a happy marriage.

I'm reminded of a story Carolyn McCulley shares in her article "Humility that Attracts and Encourages:"

I have a friend who married a man completely unlike the one who started to court her. The man who first asked her out was quiet, willing to be in the background, and was slightly fashion-challenged. The one who won her heart was romantic, thoughtful, funny, reliable, and willing to go shopping. What changed? Nothing but her own perspective.

When he asked to court her, she said yes — in faith that her affections could grow for a man she fundamentally respected. It happened. Not only did her affections grow, so did her attraction.

After she was engaged, her other single, female friends commented that her fiancé had blossomed during their courtship. When she relayed this comment to her future husband, he simply remarked that he had done that on purpose. He wanted to be more reserved around other single women he wasn't pursuing, so that he could save all that romance, attention, and effort for the woman whose heart he was trying to win.

Moral of the story: Keep looks in their place. And while this study seems to encourage men to marry girls prettier than them, don't forget the wise words of Jimmy Soul:

If you want to be happy for the rest of your life
Never make a pretty woman your wife.
So for my personal point of view
Get an ugly girl to marry you.

Darren Cole joins the Realhoboken.com team

Darren Cole is Realhoboken.com's newest contributor. Email questions or comments to realhoboken@yahoo.com or use our message boards to share your thoughts with the free world.