If you can handle this particular type, you’re a good boyfriend

If he is smart, his heart is safe for you.

What smart people lack is showiness—think of the famous 1990s TV nerd Steve Urkel, who wore goofy glasses and goofy suspenders—but they are full of celebrity boyfriend traits. That’s according to a recent report on the sweet benefits of dating a smart man.

“The results of this study suggest that lower general intelligence, and possibly even lower fluid intelligence, are associated with poorer outcomes in romantic relationships,” wrote the researchers at the University of Auckland.

“Individuals with higher general intelligence can expect to enjoy more favorable life outcomes, including higher academic and work achievement, higher socioeconomic status, and longer life expectancy.”

To determine the importance of intelligence in matters of the heart, academics surveyed 202 heterosexual men, ranging in age from 18 to 65, who had been in a relationship for at least six months.

The researchers assessed their general intelligence — their ability to reason, problem-solve, learn and understand complex ideas — through a battery of tests, including a “letter and number series.”

Participants were given a sequence of letters and numbers and asked to identify the next position in each sequence.

“Results indicate that men’s general intelligence, and specifically their performance on alphanumeric series items, is negatively associated with a range of aversive, partner-oriented behaviors,” the study’s findings read.

Problematic tendencies such as berating partners with “insults, sexual coercion and costly mate selection tactics,” as well as “erectile dysfunction and psychosis,” are common among men with lower intelligence who have difficulty completing letter and number sequences correctly.

Analysts have found that people who successfully solve sequences of letters and numbers possess high levels of fluid intelligence—the ability to reason, solve new problems, and adapt to unfamiliar situations without relying on prior knowledge.

“Fluid intelligence is positively correlated with emotion perception, emotion understanding, and emotion management,” the insider noted, citing previous data that came to similar conclusions.

The Auckland University research team also found that boys with high fluid intelligence were less likely to insult their girlfriends with comments such as “I told my partner she was fat” and were less likely to become jealous or suffer from erectile dysfunction problems. Intelligent cats also display fewer psychopathic traits and are less likely to engage in controlling “mate retention” strategies, such as making their partners feel guilty.

“The existing literature suggests that fluid intelligence is associated with suppressing impulsive behavior and mitigating adverse life outcomes,” the experts said, warning that their “exploratory” findings should be “interpreted with caution.”

They acknowledge: “The exploratory nature of the current study means we cannot determine whether higher intelligence is a mechanism by which men are better able to solve interpersonal problems and achieve more desirable relationship outcomes.”

“Furthermore, the correlational nature of the current study means we cannot infer causal links between intelligence and relationship outcomes,” the scientists said. “Third, this study only included men, so we cannot generalize the results of this study to women.”

“Given the potential importance of general intelligence and specific cognitive abilities in solving interpersonal problems, future investigations should continue this line of research.”

Still, these researchers may be on to something.

Happy wives across the country have recently started the virtual “nerds make the best husbands” trend, bragging that their Star Wars-loving, Harry Potter-obsessed sweethearts are the first choice for lifelong lovers.

“Listen to me loud and clear,” said one nerdy bride, “if he had a lightsaber – the Green Flag.”