Seat up or down? This problem tests the limits of many a marriage. Well, now a paper addresses the issue and determines what scenario for toilet seat operation most benefits marital harmony.

It is notable that John and Marsha each advocates a strategy that benefits them. This is predictable under game theory. However the conflict over strategies has a cost M in marital discord that is greater than the cumulative cost of toilet seat transfers. It behooves John and Marsha, therefore, to adopt a strategy that minimizes M.