London, April 19 (IANS) Husbands and wives take turns to win arguments while unmarried couples do not, a study has found.

Rather than fighting it out among themselves to be the one who prevails, married couples tend to "back down after they have won a previous argument", says the study by the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Tokyo.

Researchers studying the issue drew their conclusions from a study of 82 couples, who were asked about their preferences for two outings.

They were asked - individually and then as a couple - whether they would prefer a meal at a famous restaurant or a night at the theatre, the Telegraph reported.

If they disagreed they were asked to agree on a collective decision. They were also asked if they would prefer a day's karting together or a dance class.

The researchers found that husbands and wives took turns to get their own way, but unmarried couples did not.

Led by Alistair Munro, professor of economics at the institute, the scientists concluded that married couples "focused on maintaining fairness in their relationships".

The group would present their findings at the Royal Economic Society annual conference to be held later this week at Royal Holloway, University of London.