Everyone has their theories on how to keep a marriage alive and well.

Do things together. Be more patient. Don't go to bed angry. These suggestions and countless others, may work for some. But according to American author Paula Szuchman, strategies that are adopted from economics, rather than homespun advice, can bring contemporary couples greater returns.

In the new book, "Spousonomics: Using Economics to Master Love, Marriage, and Dirty Dishes," authors Paula Szuchman and Jenny Anderson offer up an unusual take on managing a modern marriage.

Their viewpoint comes from the world of economics, which both women have come to understand well working as journalists for The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.

"A large part of marriage is business," Szuchman told Canada AM today.

"It's doing the housework. It's dealing with kids. There's no real romantic solution to these unromantic situations."

But when you look at marriages as small businesses, solutions to these problems begin to appear.

The first step, according to Szuchman, is to view partners as people who have a finite number of resources. Those resources need to be allocated efficiently to keep a marriage running at an optimal level.

Whether it's doing the laundry, washing dishes or picking up children from school, each partner's unique skills need to be applied to tasks that they like doing. That division of labour is the secret to making the "Spousonomics" game plan work.

"That specialization will leave couples more incentivized to do the daily chores that they are interested in," said Szuchman.

This strategy is also based on the idea of imperative advantage, which is the foundation of free trade. What's not romantic about free trade? the author asks, with a grin.

"Spousonomics" also debunks the merits of several, long-held coping strategies like not going to bed angry.

"We think it's not actually the best advice," said Szuchman.

"There's an idea in economics called loss aversion. It means that we are so averse to losing that we start acting irrationally when we think we are losing. That's why people bet the house when they're down."

Late-night arguments are a part of married life, regardless of how many years a couple has been married. But the discussion, and the relationship, would be far better served by a good night's sleep, she said.

"When it's late at night and you're arguing so often it becomes less about resolving a conflict and more about winning," said Szuchman.

"Call a time out. Go to bed angry if you have to. Odds are you'll be much more clear-headed in the morning. If you're still angry then talk about it. But you might not even be angry any more," she explained.

The book's new twists on negotiation for more sex, household duties and the moral hazards of marital indifference hold equal appeal for men and women.

"We wanted this book to be very practical and not really touchy feely," said Szuchman.

That practicality makes it a good relationship book for men, even for the author's own husbands.

"Jenny and I are both married to wonderful guys who put up with us during the writing of this book," said Szuchman.

"It turns out that writing a book about marriage while holding down a full-time job as well as having babies puts a lot of stress on your marriage," she said.

"They were troopers. They really helped us apply some of these concepts to our own marriages."