Who would've thought that doing laundry, washing dishes, picking up dirty clothes and vacuuming could be the answer to a woman's marital problems? But wait, it gets even better: For a happy marriage, the person doing the housework should be the man.

The Council on Contemporary Families' released a recent summary report of some studies, and the suggestion that housework lowers divorce rates is right there in black and white.

It's about sex. The deal is that we trade off some nookiage in the bedroom with our husbands in exchange for a little housework. Apparently, it works.

Joshua Coleman, a San Francisco-area psychologist and author of The Lazy Husband: How to Get Men to Do More Parenting and Housework, suggests this: "Equitable sharing of housework can lead to a happier marriage and more frequent sex."

Really? Is that so?

Ah, but Joshua's sneaky... "If a guy does housework, it looks to the woman like he really cares about her - he's not treating her like a servant." Sounds like some psychological strategy to get a little booty. But come on, girls. We always knew that "I love you" really meant, "Are you naked yet?"

The bigger question is, though: Does it work? Can you really trade off sex for housework and have a better marriage?

Yup, sounds like it. Coleman reports, "If a woman feels stressed out because the house is a mess and the guy's sitting on the couch while she's vacuuming, that's not going to put her in the mood." Um, no kidding, Coleman.

But I'll tell you something. If I had a husband, and he cleaned my house until it sparkled while I lazed on the sofa watching Brad Pitt movies, I wouldn't mind a little playtime between the sheets.