Getting hitched does not mean you have to trade in your slinky lingerie for flannel pajamas. To help you get a clearer picture of wedded life, the National Marriage Project at Rutgers University, a clearinghouse for information on marriage, offers a reality check to counter the following commonly held marriage myths:

Myth: Once you get hitched, the most action you’ll see is on TV.
Reality: Married couples make love more often than singles?and they say the sex is better (and it doesn’t matter what you look like in the morning).

Myth: No one wants to marry the class brain.
Reality: Today’s college grads are more likely to tie the knot than their non-collegiate peers.

Myth: A baby is a bundle of joy that brings couples closer together.
Reality: Despite slightly lower divorce rates, couples with kids don’t rate higher on the happiness scale than spouses without. And the added stress sometimes pushes couples apart.

Myth: A good marriage depends on romance and destiny.
Reality: The happiest couples cite commitment and companionship?not hot romance?as the key to success.

Myth: Living together is the same as “getting married minus the piece of paper.”
Reality: Married mates live longer and healthier lives than folks who just shack up. Studies show that couples who cohabitate without rings are more focused on themselves than on the well-being of their partners.