As betrothed gay Californians prepare to say their legally binding "I do"s next week, same-sex relationship studies abound.

Two fascinating results: gay weddings will do wonders for California's economy (to the tune of more than a half billion dollars over the next three years) and straight couples have much to learn from the less hostile, resolution-focused fighting tactics of their same-sex counterparts.

According to The New York Times' health column today, gay and lesbian couples fight as often as straight couples, but same-sex relationships tend to report comparatively higher levels of satisfaction and less use of badgering and other low-blows when engaged in an argument. Gay couples don't argue less, they just argue better.

Same-sex couples do fight less about housework and sex than straight couples. Feuding with someone of the same sex means understanding might come easier, but research shows straight couples who make efforts to put themselves in their partner's shoes have healthier relationships–meaning compassion and shared responsibility are less about gender and more about practice.

Provided California voters don't overturn legalized gay unions when they vote on the issue in November, UCLA's School of Law estimates that over the next three years $684 million wedding-related dollars will be pumped into the state's economy. A particularly powerful figure, perhaps, for gay marriage naysayers easily swayed by the bottom line.