A heartbroken actuary in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, turned his talents to creating a convoluted system that rates potential partners to avoid the pain of a future breakup.

However, the 35-year-old creator, surnamed Huang, sought therapy at a local hospital after realizing he was so overcome with a fear of having his heart broken that he was reluctant to put his test to the test.

"I am not sure if this girl like me or not, but I'm afraid of failure," said Huang, "so I made the form to calculate my chances with her in advance."

Huang's "dating risk assessment" resembles something that can only spawn from the mind of a neurotic statistician.

Based in a convoluted point system, the test assess a woman's reciprocal interest by itemizing behavior such as clothing choices, amount of makeup and text messaging.

"If she sends a text message in the middle of the night, that's more points," said Huang.

Huang claimed he had used the test on three different women, the last of which produced promising data.

But before making the leap, he sought out the help of Song Donghai, deputy head of psychology at Hangzhou No. 7 People's Hospital, who pinpointed the obvious inspiration for Huang's defense mechanism - trauma from a past breakup.

"People's emotions cannot be measured by assessment forms," said Song, "people like Huang should express their love with bravery."

Hangzhou Daily