A note on the generalizability of assortative mating coefficients for personality

Match Makers and Deal Breakers: Analyses of Assortative Mating in Newlywed Couples

“…To date, researchers have examined similarity versus complementarity on a vast array of variables, including age, race, education, height, weight, physical attractiveness, alcohol consumption, smoking, antisocial behavior, mood and anxiety disorders, intelligence and other cognitive abilities, religiousness, political attitudes, values, and a wide range of personality traits. Although the results are complex and correlations often differ widely across studies (Nicholson, 1992), the accumulating data overwhelmingly support the existence of positive assortment, with very little evidence of complementarity (e.g., Bouchard & Loehlin, 2001; Buss, 1984; Eysenck, 1990; Mathews & Reus, 2001; Vandenburg, 1972).…”

“…Because no previous investigation has provided a suitable examination of the full range of individual differences variables within a single analysis, the relevant evidence must be pieced together from different studies. This, in turn, makes it difficult to compare assort-ative mating correlations across these different domains (see Nicholson, 1992). That is, any observed differences in the level of positive assortment may reflect differences in sampling or other designrelated features, rather than true differences in partner similarity.…”

“…Although the results are complex and correlations often differ widely across studies (Nicholson, 1992), the accumulating data overwhelmingly support the existence of positive assortment, with very little evidence of complementarity (e.g., Bouchard & Loehlin, 2001;Buss, 1984;Eysenck, 1990;Mathews & Reus, 2001;Vandenburg, 1972).…”

The Structure of Personality Differences is not Uniquely Human

“…Human assortative mating in which people select mates with similar personality could maintain variation in human personality, but the data on the reality of this phenomenon are inconsistent (Russell and Wells, 1991;Nicholson, 1992;Lykken and Tellegen, 1993;Glicksohn and Golan, 2001).…”