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

Abstract

We conducted a comprehensive analysis of assortative mating (i.e., the similarity between wives and husbands on a given characteristic) in a newlywed sample. These newlyweds showed (a) strong similarity in age, religiousness, and political orientation; (b) moderate similarity in education and verbal intelligence; (c) modest similarity in values; and (d) little similarity in matrix reasoning, self-and spouse-rated personality, emotional experience and expression, and attachment. Further analyses established that similarity was not simply due to background variables such as age and education and reflected initial assortment (i.e., similarity at the time of marriage) rather than convergence (i.e., increasing similarity with time). Finally, marital satisfaction primarily was a function of the rater's own traits and showed little relation to spousal similarity.

Comparing narratives of personal and preferred partner characteristics in online dating advertisements

“…Results suggest that personal and preferred partner characteristics in online dating advertisements vary most frequently by the age and desired relationship type of the individual, but also varied based on gender and sexual orientation. Lastly, supporting the matching hypothesis (Watson et al, 2004), results suggest that individuals' preferred partner characteristics are likely to match characteristics they listed in their personal narratives.…”

“…Conversely, this can also indicate that if a particular characteristic is desired in a partner, individuals' anticipate that presenting it as a personal characteristic might attract that kind of mate. Overall, the matching hypothesis is supported by these findings (Watson et al, 2004).…”

Birds of a “bad” feather flock together: The Dark Triad and mate choice

“…People's personality plays a role in who they select and if they are selected as mates (Rammstedt & Schupp, 2008). For instance, individuals have mate preference related to a mate's religiousness (Koenig, McGue, & Iacono, 2009), chronotype (Randler & Kretz, 2011), and personality (Watson et al, 2004). In the current study we provide new detail about the role of personality traits in mate choice.…”

Personality distance and economic activity

“…Izard [1960], Duck and Craig [1978]) and spouses (e.g. Botwin, Buss and Shackelford [1997], Watson et al [2004], McCrae et al [2008]). This research generally shows a link between personality similarity and the likelihood of establishing a relationship, although it is usually moderate.…”

“…initially I do not focus on any specific personality trait. One reason for doing so is based on the observation made by Watson et al [2004], who reach the conclusion that the matching of couples is more likely 'diffuse' than trait-specific. Note, however, that some researchers criticize the idea of studying aggregate (composite) measures of cultural differences [Shenkar 2001;Dow and Karunaratna 2006], and some of their concerns might equally apply to differences in personality.…”