Similarity between intimate partners for personality traits as related to individual levels of satisfaction with life

Spousal similarity in terms of personality is advanced as a theoretically important factor to consider in subjective well-being (SWB). This is logically derived from four findings: (1) the consistent relationship between marital status and SWB, with married Ss having the highest SWB scores, which is attributed to good marriage quality; (2) good marriage quality is significantly correlated with high SWB; (3) marriage stability and marriage quality are predicted by similarity between partners in terms of personality; and (4) homogamy in psychological distress and SWB is the rule in (non-clinical) general population couples. The hypothesis that high similarity in personality scores of intimate partners from the general population would correlate significantly with SWB (as assessed with the Satisfaction With Life Scale or SWLS) was confirmed in both sexes. Other things (e.g., individual personality factors, marriage quality and marital intimacy) being equal, high partner/spouse personality-similarity predicted high SWB in males, but not in females. Potential explanations for this sex difference are briefly discussed, as are its clinical implications. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.