Within-Couple Personality Concordance Over Time: The Importance of Personality Synchrony for Perceived Spousal Support

Objectives Within-couple similarities in personality traits tend to be positively associated with relationship well-being. However, research in this area is typically based on cross-sectional designs, thereby limiting examination of longitudinal personality concordance. Given that life experiences shape within-person change in personality, and that partners within a couple often experience similar life events, investigation of within-couple personality synchrony and associations with marital outcomes is warranted. Methods Using data from 3,988 couples (mean age at baseline = 67.0 years, SD = 9.6), multilevel dyadic growth models estimated within-couple similarity in baseline levels, change, and occasion-to-occasion variability for each of the Big Five personality traits over an 8-year follow-up. Bivariate growth models examined the effect of within-couple similarity on perceived spousal support, accounting for dependency within couples. Results Adjusting for baseline age, education, functional ability, and relationship length, analyses revealed within-couple concordance between baseline levels of all 5 personality traits, as well as correlated within-couple fluctuations in neuroticism, extraversion, and openness over time. Similarity in openness, agreeableness, and neuroticism trajectories predicted spousal support. Couples were most similar in openness, showing correlated intercepts, change, and variability, and this longitudinal synchrony was particularly important for perceived spousal support in women. Discussion These findings provide evidence for longitudinal personality synchrony over time within older adult couples. Further, concordance in neuroticism, extraversion, and openness predicted perceived spousal support, though there may be some gender differences in personality dynamics and relationship well-being. Effects of similarity were relatively small compared to actor and partner effects of these traits.

Relationship-oriented values and marital and life satisfaction among Chinese couples

Objective and background: The present study tested whether the similarity levels of relationship-oriented values among Chinese couples would be higher than those among randomly matched male–female pairs. Furthermore, we examined whether couple similarity of relationship-oriented values would predict spouses’ marital satisfaction and life satisfaction above the actor and partner effects of relationship-oriented values over time and the potential marriage cohort differences. Method: Data were retrieved from the China Family Panel Studies data set in 2010–2014. Our study included a nationally representative sample of 10,860 first-married couples who provided data on relationship-oriented values, marital satisfaction, and life satisfaction. Results: The average profile similarity on relationship-oriented values of the real couples was higher than that of the randomly matched male–female pseudo couples. Actor–Partner Interdependence Model analyses showed that (1) couple similarity of relationship-oriented values was positively associated with husbands’ and wives’ life satisfaction indirectly through wives’ marital satisfaction among couples with short to medium marital duration, even after controlling for life satisfaction 4 years ago and a set of sociodemographic variables; (2) husbands’ relationship-oriented values were positively associated with couples’ life satisfaction indirectly through husbands’ marital satisfaction among couples with short to medium and long marital duration. Conclusion: With a large dyadic sample of Chinese couples, our findings expand the literature on the significant role of couple similarity of relationship-oriented values in personal and relational well-being.

Familial influences on Neuroticism and Education in the UK Biobank

Genome-wide studies often exclude family members, even though they are a valuable source of information. We identified parent-offspring pairs, siblings and couples in the UK Biobank and implemented a family-based DNA-derived heritability method to capture additional genetic effects and multiple sources of environmental influence on neuroticism and years of education. Compared to estimates from unrelated individuals, heritability increased from 10% to 27% and from 19% to 57% for neuroticism and education respectively by including family-based genetic effects. We detected no family environmental influences on neuroticism, but years of education was substantially influenced by couple similarity (38%). Overall, our genetic and environmental estimates closely replicate previous findings from an independent sample, but more research is required to dissect contributions to the additional heritability, particularly rare and structural genetic effects and residual environmental confounding. The latter is especially relevant for years of education, a highly socially-contingent variable, for which our heritability estimate is at the upper end of twin estimates in the literature. Family-based genetic effects narrow the gap between twin and DNA-based heritability methods, and could be harnessed to improve polygenic prediction.

Humor in intimate relationships: Ties among sense of humor, similarity in humor and relationship quality

The present study examined relations between different aspects of humor and relationship quality. Participants, 114 married or cohabiting heterosexual couples from the general community, with a mean relationship length of 22 years, completed a number of measures assessing these two themes. We expected different aspects of humor of both partners to be positively related to relationship quality. In addition, we expected partners to resemble each other with regard to the different aspects of humor, and similarity with regard to humor to be related positively to relationship quality. The hypotheses were partially confirmed. APIM analyses revealed only one significant actor and one significant partner effect of sense of humor. Partners did resemble each other with regard to sense of humor, but couple similarity with regard to sense of humor was unrelated to relationship quality.