WHEN it comes to relationships, we are often told that opposites attract. Now, a study suggests couples stay together longer if they share some common ground.
Beatrice Rammstedt of the Centre for Survey Research and Methodology in Mannheim, Germany, and J眉rgen Schupp of the German Institute for Economic Research in Berlin looked at the 鈥渂ig five鈥� personality traits in over 6000 couples in Germany. They found people choose partners who are similar to themselves in terms of agreeableness, conscientiousness and openness, while extroversion and emotional stability were unrelated to partner choice (Personality and Individual Differences, ).
People in long-lasting marriages had particularly similar levels of agreeableness and conscientiousness, suggesting that couples with these traits in common are more likely to stand the test of time. According to Schupp, if you differ in this respect you are more likely to separate.
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Fear not if your partner鈥檚 personality clashes with your own, though. Sanjay Srivastava, a psychologist at the University of Oregon in Eugene, offers an alternative explanation: 鈥淧erhaps the longer couples stay together, the more they grow alike.鈥�
Love 鈥� Learn more about the science behind it in our comprehensive special report.
