(outlink) Assortative Mating and Marital Quality in Newlyweds: A couple-Centered Approach

Summary of the abstract: We chose mates based on similarity of attitudes and not based on similarity of personality; happiness comes from similarity of personality, and attitudes don't matter.

The original paper is here.

Assortative Mating and Marital Quality in Newlyweds:
A Couple-Centered Approach

Shanhong Luo and Eva C. Klohnen
University of Iowa

Using a couple-centered approach, the authors examined assortative mating on a broad range of variables in a large (N = 291) sample of newlyweds. Couples showed substantial similarity on attitude-related domains but little on personality-related domains. Similarity was not due to social homogamy or convergence. The authors examined linear and curvilinear effects of spouse similarity on self and observer indicators of marital quality. Results show (a) positive associations between similarity and marital quality for personality-related domains but not for attitude-related domains, (b) that similarity on attachment characteristics were most strongly predictive of satisfaction, (c) robust curvilinear effects for husbands but not for wives, (d) that profile similarity remained a significant predictor of marital quality even when spouses’ self-ratings were controlled, and (e) that profile-based similarity indices were better predictors of marital quality than absolute difference scores.

Update: Fixed link that somehow had ended up as just underlined text - thanks, Dan!

(outlink) Hunger dictates who men fancy

From BBC: Hunger dictates who men fancy.

This is a popular article written over this reference:

V. Swami, M. J. Tovée, Does hunger influence judgments of female physical attractiveness?, British Journal of Psychology, Volume 97, Number 3, August 2006. pp. 353-363(11).

(outlink) LiveScience.com - Men Pay the Ultimate Price to Attract Women

LiveScience.com - Men Pay the Ultimate Price to Attract Women: "While it is tough to be a woman, being a man can be downright deadly.

Women live longer than men. And now scientists suggest a simple Darwinian reason: Competing for a mate can wear a guy out or get him killed.

'Women live longer in almost every country, and the sex difference in lifespan has been recognized since at least the mid-18th century,' said Daniel Kruger at the University of Michigan. 'It isn't a recent trend; it originates from our deep evolutionary history.'

The idea is presented in the spring edition of the journal Human Nature."