The role of personality and love style in marital satisfaction: Does similarity matter?

Abstract

Background: Scientific study of marital satisfaction attracted widespread attention decades ago. Since then, hundreds of studies have been conducted on determinants of marital satisfaction. The present study attempted to extend previous research on marital life by discussing two important correlates of marital satisfaction: personality traits and love styles. By emphasizing the similarity of personality traits and attitudes toward love in dyads, the study seeks the possible influential constituents for marital outcomes. Participants and Procedure: Eighty-seven (N = 174) married heterosexual couples recruited through a convenience sampling procedure participated in the study. They completed the following questionnaires: the HEXACO Personality Inventory, Love Attitudes Scale, and Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS). Results: Husbands' honesty/humility level was positively correlated with their own and wives' marital satisfaction. Spouses were similar in some love styles. The discrepancy in their attitudes toward love may have negative as well as positive outcomes, depending on whether we consider husbands' or wives' marital satisfaction. Personality traits and love styles discrepancy scores predicted participants' marital satisfaction. Conclusions: Personality traits and love styles play a significant role in marital satisfaction for both women and men. Marital satisfaction has somewhat different correlates in the case of wives and husbands. Having a different personality or love styles also has different associations with the marital satisfaction of spouses.