Article

Actor, partner, and similarity effects of personality on global and experienced well-being

December 2018
Journal of Research in Personality 78

DOI:10.1016/j.jrp.2018.12.008

Authors:

Michigan State University

The current study examined actor, partner, and similarity effects of personality on a variety of well-being indices, including both global and experiential measures of well-being in 2,578 heterosexual couples (N = 5,156 individuals; M age = 51.04, SD = 13.68) who completed the 2016 Wellbeing and Daily Life supplement to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID). Among actor effects, those for conscientiousness, agreeableness, extraversion, and neuroticism were the most robust predictors of well-being. Among partner effects, conscientiousness and neuroticism were the most robust predictors of well-being. Consistent with past research, similarity effects on well-being were generally small and not always significant. The results are discussed in the context of experiential conceptualizations of well-being and operationalizing similarity in relationship research.

Participation of senior citizens in somatosensory games: a correlation between the willingness to exercise and happiness

Article

Full-text available

Apr 2020

In this study, the correlation between the willingness to exercise and happiness of senior citizens living in nursing homes was determined. For this purpose, 30 people older than 65 who were capable of performing various activities in Taiwan’s nursing homes were recruited and divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group participated in the somatosensory game “Old-age sitting posture and health exercises”, which includes intervention strategies and was designed by physiotherapists, social workers, and functional therapists. and 16 different activities for eight weeks, while the control group was not involved in them. Both groups filled out “Growing Happiness in the Old Age: Chinese Scale” and “Sports Participation Intention Scale” questionnaires before and after the intervention to evaluate the levels of happiness and willingness to exercise of the elderly. It was found that somatosensory game interventions significantly increased the degree of social interaction and maintenance of the willingness to exercise of the elderly living in nursing homes over time. Moreover, happiness indicators were significantly improved after the games, especially health, autonomy, and social aspects, suggesting that the willingness to exercise was positively correlated with happiness. Therefore, somatosensory games can promote the physical and mental health of the elderly and may be used by senior citizens living in nursing homes as part of a multi-activity project.

Adult Playfulness and Relationship Satisfaction: An APIM Analysis of Romantic Couples

Article

Apr 2019
J RES PERS

Previous research has shown that adult playfulness contributes to relationship satisfaction (RS). Using 211 heterosexual romantic couples we test the association between four facets of playfulness (Other-directed, Lighthearted, Intellectual, and Whimsical; OLIW) and indicators of RS in an Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM)-design. The four OLIW components are differentially associated with indicators of RS. Out of the OLIW facets, predominantly Other-directed and Intellectual playfulness were associated with high RS. Couple similarity was unrelated to RS. Overall, the findings support the notion that distinguishing between the facets of playfulness and those of RS is needed for a comprehensive understanding of their association. We discuss the findings with respect to theoretical and practical implications.

Verspieltheit als Prädiktor von Beziehungszufriedenheit: Eine APIM-Analyse in Liebesbeziehungen

Conference Paper

Sep 2018

Verspieltheit im Erwachsenenalter beschreibt interindividuelle Unterschiede in der Fähigkeit, Situationen so zu gestalten, dass diese als unterhaltsam und/oder interessant und/oder intellektuell stimulierend erlebt werden. Das OLIW-Modell (Proyer, 2017) unterscheidet die Komponenten other-directed (z.B. liebevolles Necken), lighthearted (z.B. Präferenz für Improvisation statt Planung), intellectual (z.B. Vorliebe für Komplexität) und whimsical (z.B. Vorliebe für Ungewöhnliches) Verspieltheit. Theorie und Forschung legen nahe, dass Verspieltheit eine gewünschte und förderliche Persönlichkeitseigenschaft für das Eingehen und die Aufrechterhaltung einer romantischen Beziehung sein könnte und positiv zur Beziehungszufriedenheit beiträgt. Unsere Studie erweitert dieses Wissen, indem Selbstratings zu Verspieltheit und Beziehungszufriedenheit von 211 erwachsenen heterosexuellen Paaren (Beziehungsdauer zwischen 3 Monate und 37 Jahre; M = 5.2 Jahre) analysiert wurden. Vorabtests replizierten den Befund robuster Ähnlichkeit romantischer Partner in other-directed und whimsical (r ≤ .29) sowie unkorrelierter Ausprägungen in lighthearted und intellectual Verspieltheit. Die Hauptanalyse der dyadischen Daten erfolgte mittels des Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM), welches die Feststellung intra- (Actor-) und interindividueller (Partner-) Effekte von Verspieltheit auf die Beziehungszufriedenheit beider Partner eines Paares erlaubt. Insbesondere other-directed-Verspieltheit trug mittels Actor- und Partnereffekten positiv zur Beziehungszufriedenheit bei. Partner von leichtherzig Verspielten berichteten weniger Vertrauen in ihren Partner und die Zukunft der Beziehung. Demgegenüber waren intellectual und whimsical-Verspieltheit vornehmlich über Actor-Effekte positiv mit Beziehungszufriedenheit assoziiert. Die Befunde geben Aufschluss über die differentiellen Beiträge der OLIW-Facetten und stützen die Annahme, dass Verspieltheit weitgehend positive Effekte auf die Beziehungszufriedenheit ausübt.

Der Zusammenhang von Verspieltheit und Zufriedenheit in romantischen Beziehungen

Conference Paper

Sep 2017

Sind verspielte Paare die zufriedeneren mit ihrer Beziehung? Verspieltheit wird als eigenständiges Persönlichkeitsmerkmal verstanden, durch das Personen alltägliche Situationen in für sie unterhaltende, intellektuell stimulierende und/oder persönlich interessante Situationen (um)definieren können (Barnett, 2007). Unter Einbezug eines neuen Strukturmodells mit den Facetten „auf andere ausgerichtete“, „leichtherzige“, „intellektuelle“ und „extravagante“ Verspieltheit (Proyer, 2017) wurde an N = 77 heterosexuellen Paaren untersucht, inwieweit sich die selbstberichtete und vom Partner eingeschätzte Verspieltheit auf die Beziehungszufriedenheit auswirkt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass sich Männer in allen Facetten verspielter als ihre Partnerinnen einschätzen (d > .20) und die selbsteingeschätzte Verspieltheit positiv mit der eigenen Beziehungszufriedenheit zusammenhängt. Die Übereinstimmung zwischen selbst- und vom Partner eingeschätzter Verspieltheit weist hohe Werte auf (r ≥ .55), mit Ausnahme der intellektuellen Facette (r = .34). Unter Anwendung des Actor-Partner-Interdependence-Model (APIM; Kenny et al., 2006) findet sich zudem ein signifikanter Zusammenhang der eigenen Verspieltheit mit der Beziehungszufriedenheit des Partners/der Partnerin (z.B. sagt die globale Verspieltheit der Frau die Beziehungszufriedenheit des Mannes vorher, r = .29; sexuelle Zufriedenheit: r = .33). In Ergänzung zu früheren Studien wurden auch die Partnereinschätzungen mittels APIM ausgewertet. Es zeigen sich höhere Korrelationen zur Beziehungszufriedenheit beider Partner im Vergleich zu den Selbstberichten. Weiterhin steht insbesondere die sexuelle Zufriedenheit im positiven Zusammenhang mit der gegenseitig eingeschätzten Verspieltheit. Die Ergebnisse stehen im Einklang mit früheren Befunden zum positiven Zusammenhang von Verspieltheit und Beziehungszufriedenheit. Implikationen für die Bedeutsamkeit des Persönlichkeitsmerkmals sowie der Wahrnehmung des Partners für das Wohlbefinden in romantischen Beziehungen werden diskutiert.

Playfulness in romantic relationships and relationship satisfaction: Do birds of a feather flock together or do opposites attract?

Conference Paper

Jul 2016

Playfulness is partly defined as trait that allows people to frame or reframe everyday situations in a way such that they experience them as entertaining, and/or intellectually stimulating, and/or personally interesting. A new structural model of adult playfulness (Proyer, 2015) proposes four facets; namely other-directed, lighthearted, intellectual, and whimsical. Using a sample of 83 romantic couples, the (dis-)similarity in playfulness among partners and its impact on relationship satisfaction was tested. Preliminary results show that partners tend to be similar in their self-reported playfulness (otherdirected: β =.40; whimsical: β =.41). Contrary to other research concerning relationship satisfaction a greater dissimilarity in playfulness among partners predicted several facets of relationship satisfaction positively. Further analyses using the Actor-Partner Independence Model (Kenny et al., 2006) are in progress. Overall, preliminary data show that adult playfulness influences relationship satisfaction. Further research on this understudied personality trait in context of romantic relationships seems warranted.

Predicting romantic interest during early relationship development: A preregistered investigation using machine learning

Article

Full-text available

May 2022

There are massive literatures on initial attraction and established relationships. But few studies capture early relationship development: the interstitial period in which people experience rising and falling romantic interest for partners who could—but often do not—become sexual or dating partners. In this study, 208 single participants reported on 1,065 potential romantic partners across 7,179 data points over 7 months. In stage 1, we used random forests (a type of machine learning) to estimate how well different classes of variables (e.g., individual differences vs. target-specific constructs) predicted participants’ romantic interest in these potential partners. We also tested (and found only modest support for) the perceiver × target moderation account of compatibility: the meta-theoretical perspective that some types of perceivers experience greater romantic interest for some types of targets. In stage 2, we used multilevel modeling to depict predictors retained by the random-forests models; robust (positive) main effects emerged for many variables, including sociosexuality, sex drive, perceptions of the partner’s positive attributes (e.g., attractive and exciting), attachment features (e.g., proximity seeking), and perceived interest. Finally, we found no support for ideal partner preference-matching effects on romantic interest. The discussion highlights the need for new models to explain the origin of romantic compatibility.

Article

Full-text available

May 2022
J RES PERS

We studied the similarity among partners' character strengths (i.e., positively valued traits) across two studies. In Study 1, N = 68 couples completed the 240-item VIA Inventory of Strengths and in Study 2, N = 143 couples completed a 24-item brief-form and measures of life-and relationship satisfaction. We computed raw, normative, and distinctive profile similarities for the 24 strengths and found support for partners' similarity in both studies (normative: rs ≥ .84; raw: rs ≥.23; distinctive: rs ≥ .06). Actor-Partner Interdependence Model analyses (Study 2) provided no evidence for the notion that similarity relates to couples' satisfaction. We discuss our findings regarding prior research, assortative mating preferences, and extensions to the study of partner-and ideal partner perceptions.

Modeling dating decisions in a mock swiping paradigm: An examination of participant and target characteristics

Article

Feb 2021

New online dating platforms, such as Tinder, are dramatically changing the context in which people seek romantic relationships. In these platforms, users select partners they are willing to start a conversation with by “swiping” on them. These platforms provide exciting possibilities for applying new methods to test how user (e.g., demographic, personality) and target/partner (e.g., attractiveness, race) factors predict attraction. Across four laboratory studies (total N = 2,679), target physical attractiveness and target race were the largest predictors of decisions in this hypothetical dating context, whereas user individual difference traits were poor predictors. The current studies provide substantive information about the factors that predict romantic attraction in the context of mobile-based dating applications.

Integrating Personality and Relationship Science to Explain Physical and Mental Health

Chapter

Feb 2020

The aim of the current chapter is to discuss how personality and relationship processes (i.e., relationship experiences and outcomes) may interact to influence physical and mental health across the lifespan. We begin with a discussion of how our romantic relationships contribute to our health and how two prominent personality theories (i.e., attachment theory and the Big Five model) can be used to predict some of the relationship outcomes and behaviours that are important in this connection. Next, we showcase some of the prominent models enabling researchers to characterize how personality and relationship factors can work together to influence health. We close with a discussion of future directions that will help to guide researchers who hope to examine the combined impact that personality and relationships have on health.

Article

Full-text available

Mar 2023
PERS RELATIONSHIP

We examined whether perceived similarity in COVID-19 centrality (i.e., the extent to which one thinks of the pandemic as shaping current and future life) is associated with family relationship quality during the pandemic. Thinking that other family members are similar to oneself regarding the pandemic's centrality may improve the quality of family relationships. We collected data from Turkish family triads (i.e., mother, father, 18–25 years old child) and had 481 participants from 180 families. Participants rated their similarity in COVID-19 centrality with the other two family members and reported the general and daily quality of their relationship with them (relationship satisfaction, closeness, conflict). We analyzed the data using the Social Relations Model. We found that family members who, on average, perceived more similarity in COVID-19 centrality reported higher levels in positive attributes of general relationship quality (i.e., satisfaction and closeness). The effects on conflict and daily relationship quality were less conclusive. This research confirms that family members' reactions during the COVID-19 pandemic are interdependent. Perceiving that other family members are of similar minds about the centrality of the pandemic relates positively to some aspects of relationship quality.

Introversion, Solitude, and Happiness

Chapter

Apr 2021

Compensatory couple effects: How a spouse’s life goals impact one’s own career and health outcomes

Article

Apr 2023
J RES PERS

Life goals guide one’s behavior and can impact their life outcomes, but may conflict with their partner’s goals. Using a longitudinal dataset, we examined whether one’s life goals prospectively predict health and career outcomes for themselves and their spouse (Ndyads = 6,198). Overall, there were more actor than partner effects, but partner effects were especially numerous for health outcomes. Generally, husbands and wives had a similar distribution of effects and actor and partner effects were in the same direction, but this was not always the case. Few actor-partner interactions emerged and partner similarity rarely moderated effects. These findings indicate a partner’s life goals meaningfully and independently impact one’s health and career outcomes, with associations emerging for both husbands and wives.

Partner influences on ICT use variety among middle-aged and older adults: The role of need for cognition

Article

Sep 2021
COMPUT HUM BEHAV

This exploratory study examined both individual and dyadic predictors of variety of ICT use. Need for cognition is associated with engaging in a variety of intellectually stimulating practices and a prominent individual difference predictor of the types of ICTs people use. Participants were a subset of 542 heterosexual couples (N = 1084 individuals; 50% women; Mage = 63.65; 83.9% Caucasian) from the Health and Retirement Study with access to the internet. Individuals high in need for cognition were more likely to use ICTs for a variety of reasons. Being married to someone high in need for cognition was associated with a greater variety of ICT ownership, ICTs for financial/transactional activities, and ICTs for miscellaneous reasons (e.g., research), although these effects were relatively small and the evidence for partner effects was relatively weak according to the distribution of p-values. Partner effects were not significant for social technology or internet-enabling ICTs; cross-partner interactions provided suggestive evidence for compensating for lower levels of individual need for cognition. Findings are discussed in relation to the relational and contextual determinants of ICT use in older adulthood.

Power in romantic relationships: How positional and experienced power are associated with relationship quality

Article

Full-text available

May 2021
J SOC PERS RELAT

Power dynamics have been described as being constitutive of romantic relationships and can impact outcomes such as relationship quality. Yet, in relationships nowadays, power may be less important than in the past due to changes in gender roles and society’s expectations. We analyzed four power characteristics and their effects on a multidimensional measure of relationship quality using an actor-partner interdependence model framework with 181 heterosexual couples. There was usually a balance of power in the couples with respect to a personal sense of power but an imbalance in positional power. We found actor and partner effects: Personal sense of power and satisfaction with power predicted actors’ and partners’ relationship quality. By contrast, positional power, the general power motive, and the balance of power were not associated with relationship quality. There were hardly any differences in actor or partner effects between men and women. Apparently, it is not objective, positional power but subjective, experienced power that is relevant to overall relationship quality. Furthermore, what matters most for satisfaction with the relationship is not the balance of power but rather the perceived personal level of power. Future research may extend these findings by using domain-specific power measures and behavioral power indicators.

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

Article

Sep 2020
J GERONTOL B-PSYCHOL

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. Method: 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 eight-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 five 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.

Home Is Where the Heart Is: Geographic Variation in Relational Behavior and Outcomes

Chapter

Jun 2020

William J. Chopik

Interdependence, Interaction, and Close Relationships - edited by Laura V. Machia June 2020

Article

Full-text available

Mar 2020

This study examined the effects of couple similarity on spouses’ and children’s life satisfaction using a large representative sample of 1761 participants (587 married couples and their children). Drawing on the stimulus–value–role theory demonstrating couple similarities in different domains, similarities on personality and value (moral identity and spirituality) was investigated. Based on evolutionary perspectives and the vulnerability–stress–adaptation model of marriage, we hypothesized that couple similarities in these domains are associated with spouses’ life satisfaction. We further proposed that couple similarities may be beneficial for offspring’s well-being. The Actor–Partner Interdependence Model was used to test the independent contribution of couple similarity. The PROCESS macro Model 4 was used to test the direct and indirect effects of similarity on children’s life satisfaction. The results showed (1) Similarity on agreeableness, openness, moral identity, and spirituality contributed to spouses’ life satisfaction after controlling for actor effects, partner effects, and Normative-Desirability Confound; (2) Similarity on moral identity had indirect effect on children’s life satisfaction through fathers’ life satisfaction, and similarity on spirituality had not only a direct effect on children’s life satisfaction but also an indirect effect through fathers’ life satisfaction. These findings are consistent with evolutionary perspectives that positive assortment can enhance reproductive fitness through improved marital functioning. This study also provides support for the vulnerability–stress–adaptation model of marriage, suggesting that couple similarity may serve as enduring strengths that promote adaptive processes in marital relationships.

Optimism, pessimism, and health biomarkers in older couples

Article

Sep 2020

Objective: Studies have demonstrated the importance of optimism in predicting perceived general health. However, the handful of studies focusing on cardiovascular biomarkers show inconsistent effects. Additionally, no study examined whether spousal levels of optimism and pessimism affect an individual's biological markers of cardiovascular health. Thus, our objectives were to examine whether partners' optimism and pessimism affect individual biological markers, differentiating between between-dyad associations and within-dyad predictive processes. Methods: Three waves of the Health and Retirement Study collected in 2006, 2010, and 2014 were used to test actor and partner effects of optimism and pessimism on C-reactive protein (CRP) and high-density lipoprotein. Multilevel longitudinal actor-partner models were used to examine the contribution of a partner's optimism and pessimism to each biomarker, adjusting for respondent's age, sex, depression, body mass index, daily activity levels, and a summary score of respondent's doctor-diagnosed chronic conditions. Results: Partners' pessimism and optimism levels were moderately associated. Results for within-person effects were all non-significant, both within and across waves. Associations at the between-person level were also non-significant, with the exception of a positive association between husbands' pessimism and their own CRP, and husbands' optimism and their wives' CRP. Conclusions: Results suggest that optimism and pessimism may not play a pertinent role in within variability of biomarkers of cardiovascular diseases and have a minor role in predicting to between-person variability of biomarkers of cardiovascular diseases.

Interdependence, Interaction, and Close Relationships

Article

Jun 2020

Cambridge Core - Social Psychology - Interdependence, Interaction, and Close Relationships - edited by Laura V. Machia

Narcissism, Perfectionistic Self-Presentation, and Relationship Satisfaction From a Dyadic Perspective

Article

Full-text available

Dec 2019

The psychological mechanisms that potentially underlie the negative correlation between narcissism and relationship satisfaction are unknown. This study examined the potential mediating role of perfectionistic self-presentation in the association between grandiose and vulnerable narcissistic traits and relationship satisfaction. The Actor-Partner Interdependence Mediation Model was used to examine these associations in 344 nonclinical heterosexual couples. Mediated actor effects of men’s grandiose narcissism (GN) on their own relationship satisfaction emerged as well as direct effects of women’s vulnerable narcissism (VN) on their own satisfaction. Women’s relationship satisfaction was influenced by their male partner’s VN. Male partners of women high in GN reported lower relationship satisfaction. The results uniquely illustrate how narcissism focused on a need to seem perfect can undermine relationship satisfaction.

Longitudinal Actor, Partner, and Similarity Effects of Personality on Well-Being

Article

Full-text available

Aug 2018

The current study aimed to conceptually replicate previous studies on the effects of actor personality, partner personality, and personality similarity on general and relational well-being by using response surface analyses and a longitudinal sample of 4,464 romantic couples. Similar to previous studies using difference scores and profile correlations, results from response surface analyses indicated that personality similarity explained a small amount of variance in well-being as compared with the amount of variance explained by linear actor and partner effects. However, response surface analyses also revealed that second-order terms (i.e., the interaction term and quadratic terms of actor and partner personality) were systematically linked to couples’ well-being for all traits except neuroticism. In particular, most response surfaces showed a complex pattern in which the effect of similarity and dissimilarity on well-being depended on the level and combination of actor and partner personality. In addition, one small but robust similarity effect was found, indicating that similarity in agreeableness was related to women’s experience of support across the eight years of the study. The discussion focuses on the implications of these findings for theory and research on personality similarity in romantic relationships.

Belief and feeling: Evidence for an accessibility model of emotional self-report

Article

Full-text available

Nov 2002

This review organizes a variety of phenomena related to emotional self-report. In doing so, the authors offer an accessibility model that specifies the types of factors that contribute to emotional self-reports under different reporting conditions. One important distinction is between emotion, which is episodic, experiential, and contextual, and beliefs about emotion, which are semantic, conceptual, and decontextualized. This distinction is important in understanding the discrepancies that often occur when people are asked to report on feelings they are currently experiencing versus those that they are not currently experiencing. The accessibility model provides an organizing framework for understanding self-reports of emotion and suggests some new directions for research.

Advances and Open Questions in the Science of Subjective Well-Being

Article

Full-text available

May 2018

Subjective well-being (SWB) is an extremely active area of research with about 170,000 articles and books published on the topic in the past 15 years. Methodological and theoretical advances have been notable in this period of time, with the increasing use of longitudinal and experimental designs allowing for a greater understanding of the predictors and outcomes that relate to SWB, along with the process that underlie these associations. In addition, theories about these processes have become more intricate, as findings reveal that many associations with SWB depend on people’s culture and values and the context in which they live. This review provides an overview of many major areas of research, including the measurement of SWB, the demographic and personality-based predictors of SWB, and process-oriented accounts of individual differences in SWB. In addition, because a major new focus in recent years has been the development of national accounts of subjective well-being, we also review attempts to use SWB measures to guide policy decisions.

Assessment of similarity and self-other agreement in dyadic relationships: A guide to best practices

Article

Full-text available

Jan 2018
J SOC PERS RELAT

Many questions within the relationship literature are concerned with the similarity between individuals or the agreement of perceptions. There are a number of different methods used to assess these questions (e.g., correlation, profile correlation, and squared difference scores), and there are special considerations that need to be included when analyzing data of this sort (e.g., correction for mean levels). We provide an overview of when these different methods are most appropriate and recommendations for applying the different statistical techniques. We also include an example data set to demonstrate how these analyses should be performed and how results may differ based on the techniques used.

The Actor, Partner, Similarity Effects of Personality, and Interactions with Gender and Relationship Duration among Chinese Emerging Adults

Article

Full-text available

Sep 2017

Understanding personality effects and their role in influencing relationship quality, varied according to gender and relationship duration, could help us better understand close relationships. Participants were Chinese dating dyads and were asked to complete both the Big Five Inventory and Perceived Relationship Quality Component scales. Males and those who had a long-term relationship perceived better relationship quality; individuals who scored higher on agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness, and emotional stability enjoyed better relationship quality; gender and/or relationship duration moderated the actor effect of extraversion and the partner effects of conscientiousness, emotional stability, and openness on relationship quality. Regarding the profile similarity, those couples who were more dissimilar in their profile personality had better relationship quality, especially when they were in a relatively long-term relationship. Meanwhile, with an increase in profile similarity, the males' perceived relationship quality decreased.

Ideal Standards, Acceptance, and Relationship Satisfaction: Latitudes of Differential Effects

Article

Full-text available

Sep 2017

We examined whether the relations of consistency between ideal standards and perceptions of a current romantic partner with partner acceptance and relationship satisfaction level off, or decelerate, above a threshold. We tested our hypothesis using a 3-year longitudinal data set collected from heterosexual newlywed couples. We used two indicators of consistency: pattern correspondence (within-person correlation between ideal standards and perceived partner ratings) and mean-level match (difference between ideal standards score and perceived partner score). Our results revealed that pattern correspondence had no relation with partner acceptance, but a positive linear/exponential association with relationship satisfaction. Mean-level match had a significant positive association with actor's acceptance and relationship satisfaction up to the point where perceived partner score equaled ideal standards score. Partner effects did not show a consistent pattern. The results suggest that the consistency between ideal standards and perceived partner attributes has a non-linear association with acceptance and relationship satisfaction, although the results were more conclusive for mean-level match.

Redefine Statistical Significance

Article

Full-text available

Sep 2017
Nat. Hum. Behav.

We propose to change the default P-value threshold for statistical significance for claims of new discoveries from 0.05 to 0.005.

Couples’ Shared Beliefs About Aging and Implications for Future Functional Limitations

Article

Full-text available

Aug 2017

Purpose of the Study Individual beliefs are known to be predictive of health. This study examines the co-construction of couple norms and links couples’ shared beliefs about aging to future individuals’ and couples’ functional limitations. Design and Methods Data from the 2008 and 2014 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (1,231 couples; age range = 51–90) were analyzed using latent variables that estimated shared and individual variance in beliefs about aging in 2008 and functional limitations at follow-up in 2014. Spouses’ individual processes of physical activity and disease burden were modeled to contribute to couples’ shared beliefs about aging and subsequent functional limitations. Models progressively controlled for indicators of partner selection, couples’ shared health experiences, and similarities and differences in age. Results Couples’ beliefs about aging predicted future functional limitations. The effect magnitude decreased but remained significant in all models. Physical activity predicted couples’ future functional limitations but was largely explained by shared health experiences and similarities and differences in age for wives and husbands, respectively. Disease burden contributed to couples’ shared beliefs about aging. Husbands’ contributions were explained by partner selection, but wives’ contributions remained significant in all models. The effect of couples’ shared beliefs on change in couples’ functional limitations was explained by couples’ shared health experiences. Implications Beliefs about aging and health occur within the context of close relationships and shared experiences. Knowledge of couples’ beliefs and health is necessary to support their individual and collective efforts to age successfully together.

Concurrent and longitudinal dyadic polynomial regression analyses of Big Five traits and relationship satisfaction: Does similarity matter?

Article

Full-text available

Apr 2017

Being with a well-matched partner seems essential for a happy relationship. However, past research on personality similarity in couples has reported inconsistent findings. The current study employs a dyadic polynomial regression approach to take into account linear and curvilinear associations between similarity and satisfaction. The concurrent results based on data of 237 couples suggest that beyond actor effects for neuroticism, agreeableness, and conscientiousness and partner effects for agreeableness, similarity plays a negligible role for relationship satisfaction. Longitudinally, two similarity effects emerged. First, if partners reported dissimilar neuroticism levels, male partner reported lower relationship satisfaction. Second, if both partners reported modest levels in openness, female partners reported higher relationship satisfaction. Implications for couples are discussed.

The Incremental Validity of Average State Self-Reports Over Global Self-Reports of Personality

Article

Full-text available

Mar 2017

Personality traits are most often assessed using global self-reports of one’s general patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behavior. However, recent theories have challenged the idea that global self-reports are the best way to assess traits. Whole Trait Theory postulates that repeated measures of a person’s self-reported personality states (i.e., the average of many state self-reports) can be an alternative and potentially superior way of measuring a person’s trait level (Fleeson & Jayawickreme, 2015). Our goal is to examine the validity of average state self-reports of personality for measuring between-person differences in what people are typically like. In order to validate average states as a measure of personality, we examine whether they are incrementally valid in predicting informant reports above and beyond global self-reports. In 2 samples, we find that average state self-reports tend to correlate with informant reports, although this relationship is weaker than the relationship between global self-reports and informant reports. Further, using structural equation modeling, we find that average state self-reports do not significantly predict informant reports independently of global self-reports. Our results suggest that average state self-reports may not contain information about between-person differences in personality traits beyond what is captured by global self-reports, and that average state self-reports may contain more self-bias than is commonly believed. We discuss the implications of these findings for research on daily manifestations of personality and the accuracy of self-reports.

Codevelopment of Preschoolers' Temperament Traits and Social Play Networks Over an Entire School Year

Article

Full-text available

Feb 2017

Children enter preschool with temperament traits that may shape or be shaped by their social interactions in the peer setting. We collected classroom observational measures of positive emotionality (PE), negative emotionality (NE), effortful control (EC), and peer social play relationships from 2 complete preschool classrooms (N = 53 children) over the course of an entire school year. Using longitudinal social network analysis, we found evidence that children’s traits shaped the formation of play relationships, and that the traits of children’s playmates shaped the subsequent development of children’s own traits. Children who exhibited high levels of NE were less likely to form social play relationships over time. In addition, children were more likely to form play relationships with peers who were similar to their own levels of PE. Over the course of the school year, children’s level of PE and EC changed such that they became more similar to their playmates in levels of these traits. Finally, we observed moderate to strong rank-order stability of behavioral observations of PE, NE, and EC across the school year. Our results provide evidence for the effects of traits on the formation of play relationships, as well as for the role of these play relationships in shaping trait expression over time.

Getting older, feeling less? A cross-sectional and longitudinal investigation of developmental patterns in experiential well-being

Article

Full-text available

Dec 2016

A large body of previous research suggests that people’s global evaluations of their well-being tend to increase as a function of age. Fewer studies, however, have examined the extent to which people’s in vivo experiences of well-being (e.g., felt emotions) vary as a function of age—and the existing findings are mixed. The present study used an approximately nationally representative sample of more than 2,500 Germans to evaluate developmental patterns in both experiential and global well-being using cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. The cross-sectional and longitudinal findings converged on the idea that affect—whether positive or negative, global or experiential—decreases as a function of age and time. In contrast, life satisfaction appears to remain consistent, or perhaps decline across midlife before rebounding in old age. These findings suggest that affective well-being may develop in a nuanced way across adulthood: Negative affect appears to ebb with age—but so does positive affect.

Day-To-Day Affect is Surprisingly Stable: A 2-Year Longitudinal Study of Well-Being

Article

Full-text available

Sep 2016

Previous research suggests global assessments of cognitive well-being—life satisfaction—are relatively stable over time. Far fewer studies have examined the extent to which experiential measures of affective well-being—the moods/emotions people regularly experience—are stable, especially over extended periods of time. The present study used longitudinal data from a representative sample of Germans to investigate the long-term stability of different components of well-being. Participants provided global ratings of life satisfaction and affect, along with experiential measures of well-being up to 3 times over 2 years. Results indicated between one-third and one half of the variance in people’s daily affect was attributable to trait-like latent variables. Replicating meta-analytic findings, 50% of the variance in global measures of well-being was attributable to trait-like latent variables.

Activity Engagement and Activity-Related Experiences: The Role of Personality

Article

Full-text available

Aug 2016

Objectives The associations of personality with activity participation and well-being have been well studied. However, less is known concerning the relationship between personality and specific aspects of activity engagement in older adults. We conducted a fine-grained examination of the effects of extraversion and conscientiousness on reported activity engagement—which we define as participation, time allocated, and affective experience—during 8 everyday activities. Method Data were obtained using a day reconstruction measure from a subgroup of participants in the 2012 Health and Retirement Study (HRS: N = 5,484; mean age = 67.98 years). Results We found mixed support for hypotheses suggesting that specific personality traits would be associated with activity participation, time allocated, and activity-affective experience. For example, extraverts were more likely to socialize and experienced higher socializing-related positive affect, but did not spend more time socializing. Discussion Results are discussed in light of the value of including personality in, and its contribution to, studies of activity engagement in later life. In addition, the need to acknowledge the complexity of the concept of activity engagement in future research is highlighted.

The Validity of the Day Reconstruction Method in the German Socio-Economic Panel Study

Article

Full-text available

Jan 2017
SOC INDIC RES

The Day Reconstruction Method (DRM) is a useful tool for evaluating short-term changes in emotional experiences over a variety of daily situations. However, traditional method of collecting DRM data can be time-intensive for both researchers and participants. In this paper we provide evidence that a random-sampling approach to DRM assessment can provide useful data that are largely consistent with previous research that used the full version of the DRM. In a nationally representative sample of 2303 people, we demonstrate that (1) there is variability in emotional ratings of episodes that replicates what has been found in prior studies, (2) correlations with global measures are typically small in magnitude (<0.30), (3) correlations with personality are for the most part negligible, (4) correlations with global ratings of domain satisfaction are higher for domain-relevant situations, and (5) parents report more positive affect while providing care for their children when compared to other activities, and this effect can account for the observed differences in emotional experiences of parents and non-parents.

Ecological momentary assessment

Article

Full-text available

Jan 2008

Assessment in clinical psychology typically relies on global retrospective self-reports collected at research or clinic visits, which are limited by recall bias and are not well suited to address how behavior changes over time and across contexts. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) involves repeated sampling of subjects' current behaviors and experiences in real time, in subjects' natural environments. EMA aims to minimize recall bias, maximize ecological validity, and allow study of microprocesses that influence behavior in real-world contexts. EMA studies assess particular events in subjects' lives or assess subjects at periodic intervals, often by random time sampling, using technologies ranging from written diaries and telephones to electronic diaries and physiological sensors. We discuss the rationale for EMA, EMA designs, methodological and practical issues, and comparisons of EMA and recall data. EMA holds unique promise to advance the science and practice of clinical psychology by shedding light on the dynamics of behavior in real-world settings.

Stress and Negative Relationship Quality among Older Couples: Implications for Blood Pressure

Article

Full-text available

Apr 2015
J GERONTOL B-PSYCHOL

The cardiovascular system may represent a significant pathway by which marriage and stress influence health, but research has focused on married individuals cross-sectionally. This study examined associations among chronic stress, negative spousal relationship quality, and systolic blood pressure over time among middle-aged and older husbands and wives. Participants were from the nationally representative longitudinal Health and Retirement Study. A total of 1,356 (N = 2,712) married and cohabitating couples completed psychosocial and biomeasure assessments in waves 2006 and 2010. Analyses examined whether Wave 1 (2006) relationship quality and stress were associated with changes in blood pressure over time. The effects of stress and negative relationship quality were dyadic and varied by gender. Husbands had increased blood pressure when wives reported greater stress, and this link was exacerbated by negative spousal relationship quality. Negative relationship quality predicted increased blood pressure when both members of the couple reported negative quality relations. Findings support the dyadic biopsychosocial model of marriage and health indicating: (a) stress and relationship quality directly effect the cardiovascular system, (b) relationship quality moderates the effect of stress, and (c) the dyad rather than only the individual should be considered when examining marriage and health. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Assessing the Validity of Single-item Life Satisfaction Measures: Results from Three Large Samples

Article

Full-text available

Jun 2014

Purpose The present paper assessed the validity of single-item life satisfaction measures by comparing single-item measures to the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS)—a more psychometrically established measure. Methods Two large samples from Washington (N = 13,064) and Oregon (N = 2,277) recruited by the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and a representative German sample (N = 1,312) recruited by the Germany Socio-Economic Panel were included in the present analyses. Single-item life satisfaction measures and the SWLS were correlated with theoretically relevant variables, such as demographics, subjective health, domain satisfaction, and affect. The correlations between the two life satisfaction measures and these variables were examined to assess the construct validity of single-item life satisfaction measures. Results Consistent across three samples, single-item life satisfaction measures demonstrated substantial degree of criterion validity with the SWLS (zero-order r = 0.62–0.64; disattenuated r = 0.78–0.80). Patterns of statistical significance for correlations with theoretically relevant variables were the same across single-item measures and the SWLS. Single-item measures did not produce systematically different correlations compared to the SWLS (average difference = 0.001–0.005). The average absolute difference in the magnitudes of the correlations produced by single-item measures and the SWLS was very small (average absolute difference = 0.015–0.042). Conclusions Single-item life satisfaction measures performed very similarly compared to the multiple-item SWLS. Social scientists would get virtually identical answer to substantive questions regardless of which measure they use.

The Five-Factor Model of personality and relationship satisfaction of intimate partners: A meta-analysis

Article

Full-text available

Feb 2010

A meta-analysis that included 19 samples with a total of 3848 participants showed that scores on four of the Five-Factor Model personality factors correlated significantly with level of relationship satisfaction by intimate heterosexual partners. The four personality characteristics were low neuroticism, high agree-ableness, high conscientiousness, and high extraversion. The associations between an individual's per-sonality characteristics and the relationship satisfaction of the individual's intimate partner did not vary significantly from men to women or from married to unmarried individuals. The results of the meta-analysis provide support for the utility of the Five-Factor Model of personality in understanding an important realm of life, intimate relationships.

Article

Full-text available

Dec 2008
J SOC PERS RELAT

To evaluate the impact of actual and perceived similarity on interpersonal attraction, we meta-analyzed 460 effect sizes from 313 laboratory and field investigations. Results indicated that the associations between interpersonal attraction and both actual similarity (r = .47) and perceived similarity (r = .39) were significant and large. The data also indicate that (i) actual similarity was important in no-interaction and short-interaction studies, (ii) there was a significant reduction in the effect size of actual similarity beyond no-interaction studies, and (iii) the effect of actual similarity in existing relationships was not significant. Alternatively, perceived similarity predicted attraction in no-interaction, short-interaction, and existing relationship studies. The implications of perceived similarity, rather than actual similarity, being predictive of attraction in existing relationships are discussed.

Reports of Subjective Well-Being: Judgmental Processes and Their Methodological Implications

Chapter

Full-text available

Jan 1999

When and for whom does crying improve mood? A daily diary study of 1004 crying episodes

Article

Full-text available

Aug 2011
J RES PERS

We aimed to examine the connections between individual affective characteristics and crying, and to evaluate Rottenberg, Bylsma, and Vingerhoets’ (2008) framework for studying crying and mood. We analyzed the relationship among features of the social environment, mood characteristics of the crier, crying frequency/urge to cry, and mood change across 1004 detailed crying episodes sampled from 97 females. Urge to cry and crying frequency were associated with poorer mood, and urge to cry was associated with greater mood variability. Poorer mood was observed both before and after crying episodes, and one-third of crying episodes resulted in reported mood improvement following crying. Benefits of crying, when they occur, are shaped by the social environment and the affective characteristics of the crier.

Big Five personality traits and relationship quality: Self-reported, observational, and physiological evidence

Article

Full-text available

Oct 2008
J SOC PERS RELAT

This report explored links between Big Five personality traits and the quality of romantic relationships. Interpersonal func- tioning was operationalized at three levels of analysis (self- reported quality, observed emotional tone, and physiological reactivity) in three samples (dating, engaged, and married couples). Couples completed questionnaires about their own and partners' personalities and then discussed a disagreement in their relationship while being physiologically monitored. Two conceptual frameworks were examined; the first predicted that personality would be consistently associated with all indi- cators of functioning. The second framework predicted that personality would be consistently linked to perceived quality and trivially associated with observed emotional tone and electrodermal/cardiac reactivity. Significant associations were identified between personality and self-reported quality, and only trivial associations with other indictors.

Measuring Experiential Well-Being among Older Adults

Article

Aug 2018

Experienced well-being measures tap a distinct form of subjective well-being (SWB) and have different age-related properties than the more widely studied evaluations of life satisfaction. Unlike evaluations of the quality of life as a whole, experiential measures capture affective reactions soon after they occur. Recent advances in measurement have allowed for the inclusion of such experiential measures even in large-scale studies. However, respondent burden remains a concern; hence, surveys have also employed shorter experiential modules. The psychometric properties of these brief measures are not well understood. We examine the psychometric characteristics, including the factor structure and correlations with theoretically relevant criteria, of experienced wellbeing measures included in two supplements to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID). The first supplement included a detailed time diary whereas the second included a brief review of the prior day. Results show that for the detailed time diaries a single index of affective experience provides a useful summary of the associations among individual affect items, both within and between participants. For the abbreviated method, two or more subscales better describe the underlying structure.

Comparing the Reliability and Validity of Global Self-Report Measures of Subjective Well-Being With Experiential Day Reconstruction Measures

Article

Dec 2017
ASSESSMENT

Self-report measures of global well-being are thought to reflect the overall quality of people’s lives. However, several scholars have argued that people rely on heuristics, such as current mood, when reporting their global well-being. Experiential well-being measures, such as the day reconstruction method (DRM), have been proposed as an alternative technique to obtain a potentially more accurate assessment of well-being. Across two multimethod, short-term longitudinal studies, we compared the psychometric properties of global self-reports and short-form DRM-based assessments of well-being. We evaluated their stability across one month, tested their convergent validity using self–informant agreement, and evaluated correlations with personality traits. Results indicated that global measures of well-being were more stable than DRM-based experiential measures. Self–informant agreement was also either equal across global and DRM measures or higher for global measures. Correlations with personality were similar across approaches. These findings suggest that DRM and global measures of well-being have similar psychometric properties when used to provide an overall assessment of a person’s typical level of subjective well-being.

Gratitude across the life span: Age differences and links to subjective well-being

Article

Dec 2017

Gratitude has been described as an adaptive evolutionary mechanism that is relevant to healthy psychological and interpersonal outcomes. Questions remain as to whether the presence and benefits of gratitude are consistent from young adulthood to old age; prior research has yielded mixed evidence. We examined the magnitude and direction of age differences in gratitude in three samples (combined N = 31,206). We also examined whether gratitude was associated with greater/lesser well-being at different periods in the life course. We found that the experience of gratitude was greatest in older adults and least in middle aged and younger adults. Further, we found that the associations between gratitude and subjective well-being remained relatively constant across the lifespan. Findings are discussed from a developmental perspective.

An Examination of Dyadic Changes in Optimism and Physical Health Over Time

Article

Oct 2017

Objective: Having a partner high in optimism is associated with better health in older adults. However, partners, just like individuals, are not static entities and likely change considerably over time. The current study examined whether changes in one person's optimism was associated with corresponding changes in his or her partner's health over a 4-year period. Method: We employed a sample of 2,758 heterosexual couples (5,516 individuals; Mage = 65.81, SD = 9.00), married an average of 36.06 years. Median level of education was at least a high school education (13.0% had less than a high school education; 56.1% had a high school education; 30.9% had at least some college education). Both couple members filled out measures of optimism and health twice over a 4-year period. Results: Having a partner high in optimism at baseline was associated with increases in an actor's optimism 4 years later, r = .08, p < .001. Baseline self-rated health and chronic illness of actors and their partners were mostly unrelated to changes in optimism. However, actor (rs > .05) and partner (rs > .03) changes in optimism were associated with changes in self-rated health and chronic illnesses over time. There was also some evidence for an interaction effect (rs > .03), such that the worst outcomes were experienced among couples in which both members decreased in optimism. Conclusion: This is the first study to examine how changes in psychological characteristics are associated with changes in health within and across romantic partners. Possible mechanisms are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

Varieties of mixed emotional experience

Article

Jun 2017

Experience sampling data reveal that people can experience mixed emotions (i.e., the co-occurrence of positive and negative affect) in daily life and that some pairs of opposite-valence emotions co-occur more often than others. Both experience sampling and laboratory data suggest that, not surprisingly, people often experience mixed emotions when dealing with complex events that can readily be appraised as having both pleasant and unpleasant aspects (e.g., events that foster the pursuit of one goal but thwart that of another). More intriguingly, some events that can only readily be appraised as having unpleasant aspects (e.g., heartbreaking film scenes depicting a character’s death) can also elicit mixed emotions.

Birds of a Feather Do Flock Together: Behavior-Based Personality-Assessment Method Reveals Personality Similarity Among Couples and Friends

Article

Feb 2017

Friends and spouses tend to be similar in a broad range of characteristics, such as age, educational level, race, religion, attitudes, and general intelligence. Surprisingly, little evidence has been found for similarity in personality-one of the most fundamental psychological constructs. We argue that the lack of evidence for personality similarity stems from the tendency of individuals to make personality judgments relative to a salient comparison group, rather than in absolute terms (i.e., the reference-group effect), when responding to the self-report and peer-report questionnaires commonly used in personality research. We employed two behavior-based personality measures to circumvent the reference-group effect. The results based on large samples provide evidence for personality similarity between romantic partners ( n = 1,101; rs = .20-.47) and between friends ( n = 46,483; rs = .12-.31). We discuss the practical and methodological implications of the findings.

The co-development of perceived support and the Big Five in middle and older adulthood

Article

Jan 2017

The current study examined whether relationships also influence personality trait development during middle and older adulthood, focusing on the individual’s perception of support from the relationship partner. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study (n = 20,422; mean age = 65.9 years), we examined the longitudinal relationships between Big Five personality trait levels and perceived support from children, family, friends, and spouses. Results found that participants who reported more positive social support and lower negative support also tended to score higher on conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and openness to experience, but lower on neuroticism. Moreover, changes in positive support across relationship partners coincided with trait changes over time, in the form of more positive support was associated with seemingly adaptive changes on the Big Five. Findings are discussed with respect to identifying social influences on personality development in adulthood.

Birds of a Feather Do Flock Together

Article

Jan 2017
PSYCHOL SCI

The Effect of Mood on Judgments of Subjective Well-Being: Nine Tests of the Judgment Model

Article

Dec 2016
J PERS SOC PSYCHOL

Life satisfaction judgments are thought to represent an overall evaluation of the quality of a person's life as a whole. Thus, they should reflect relatively important and stable characteristics of that person's life. Previous highly cited research has suggested that transient factors, such as the mood that a person experiences at the time that well-being judgments are made, can influence these judgments. However, most existing studies used small sample sizes, and few replications have been attempted. Nine direct and conceptual replications of past studies testing the effects of mood on life satisfaction judgments were conducted using sample sizes that were considerably larger than previous studies (Ns = 202, 200, 269, 118, 320, 401, 285, 129, 122). Most of the 9 studies resulted in nonsignificant effects on life satisfaction and happiness judgments, and those that were significant were substantially smaller than effects found in previous research. (PsycINFO Database Record

Short screening scales to monitor population prevalences and trends in non-specific psychological distress

Article

Jan 2002

Fathers' Decline In Testosterone And Synchrony With Partner Testosterone During Pregnancy Predicts Greater Postpartum Relationship Investment

Article

Jul 2016
HORM BEHAV

The transition to parenthood has been associated with declines in testosterone among partnered fathers, which may reflect males' motivation to invest in the family. Moreover, preliminary evidence has found that couples show correlations in hormone levels across pregnancy that may also be linked to fathers' preparation for parenthood. The current study used repeated-measures sampling of testosterone across pregnancy to explore whether fathers' change in T, and correlations with mothers' T, were associated with fathers' and mothers' postpartum investment. In a sample of 27 couples (54 individuals) expecting their first child, both parents' salivary testosterone was measured multiple times across pregnancy. At approximately 3.5months postpartum, participants rated their investment, commitment, and satisfaction with their partner. A multilevel model was used to measure change in testosterone over time and associations between mother and father testosterone. Fathers who showed stronger declines in T across pregnancy, and stronger correlations with mothers' testosterone, reported higher postpartum investment, commitment, and satisfaction. Mothers reported more postpartum investment and satisfaction if fathers showed greater prenatal declines in T. These results held even after controlling for paternal investment, commitment, and satisfaction measured prenatally at study entry. Our results suggest that changes in paternal testosterone across pregnancy, and hormonal linkage with the pregnant partner, may underlie fathers' dedication to the partner relationship across the transition to parenthood.

Article

Jun 2016
J APPL PSYCHOL

We build on the small but growing literature documenting personality influences on negotiation by examining how the joint disposition of both negotiators with respect to the interpersonal traits of agreeableness and extraversion influences important negotiation processes and outcomes. Building on similarity-attraction theory, we articulate and demonstrate how being similarly high or similarly low on agreeableness and extraversion leads dyad members to express more positive emotional displays during negotiation. Moreover, because of increased positive emotional displays, we show that dyads with such compositions also tend to reach agreements faster, perceive less relationship conflict, and have more positive impressions of their negotiation partner. Interestingly, these results hold regardless of whether negotiating dyads are similar in normatively positive (i.e., similarly agreeable and similarly extraverted) or normatively negative (i.e., similarly disagreeable and similarly introverted) ways. Overall, these findings demonstrate the importance of considering the dyad's personality configuration when attempting to understand the affective experience as well as the downstream outcomes of a negotiation. (PsycINFO Database Record

Ideological Fit Enhances Interpersonal Orientations

Article

Jun 2016

Living among politically dissimilar others leads individuals to feel left out and ultimately predicts mobility away from an area. But does living in politically incongruent environment affect how we relate to other people? In two national samples (N = 12,846 and N = 6,316), the congruence between an individual’s ideological orientation and their community’s ideological orientation were examined. Lack of ideological fit with one’s environment was associated with a difficulty to form close relationships and lower perspective taking. Our findings illustrate the psychological effects of living among dissimilar others and possible explanations for how social environments modulate interpersonal relations.

Do the Emotional Benefits of Optimism Vary Across Older Adulthood? A Life-Span Perspective

Article

Feb 2016
J PERS

Objective: This study examined whether the emotional benefits of dispositional optimism for managing stressful encounters decrease across older adulthood. Such an effect might emerge because age-related declines in opportunities for overcoming stressors could reduce the effectiveness of optimism. Method: This hypothesis was tested in a six-year longitudinal study of 171 community-dwelling older adults (age range = 64 to 90 years). Results: Hierarchical linear models showed that dispositional optimism protected relatively young participants from exhibiting elevations in depressive symptoms over time, but that these benefits became increasingly reduced among their older counterparts. Moreover, the findings showed that an age-related association between optimism and depressive symptoms was observed particularly during periods of enhanced, as compared to reduced, stress. Conclusions: These results suggest that dispositional optimism protects emotional well-being during the early phases of older adulthood, but that its effects are reduced in advanced old age. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Subjective well-being

Article

Jan 1984

E Diener

Stability and Change of Personality Traits, Self-Esteem, and Well-Being: Introducing the Meta-Analytic Stability and Change Model of Retest Correlations

Article

Nov 2015

The stability of individual differences is a fundamental issue in personality psychology. Although accumulating evidence suggests that many psychological attributes are both stable and change over time, existing research rarely takes advantage of theoretical models that capture both stability and change. In this article, we present the Meta-Analytic Stability and Change model (MASC), a novel meta-analytic model for synthesizing data from longitudinal studies. MASC is based on trait-state models that can separate influences of stable and changing factors from unreliable variance (Kenny & Zautra, 1995). We used MASC to evaluate the extent to which personality traits, life satisfaction, affect, and self-esteem are influenced by these different factors. The results showed that the majority of reliable variance in personality traits is attributable to stable influences (83%). Changing factors had a greater influence on reliable variance in life satisfaction, self-esteem, and affect than in personality (42%-56% vs. 17%). In addition, changing influences on well-being were more stable than changing influences on personality traits, suggesting that different changing factors contribute to personality and well-being. Measures of affect were less reliable than measures of the other 3 constructs, reflecting influences of transient factors, such as mood on affective judgments. After accounting for differences in reliability, stability of affect did not differ from other well-being variables. Consistent with previous research, we found that stability of individual differences increases with age. (PsycINFO Database Record

Life Satisfaction in Close Relationships: Findings from a Longitudinal Study

Article

Jun 2015

Life satisfaction (LS) is closely linked to romantic relationships. However, we lack knowledge on the nature of the longitudinal associations between LS and relationship quality, as well as on the longitudinal associations between two partners’ LS—especially for persons in long-term relationships. Better understanding of such associations could possibly add to the existing knowledge on how to increase LS. The current study used data from 239 heterosexual couples to examine longitudinal associations between relationship quality and LS over a 3-year period. Associations between one partner’s baseline LS and change in the other partner’s LS from baseline to 3-year follow-up were also examined. Relationship quality predicted change in LS, and LS predicted change in relationship quality. The results also showed that one partner’s LS predicted change in the other partner’s LS over a 3-year period, even when controlling for both partners’ baseline evaluation of relationship quality. The results suggest that a partner’s general LS can increase both the couple’s relationship quality and the other partner’s LS over time. Further, the results also suggest that relationship quality can contribute to positive change of both partners’ LS.

Age, Stress, and Emotional Complexity: Results From Two Studies of Daily Experiences

Article

Sep 2014

Experiencing positive and negative emotions together (i.e., co-occurrence) has been described as a marker of positive adaptation during stress and a strength of socioemotional aging. Using data from daily diary (N = 2,022; ages 33–84) and ecological momentary assessment (N = 190; ages 20–80) studies, we evaluate the utility of a common operationalization of co-occurrence, the within-person correlation between positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA). Then we test competing predictions regarding when co-occurrence will be observed and whether age differences will be present. Results indicate that the correlation is not an informative indicator of co-occurrence. Although correlations were stronger and more negative when stressors occurred (typically interpreted as lower co-occurrence), objective counts of emotion reports indicated that positive and negative emotions were 3 to 4 times more likely to co-occur when stressors were reported. This suggests that co-occurrence reflects the extent to which negative emotions intrude on typically positive emotional states, rather than the extent to which people maintain positive emotions during stress. The variances of both PA and NA increased at stressor reports, indicating that individuals reported a broader not narrower range of emotion during stress. Finally, older age was associated with less variability in NA and a lower likelihood of co-occurring positive and negative emotions. In sum, these findings cast doubt on the utility of the PA–NA correlation as an index of emotional co-occurrence, and question notion that greater emotional co-occurrence represents either a typical or adaptive emotional state in adults.

The Satisfaction With Life Scale

Article

Jan 1985
J PERS SOC PSYCHOL

This article reports the development and validation of a scale to measure global life satisfaction, the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS). Among the various components of subjective well-being, the SWLS is narrowly focused to assess global life satisfaction and does not tap related constructs such as positive affect or loneliness. The SWLS is shown to have favorable psychometric properties, including high internal consistency and high temporal reliability. Scores on the SWLS correlate moderately to highly with other measures of subjective well-being, and correlate predictably with specific personality characteristics. It is noted that the SWLS is suited for use with different age groups, and other potential uses of the scale are discussed.

The Role of Positive Emotions in Positive Psychology

Article

Mar 2001

Barbara L. Fredrickson

In this article, the author describes a new theoretical perspective on positive emotions and situates this new perspective within the emerging field of positive psychology. The broaden-and-build theory posits that experiences of positive emotions broaden people's momentary thought-action repertoires, which in turn serves to build their enduring personal resources, ranging from physical and intellectual resources to social and psychological resources. Preliminary empirical evidence supporting the broaden-and-build theory is reviewed, and open empirical questions that remain to be tested are identified. The theory and findings suggest that the capacity to experience positive emotions may be a fundamental human strength central to the study of human flourishing.

Article

Dec 2014

A longitudinal sample of romantic couples was used to examine whether attachment security moderates the association between partners’ personality-trait-similarity to each other and their relationship satisfaction. Replicating previous research, there were no bivariate associations between trait-similarity and satisfaction. However, partners’ perceptions of personality-similarity were associated with satisfaction. Attachment styles also moderated the curvilinear associations between partners’ trait-similarity and satisfaction. People with high attachment avoidance and low attachment anxiety (dismissing attachment) seemed to have an optimal level of similarity in which satisfaction was maximized at moderate levels of similarity. People with low avoidance and high anxiety (preoccupied attachment) exhibited the opposite pattern, expressing higher levels of satisfaction if their partner was highly similar or dissimilar to them.

Be Mine: Attachment avoidance predicts perceptions of relationship functioning on Valentine’s Day

Article

Jun 2014
PERS INDIV DIFFER

Many cultures designate specific holidays to celebrate love and affection, such as Valentine’s Day in Western culture. Intuition would suggest that holidays like Valentine’s Day would enhance perceptions of romantic relationships for most people. However, few empirical studies have examined how relationship evaluations vary when assessed on such holidays. We found that reminders of relationships on Valentine’s Day enhanced perceptions of relationship functioning. However, we found that individuals’ attachment orientation moderated these responses: when relationships were made accessible on Valentine’s Day (versus a control day), higher levels of satisfaction and investment were reported only by individuals lower in attachment avoidance. Together, the current findings suggest Valentine’s Day enhances relationships; however, this enhancement is especially likely when individuals are thinking of their partner and have a disposition towards depending on romantic partners.

Article

Aug 2013

The present study examined the association between personality similarity and life satisfaction in a large, nationally representative sample of 1608 romantic couples. Similarity effects were computed for the Big Five personality traits as well as for personality profiles with global and differentiated indices of similarity. Results showed substantial actor and partner effects, indicating that both partners’ personality traits were related to both partners’ life satisfaction. Personality similarity, however, was not related to either partner’s life satisfaction. We emphasize the importance of thoroughly controlling for each partner’s personality and for applying appropriate analytical methods for dyadic data when assessing the effect of personality similarity in couples.

Today's misery and yesterday's happiness: Differential effects of current life-events on perceptions of past wellbeing

Article

Jul 2012

Negative events – such as romantic disappointment, social rejection or academic failure – influence how we feel and what we think. Either component can influence evaluations of our past life, but in opposite ways: when sad feelings serve as a source of information, they give rise to negative evaluations; when current events serve as a standard of comparison, they give rise to positive evaluations. Because comparison requires applicability of the standard, its benefits should be limited to the domain of the event. Consistent with this rationale, three experiments showed a robust paradoxical effect: people who experienced romantic disappointment (Experiment 1), social exclusion (Experiment 2) or academic failure (Experiment 3) were more satisfied with their past romantic, social, or academic life, but less satisfied with all other domains of their past. The negative influence in unrelated domains was mediated by mood, whereas the positive influence in the event domain was not. Thus, last year's social life looks good compared to today's social rejection, but all other aspects of last year's life suffer.

Perceived, not actual, similarity predicts initial attraction in a live romantic context: Evidence from the speed-dating paradigm

Article

Jun 2013

The “similarity-attraction” effect stands as one of the most well-known findings in social psychology. However, some research contends that perceived but not actual similarity influences attraction. The current study is the first to examine the effects of actual and perceived similarity simultaneously during a face-to-face initial romantic encounter. Participants attending a speed-dating event interacted with ∼12 members of the opposite sex for 4 min each. Actual and perceived similarity for each pair were calculated from questionnaire responses assessed before the event and after each date. Data revealed that perceived, but not actual, similarity significantly predicted romantic liking in this speed-dating context. Furthermore, perceived similarity was a far weaker predictor of attraction when assessed using specific traits rather than generally.

Online Dating: A Critical Analysis From the Perspective of Psychological Science

Article

Mar 2012
Psychol Sci Publ Interest

Online dating sites frequently claim that they have fundamentally altered the dating landscape for the better. This article employs psychological science to examine (a) whether online dating is fundamentally different from conventional offline dating and (b) whether online dating promotes better romantic outcomes than conventional offline dating. The answer to the first question (uniqueness) is yes, and the answer to the second question (superiority) is yes and no. To understand how online dating fundamentally differs from conventional offline dating and the circumstances under which online dating promotes better romantic outcomes than conventional offline dating, we consider the three major services online dating sites offer: access, communication, and matching. Access refers to users' exposure to and opportunity to evaluate potential romantic partners they are otherwise unlikely to encounter. Communication refers to users' opportunity to use various forms of computer-mediated communication (CMC) to interact with specific potential partners through the dating site before meeting face-to-face. Matching refers to a site's use of a mathematical algorithm to select potential partners for users. Regarding the uniqueness question, the ways in which online dating sites implement these three services have indeed fundamentally altered the dating landscape. In particular, online dating, which has rapidly become a pervasive means of seeking potential partners, has altered both the romantic acquaintance process and the compatibility matching process. For example, rather than meeting potential partners, getting a snapshot impression of how well one interacts with them, and then slowly learning various facts about them, online dating typically involves learning a broad range of facts about potential partners before deciding whether one wants to meet them in person. Rather than relying on the intuition of village elders, family members, or friends or to select which pairs of unacquainted singles will be especially compatible, certain forms of online dating involve placing one's romantic fate in the hands of a mathematical matching algorithm. Turning to the superiority question, online dating has important advantages over conventional offline dating. For example, it offers unprecedented (and remarkably convenient) levels of access to potential partners, which is especially helpful for singles who might otherwise lack such access. It also allows online daters to use CMC to garner an initial sense of their compatibility with potential partners before deciding whether to meet them face-to-face. In addition, certain dating sites may be able to collect data that allow them to banish from the dating pool people who are likely to be poor relationship partners in general. On the other hand, the ways online dating sites typically implement the services of access, communication, and matching do not always improve romantic outcomes; indeed, they sometimes undermine such outcomes. Regarding access, encountering potential partners via online dating profiles reduces three-dimensional people to two-dimensional displays of information, and these displays fail to capture those experiential aspects of social interaction that are essential to evaluating one's compatibility with potential partners. In addition, the ready access to a large pool of potential partners can elicit an evaluative, assessment-oriented mindset that leads online daters to objectify potential partners and might even undermine their willingness to commit to one of them. It can also cause people to make lazy, ill-advised decisions when selecting among the large array of potential partners. Regarding communication, although online daters can benefit from having short-term CMC with potential partners before meeting them face-to-face, longer periods of CMC prior to a face-to-face meeting may actually hurt people's romantic prospects. In particular, people tend to overinterpret the social cues available in CMC, and if CMC proceeds unabated without a face-to-face reality check, subsequent face-to-face meetings can produce unpleasant expectancy violations. As CMC lacks the experiential richness of a face-to-face encounter, some important information about potential partners is impossible to glean from CMC alone; most users will want to meet a potential partner in person to integrate their CMC and face-to-face impressions into a coherent whole before pursuing a romantic relationship. Regarding matching, no compelling evidence supports matching sites' claims that mathematical algorithms work-that they foster romantic outcomes that are superior to those fostered by other means of pairing partners. Part of the problem is that matching sites build their mathematical algorithms around principles-typically similarity but also complementarity-that are much less important to relationship well-being than has long been assumed. In addition, these sites are in a poor position to know how the two partners will grow and mature over time, what life circumstances they will confront and coping responses they will exhibit in the future, and how the dynamics of their interaction will ultimately promote or undermine romantic attraction and long-term relationship well-being. As such, it is unlikely that any matching algorithm that seeks to match two people based on information available before they are aware of each other can account for more than a very small proportion of the variance in long-term romantic outcomes, such as relationship satisfaction and stability. In short, online dating has radically altered the dating landscape since its inception 15 to 20 years ago. Some of the changes have improved romantic outcomes, but many have not. We conclude by (a) discussing the implications of online dating for how people think about romantic relationships and for homogamy (similarity of partners) in marriage and (b) offering recommendations for policymakers and for singles seeking to make the most out of their online dating endeavors.

The Pattern of Human Concern

Article

Jan 2001

Hadley Cantril

Actor, partner, and similarity effects of personality on global and experienced well-being

Abstract

No full-text available

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