Personality similarity and marital quality among couples in later life

Using a modified actor-partner interdependence model, associations of individuals' personality traits (i.e., actor and partner effects) and personality similarity (i.e., trait-level and profile-level similarity between spouses) with marital quality were examined among 2,228 older couples from the Health and Retirement Study (2010/2012). Actor and partner effects of personality traits were stronger than similarities in explaining older couples' marital quality. Trait-level and profile-level similarities also contributed to marital quality. The effects of personality traits and personality similarity were similar for husbands and wives, although some gender differences in the partner effects were detected. Findings suggest that the effects of personality on marital quality persist into old age, indicating that being similar on personalities may be a benefit to older couples' marriages.