For Valentine's Day

HatTip: Scientific American

Study Shows Like Similarities Lead to Marriage Satisfaction

With Valentine's day here again, many singles may be hoping Cupid's arrow will strike. And if you're wondering whether a new mate is marriage material, the results of a new study hint that you're better off looking for a bird of the same feather instead of waiting for an opposite to attract.

Eva C. Klohnen and Shanhong Luo of the University of Iowa analyzed data collected from nearly 300 couples that participated in the Iowa Marital Assessment Project. The questionnaires covered personality characteristics and attitudes as well as a number of indicators of marriage quality, including how couples approach conflict and how satisfied they feel with their union. The findings, published today in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, show that people marry mates with highly similar attitudes and values. The authors suggest that the attraction arises "because attitudes are highly visible and salient characteristics and they are fundamental to the way people live their lives."

YUP!