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Update Date: 2010/08/28 09:07 Compiled by Hsia Chia-ling / Report
Couples are a case of "birds of a feather flock together." A U.S. study shows that when looking for a partner, people often settle down with someone who reflects their own tastes rather than marrying someone with opposing views. In other words, couples who become spouses tend to have similar ideas from the start, rather than growing more alike over time as they age together.
The British Daily Mail reported that researchers from Michigan State University interviewed 1,300 couples, including many who had been married for 40 years, asking them to answer nearly 200 questions about their personalities. The traits assessed included optimism, extroversion, dominance, cautiousness, and conventionality, to see whether these couples would grow more similar in personality and thinking the longer they were married.
However, researchers found that many newlywed couples were just as similar as long-married couples. The only trait that tended to become more alike over time was aggressiveness. Michigan State University researcher Humbad said that if one person was violent, their partner might respond in a similar manner, leading both to become increasingly aggressive.
Couples with similar mindsets may share similar tastes in clothing and reactions to jokes. Researchers cited Hollywood actor Tom Cruise and his wife Katie Holmes as an example. Married for only four years, the couple often appeared in outfits that reflected similar tastes. Cruise's ex-wife Nicole Kidman and her second husband Keith Urban, also married for just four years, similarly coordinated their attire well.
The related paper has been published in the journal *Personality and Individual Differences*. These findings differ significantly from previous research, which suggested that when women wanted to have fun, they sought taller men, but when looking for a long-term partner, they preferred shorter men. Another study found that women who had harmonious relationships with their fathers often married men who resembled their fathers.
Source: http://tw. news. yahoo. com/ article/ url/ d/ a/ 100828/ 2/ 2byan. html
Similar Tastes, Growing Alike in Love
Couples are a case of "birds of a feather flock together." A U.S. study shows that when looking for a partner, people often settle down with someone who reflects their own tastes rather than marrying someone with opposing views. In other words, couples who become spouses tend to have similar ideas from the start, rather than growing more alike over time as they age together.
The British Daily Mail reported that researchers from Michigan State University interviewed 1,300 couples, including many who had been married for 40 years, asking them to answer nearly 200 questions about their personalities. The traits assessed included optimism, extroversion, dominance, cautiousness, and conventionality, to see whether these couples would grow more similar in personality and thinking the longer they were married.
However, researchers found that many newlywed couples were just as similar as long-married couples. The only trait that tended to become more alike over time was aggressiveness. Michigan State University researcher Humbad said that if one person was violent, their partner might respond in a similar manner, leading both to become increasingly aggressive.
Couples with similar mindsets may share similar tastes in clothing and reactions to jokes. Researchers cited Hollywood actor Tom Cruise and his wife Katie Holmes as an example. Married for only four years, the couple often appeared in outfits that reflected similar tastes. Cruise's ex-wife Nicole Kidman and her second husband Keith Urban, also married for just four years, similarly coordinated their attire well.
The related paper has been published in the journal *Personality and Individual Differences*. These findings differ significantly from previous research, which suggested that when women wanted to have fun, they sought taller men, but when looking for a long-term partner, they preferred shorter men. Another study found that women who had harmonious relationships with their fathers often married men who resembled their fathers.
Source: http://tw. news. yahoo. com/ article/ url/ d/ a/ 100828/ 2/ 2byan. html