Political Views Influence Relationship Partner Choice

By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D.on May 11, 2011

Today’s contentious and partisan political environment may improve mate selection as researchers determine most people marry only those whose political views align with their own.

Given the acrimony between political parties, discovering political values should not be a difficult task.

In the new study, researchers determine political alignment may be more important that physical appearance or personality when selecting a mate.

In the study, Rice University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln researchers discovered political attitudes were among the strongest shared traits and even stronger than qualities like personality or looks.

Investigators examined physical and behavioral traits of more than 5,000 married couples in the United States and found that spouses in the study appeared to instinctively select a partner who has similar social and political views.

“It turns out that people place more emphasis on finding a mate who is a kindred spirit with regard to politics, religion and social activity than they do on finding someone of like physique or personality,” said John Alford, the study’s lead author.

Researchers compared spousal traits using a scale of 0 to 1, where 1 means the common traits were perfectly matched among partners.

They discovered physical traits (body shape, weight and height) only score between 0.1 and 0.2 among spouse pairs. Personality traits, such as extroversion or impulsivity, are also weak and fall within the 0 to 0.2 range.

However, the score for political ideology is more than 0.6, higher than any of the other measured traits except frequency of church attendance, which was just over 0.7.

The study adds to recent “sorting research” that has uncovered a surprising level of uniformity in Americans’ personal political communication networks — where they live, with whom they socialize and where they work.

The new research shows that this sorting doesn’t stop with the selection of neighborhoods or workplaces, however. It’s also visible in choice of spouses, Alford said.

“It suggests that, perhaps, if you’re looking for a long-term romantic relationship, skip ‘What’s your sign?’ and go straight to ‘Obama or Palin?’” Alford said. “And if you get the wrong answer, just walk away.”

Alford and his co-authors noted that sorting is not the only reason for spouses’ political uniformity, but it is clearly the most powerful.

More traditional explanations for the political similarity of spouses turned out to have only modest effects and account for only about 10 percent of the similarity between long-term partners.

Social homogamy — or the tendency for people to choose a mate from within one’s own religious, social, economic and educational surroundings — played only a small role.

Surprisingly, the researchers found little support for interspousal persuasion, the notion that partners tend to adapt to one another’s political beliefs over time – a discovery that could have implications on partisan politics for generations to come, the researchers said.

“We did expect to find a strong political bond between husbands and wives,” said John Hibbing, also a co-author of the study.

However, researchers had expected mates to grow closer on political ideology over the course of time, rather than as a significant common interest from the beginning of the relationship.

The authors said this sorting can have a big impact on the future of American politics: If parents transmit political traits to their children, then the practice of liberals marrying liberals and conservatives marrying conservatives seems likely to increase political uniformity into the next generation.

“Obviously, parents are very influential in shaping the political beliefs of their children,” Hibbing said. “If both parents are on the left or on the right, it makes it more difficult for a child to be something different. It may be part of the reason why we see such polarization.”

This means that marriage — a major means by which diversity enters into extended families — doesn’t actually contribute much to the political “melting pot,” Alford said.

“Instead, marriage works largely to reinforce the ongoing ideological polarization that we see so clearly today,” he said.

Source: Rice University

Related News Articles
-->Related Clinical Articles
-->

 

 

Advocacy and Policy, General, Health-related, LifeHelper, Mental Health and Wellness, Personality, Professional, Psychology, Relationships and Sexuality, Research -->

« News Index

Sexuality & RelationshipsSexuality LibraryFrequently Asked Questions about SexualityAn Overview of Sex TherapyThe 10 Myths Behind MasturbationWhat is Sexual Addiction?  Relationships & Love LibraryChoosing Happiness in Our Lives10 Rules for Friendly Fighting for CouplesAn Exercise to Grow Your Relationsihp QuizzesHow Strong is Your Relationship?Romance Attachment QuizFeeling Connected? QuizDo I Have a Love, Lust or Loser Relationship?Sexual Addiction Screening TestDomestic Violence Screening Ask a QuestionAsk the TherapistAsk Others Other ResourcesRelationship ResourcesSexuality and Gender Resources Support GroupsRelationships & CommunicationSexuality and Gender Issues 
Latest ArticlesFuture Babble15 Insights on Improving Mother-Daughter RelationshipsCompetition Among Women: Myth and Reality10 Way to Build and Preserve Better BoundariesTurning Acquaintances Into FriendsTips for Keeping a Parent Emotionally Connected while Geographically Apart
 From Our News BureauMay is Mental Health Month Gender Discrimination in the Workplace Positive Effects of Depression
Just Published...How Loneliness Sabotages LoveYeah! I Lost 0.7 lbs…Moving Through Fear: Cultivating the 7 Spiritual Instincts for... 10 Great Moms of the Twentieth Century
What's HotGraduations and Other School TransitionsadvertisementMost Popular NewsMay is Mental Health Month Gender Discrimination in the Workplace Positive Effects of Depression Teens Gauge Independence in Relation to Friends Teens Reason Well, But Not Always With Emotional Maturity Mothers of Twins Live Longer Strong Relationships with Co-Workers Can Improve Longevity New Antidepressant, Vilazodone, Shows Promise, No Sexual Side Effects Regulating Brain Waves by Mindfulness Meditation Impacts Pain, Memory Using Facebook to Get Better Grades? Most Popular Blog PostsHow to Spot a Narcissist Generic Lexapro Coming to Stores Near You! 8 Reasons Why Twitter Can Make You Happy 6 Ways to Open Up and Talk in Therapy Weather Can Change Your Mood TV Relieves Loneliness Top Ten Online Psychology Experiments Unexpected Crying: How Do You Handle It? Narcissists Who Cry: The Other Side of the Ego What Makes a Family Functional vs Dysfunctional? Subscribe to Our Weekly Newsletter

advertisement
Find a Therapist

Users Online: 3298
Join Us Now!
Local GuidesAll Guides
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
DC
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming


  #footer { height:220px; } #foot-mid { margin:0 0 0 40px; } Home • About Us • Advertise with Us • Contact Us
Privacy Policy • Terms of Use • Site Map • Disclaimer/Disclosure • Feeds

Download the Psych Central Toolbar

Copyright © 1992-2011 Psych Central. All rights reserved.
Site last updated: 15 May 2011

Psych Central Professional
Psych Central Answers
Psych Central Blog Network
Psych Central News
Tests & Quizzes
Sanity Score
Forums • NeuroTalk

ADHD
Anxiety
Bipolar
Depression
Schizophrenia
Psychotherapy

We comply
with the
HONcode
standard:
Verify here