Get unlimited access to everything VICE has to offer.

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

4 Magazines Delivered to Your Door

The 2 Personality Traits Long-Term Couples Actually Have in Common

A new study found that long-term spouses tend to share moral values and curiosity, even when their daily habits and temperaments differ.

Share on X (Opens in new window)X

Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Facebook

Share using Native toolsShareCopied to clipboard

If you and your partner disagree on how to load a dishwasher, whether 9 p.m. is a reasonable bedtime, or what constitutes a real emergency, don’t panic. A new study suggests most couples are built that way.

Research published in the Journal of Research in Personality analyzed data from 451 married couples in the Netherlands, with an average of 28 years together. Each partner completed a detailed personality questionnaire twice, once for themselves and once describing their spouse, across six dimensions covering ethics, emotional sensitivity, cooperativeness, conscientiousness, social boldness, and curiosity. The results were clarifying in the least romantic way possible.

Couples actually resembled........

© Vice