Partner selection and relationship satisfaction in early dating couples: The role of couple similarity

Although much research has been conducted to test the role of couple similarity in partner selection and predicting relationship satisfaction, previous research was limited to couples in well-established relationships. The current study examined couple similarity in a sample of 117 couples who recently started dating (dating length <= six months). The early dating couples showed strong to moderate similarity on demographics (age and ethnicity), personal interests, values, and political attitudes but weaker similarity on a range of personality domains. With regard to satisfaction prediction, the absolute difference tended to be a better predictor than the profile similarity. However, couple similarity overall was not a strong predictor. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.