Are we looking for positivity or similarity in a partner's outlook on life? Similarity predicts perceptions of social attractiveness and relationship quality

Böhm, Robert; Schütz, Astrid; Rentzsch, Katrin; Körner, André; Funke, Friedrich

doi:10.1080/17439760.2010.534105

Cited by 17 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 35 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…One of the main predictors of whether a person likes another person is similarity ( Byrne & Nelson, 1965 ). The so-called similarity hypothesis has received a lot of support with regard to personality traits such as optimism in romantic relationships ( Böhm, Schütz, Rentzsch, Körner, & Funke, 2010 ), personality and physical attractiveness in roommate relationships ( Carli, Ganley, & Pierce-Otay, 1991 ), humor style in married couples ( Hahn & Campbell, 2016 ), gender-role self-concept and selection of dating partners ( Morell, Twillman, & Sullaway, 1989 ), socially undesirable traits such as Machiavellianism ( Ináncsi, Láng, & Bereczkei, 2016 ), and same-sex friendships regardless of duration or closeness ( Morry, 2005 ). The meta-analytic effect of interpersonal attraction and perceived similarity was estimated to be r = .39 ( Montoya, Horton, & Kirchner, 2008 ).…”

Section: Perceivers' Traits In Relation To Targets' Traitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The upsides and downsides of high self-control: Evidence for effects of similarity and situation dependency

et al. 2021

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

High trait self-control is generally depicted as favorable. We investigated whether this holds for social perception. Using vignettes, we tested whether a person with high self-control is 1) preferred as a partner for all or only certain social situations, 2) perceived as less likeable than a person with low self-control, 3) liked more if the person is female and the behavior thus fits the sex-stereotype, and 4) perceived differently from a person with low self-control with respect to a wide range of adjectives used to describe personality. Competing theories are presented for each area. Results indicate that although high self-control is associated with a wide range of socially desirable traits, choice of partners 1) depends on the type of situation in which the interaction will occur, 2) depends on the similarity between the respondent and the partner, 3) does not depend on a stereotype match, and 4) does not depend or depends only to a small degree on the partner's high self-control. The perception of individuals with high self-control is thus variable and situationally contingent, and more than a single theory is needed to explain it.

show abstract

Section: Perceivers' Traits In Relation To Targets' Traitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the basis of these models, we hypothesized that liking would be a function of people's own trait self-control and the trait self-control described in the vignettes, a tendency that has been observed for optimism ( Böhm et al, 2010 ). Specifically, we derived the following competing hypotheses:…”

Section: Perceivers' Traits In Relation To Targets' Traitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The upsides and downsides of high self-control: Evidence for effects of similarity and situation dependency

et al. 2021

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…To solve this paradox, people low in CSE might exploit cognitive bias to justify the reality (i.e., having a less CORE SELF-EVALUATION MODERATES DISTINCTIVE SIMILARITY PREFERENCE similar or even dissimilar partner) to fit their expectations (i.e., having a highly similar partner; Lemay & Clark, 2015). In other words, they could, consciously or unconsciously, "see" their partners to share their distinctive characteristics, even though their partners do not possess these characteristics in reality, and this cognitive strategy is likely to help people to be happier in their relationships (Böhm, Schütz, Rentzsch, Körner, & Funke, 2010). Future studies could explore how people with different levels of CSE form and maintain their relationships in reality.…”

Section: Cse Moderates Distinctive Profile Similarity Preferencementioning

confidence: 99%

Core self-evaluation moderates distinctive similarity preference in ideal partner’s personality

Liu

Ilmarinen

2020

Journal of Research in Personality

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This research investigated the moderation effects of core self-evaluation (CSE) on singles' ideal partner preference, concerning distinctive similarity in personality. The data were collected from singles from three countries (i.e., China, Denmark, and US), and modelled in a multilevel profile analysis. The results show that CSE moderated distinctive profile similarity preference in that people high in CSE preferred higher distinctive profile similarity with their ideal partner. In addition, CSE moderated distinctive trait similarity preference in Emotionality, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness in that people high in CSE preferred their ideal partner to share higher distinctive similarity on these four traits. Implications and limitations of the research and findings are also discussed.

show abstract

“…One aspect of respect is the way in which a person handles differences between people. Even though numerous findings have revealed that people are romantically more attracted to people who are highly similar to them (Böhm, Schütz, Rentzsch, Körner, & Funke, 2010;O'Rourke, Claxton, Chou, Smith, & Hadjistavropoulos, 2011), further literature demonstrated that there are many ways to strengthen a healthy partnership despite the partner's impactful differences. Differences can include differences such as personality, behavior, lifestyle, gender, age, culture, and unique preferences.…”

Section: Respect (Respect For Differences)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Creating Respect in Couples

Eckstein

2013

The Family Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Respect is one of the cornerstones of healthy relationships. The article features the Couple's Respect Questionnaire as a tool for couples to explore specific examples and qualities of respect in their relationship. The four Rs are presented as core components of respect. They consist of Respect for differences, Responsibility (ability to respond respectfully), Review (a willingness to review), and Release (a willingness to release). Following a profile of the assessed behaviors, a stepwise procedure is outlined to increase a couple's respect and understanding of behavioral and personality differences.

show abstract

Are we looking for positivity or similarity in a partner's outlook on life? Similarity predicts perceptions of social attractiveness and relationship quality

Cited by 17 publications

References 35 publications

The upsides and downsides of high self-control: Evidence for effects of similarity and situation dependency

The upsides and downsides of high self-control: Evidence for effects of similarity and situation dependency

Core self-evaluation moderates distinctive similarity preference in ideal partner’s personality

Creating Respect in Couples

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About