Couples with opposites personalities are just as happy as those more alike, study finds
COUPLES with different personalities are just as happy as those who are more alike, researchers say.
The mismatch could be a key to lasting love, as it is for singer Katy Perry and actor Orlando Bloom, who have been engaged since 2019.
Katy, 38, says: “He’s always trying to get me to hike, yoga, eat vegan. But there’s a balance. I think when you’re attracted to someone, opposites attract.”
Movie star Mila Kunis, 39, says she and A-list hubby Ashton Kutcher, 45, are also like chalk and cheese.
Mila said: “We’re opposites. He’s very optimistic and I’m very pessimistic. But I think there’s a balance between us.”
A study by Michigan State University found people whose partner’s personality did not match their own rated their relationship satisfaction just as highly as similar couples.
Researchers asked 1,294 couples about personality traits and their satisfaction with life and love.
The lovebirds were aged between 19 and 89 and in stable relationships, having spent an average of 30 years together.
Certain characteristics, such as being agreeable, open-minded and upbeat, were linked to better happiness. But they did not need to be matched by someone’s better half.
Psychologist Dr Rebekka Weidmann said: “The effects of each partner’s personality are more highly associated with relationship satisfaction than how similar the two partners are on a given trait.”