Voter registration cards may offer more insight into who people promise to love and cherish than personality or appearance, new research suggests.
Most people marry those whose political views align with their own, according to a study from Rice University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
The study, published recently in the Journal of Politics, examined the physical, personality and behavioral traits of more than 5,000 married couples in the United States. The various qualities — including body shape, height, weight, impulsivity, religion and ideology — were scored on a scale of zero to one, with one being a perfect match.
The researchers found that spouses appeared to instinctively select partners with similar social and political views. In fact, political attitudes were among the strongest shared traits — even taking precedence over personality or looks. The only attribute that scored slightly higher than political views was the frequency of church attendance.
“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,” John Alford, associate professor of political science at Rice University and the study’s lead researcher.
Source: “The Politics of Mate Choice,” Journal of Politics, April 2011, by John R. Alford, Lindon J. Eaves, Peter K. Hatemi, John R. Hibbing, Nicholas G.Martin
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