Why Intimate Partners Are Similar to Each Other: Four Pathways to Assortative Mating

People tend to mate with individuals who are similar to them, and the current research aims to examine the different pathways that lead to assortative mating. More specifically, based on a sample of 550 Greek-speaking individuals who were in intimate relationships, we found that participants’ own perceived scores in desirable traits were associated with their mate preferences, which, in turn, were associated with their partners’ scores in desirable traits. Additionally, participants’ own perceived scores in desirable traits were associated with self-esteem, which, in turn, was associated with their partners’ scores in desirable traits. We also found that participants whose partners scored lower than they preferred in desirable traits experienced lower relationship satisfaction than participants whose partners scored similarly or higher than them.