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Marriage Matters: Spousal Similarity in Life Satisfaction

Author

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  • Ulrich Schimmack
  • Richard Lucas

Abstract

Examined the concurrent and cross-lagged spousal similarity in life satisfaction over a 21-year period. Analyses were based on married couples (N = 847) in the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP). Concurrent spousal similarity was considerably higher than one-year retest similarity, revealing spousal similarity in the variable component of life satisfac-tion. Spousal similarity systematically decreased with length of retest interval, revealing simi-larity in the changing component of life satisfaction. Finally, there was considerable spousal similarity in the stable component of life satisfaction over 20-years. The implications of these findings for causal theories of life satisfaction and studies in line with behavioural genetics are discussed

Suggested Citation

  • Ulrich Schimmack & Richard Lucas, 2006. "Marriage Matters: Spousal Similarity in Life Satisfaction," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 623, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:diw:diwwpp:dp623
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    File URL: https://www.diw.de/documents/publikationen/73/diw_01.c.44710.de/dp623.pdf
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Semih Tumen & Tugba Zeydanli, 2015. "Is Happiness Contagious? Separating Spillover Externalities from the Group-Level Social Context," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 16(3), pages 719-744, June.
    2. Bruce Headey & Ruud Muffels & Gert Wagner, 2012. "RETRACTED ARTICLE: Choices Which Change Life Statisfaction: Revising SWB Theory to Account for Change," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 106(3), pages 591-591, May.
    3. Guven, Cahit & Senik, Claudia & Stichnoth, Holger, 2012. "You can’t be happier than your wife. Happiness gaps and divorce," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 82(1), pages 110-130.
    4. Paul Schumann & Lars Kuchinke, 2020. "Do(n’t) Worry, It’s Temporary: The Effects of Fixed-Term Employment on Affective Well-Being," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 21(7), pages 2557-2582, October.
    5. Salland, Jan, 2021. "Income Comparison and Happiness within Households," Working Paper 191/2021, Helmut Schmidt University, Hamburg.
    6. Eva Asselmann & Jule Specht, 2023. "Climbing the Career Ladder Does Not Make You Happy: Well-being Changes in the Years Before and After Becoming a Leader," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 24(3), pages 1037-1058, March.
    7. Powdthavee, Nattavudh, 2009. "I can't smile without you: Spousal correlation in life satisfaction," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 30(4), pages 675-689, August.
    8. Paul Schumann & Lars Kuchinke, 2019. "Do(n’t) Worry, It’s Temporary: The Effects of Fixed‑Term Employment on Affective Well‑Being," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 1065, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Subjective Well Being; Life Satisfaction; Marriage; Couples; Spousal Similarity; Heritability; Assortative Mating; Longitudinal Panel; SOEP;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B49 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Economic Methodology - - - Other
    • D1 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior
    • Z1 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics

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