Mis(match) and happiness in marital relationship: Importance of future planning and inquisitiveness

Having a sense of good match with the partner in a married couple shall be important to have a stable relationship and a happy life. However, little is known about the possible determinants for having such a relationship and happiness in marriage. We empirically examine (i) what induces a husband or wife to have a sense of good match, “my partner is in good match with me,†and (ii) how the husband’s and wife’s perceptions to the match or mismatch are related to his or her happiness. The questionnaire surveys were conducted in Japan and data are collected from 247 married couples. The statistical analyses reveal the following main findings. First, a husband’s inquisitiveness (intellectual curiosity and flexible cognitive ability) and a couple’s recognition to the amount of family future-planning discussion not only positively influence having a sense of good match but also contribute to individual happiness. Second, “both-match†couples who recognize “my partner is in good match with me†one another are much happier than couples who do not, and “both mismatch†couples who recognize “my partner is NOT in good match with me†one another are the unhappiest among any other type of mismatch couples. Overall, sufficient future-planning discussion and a personal attribute of curiosity & acceptance to something new and/or different are identified to be the main drivers for couples to maintain a feeling of good chemistry, enhancing individual happiness directly and indirectly through a mediator of having the sense of mis(match).