Partner's traits which motivate people to stay in an intimate relationship: The “Faithful and trustworthy” & the “Does well with my friends and family” factors, were associated with more years in a relationship

Partner's traits which motivate people to stay in an intimate relationship: An explorative analysis. Menelaos Apostolou, Christoforos Christoforou. Personality and Individual Differences, Volume 183, December 2021, 111155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2021.111155

Highlights

• Identified 75 partner traits that motivate people to stay in an intimate relationship

• Classified the 75 partner traits in 11 broader factors

• Found that the extracted factors were associated with longer relationship length and better relationship prospects

Abstract: Intimate relationships vary in how long they last, and the current study attempted to identify partners' traits which are associated with longer relationship length and better perceived relationship prospects. In particular, Study 1 employed open-ended questionnaires and in-depth interviews in a sample of 207 Greek-speaking participants, and identified 75 partner traits which motivate people to continue an intimate relationship. Using quantitative research methods in a sample of 1189 Greek-speaking participants, Study 2 classified these traits in 11 broader factors. The “Faithful and trustworthy” and the “Does well with my friends and family” factors, were associated with more years in a relationship. Furthermore, the “Faithful and trustworthy,” the “Gives me sexual satisfaction,” the “Committed to me” and the “Fun to be with” factors, had a positive effect on the perceived prospects of the current relationship, which was mediated by relationship satisfaction. In addition, the “Does well with my friends and family,” had a direct positive effect on relationship prospects.

Keywords: Relationship lengthRelationship stabilityRelationship satisfactionMating strategiesMating