Can life history strategy predict assortment in personality traits?

Slower life history (LH) strategies are adaptive in stable, predictable and controllable environments. Assortative mating, which implies a lower rate of genetic recombination, is also favored in such conditions because it preserves locally well- adapted genomes. This led to the prediction that assortative mating will be greater for slower than for faster LH strategists (Figueredo & Wolf, 2009). On a sample of 215 heterosexual married and cohabitating couples, we explored assortment in LH strategy and whether women and men’s LH strategy and its assortment can predict assortment in fivefactor personality traits. LH strategy was assessed by Mini-K (Figueredo et al., 2006), and Five-factor traits by Big Five Inventory (John et al., 1991). As hypothesized, positive assortment in LH on the magnitude similar to other personality traits was found. In addition, initial assortment rather than convergence, and active assortment rather than social homogamy hypotheses were supported. Next, slow LH strategists tended to assort in LH strategy more strongly than fast LH strategists, which also appeared to be the consequence of initial and active assortment. Regarding personality traits, a moderate positive assortment for extraversion and openness was found. Additionally, higher levels of extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness were related to positive assortment in these traits. This was interpreted in the context of observed correspondence between these traits and LH strategy. Finally, both men and women’s LH, and their interaction predicted assortment in conscientiousness, while women’s LH predicted assortment in neuroticism. However, assortment in LH correlated positively only with assortment in extraversion and conscientiousness.