Your husband or wife’s personality can influence your success in the workplace, a recently published study has found.
Researchers from Washington University in St Louis conducted tests on 5,000 married people aged between 19 and 89. Around 75 per cent of the respondents lived or had lived in homes in which both spouses worked.
The subjects’ personality traits were analysed and their workplace success tracked over a five year period, via annual surveys detailing job satisfaction, promotions and salaries where relevant. Subjects whose spouses who had been assessed by the researchers as ranking high for conscientiousness were more likely to be successful in the workplace, the study found – and this applied equally to both men and women.
Conscientious spouses helped their husbands or lives live more successful lives in a number of ways, he researchers say: they help with important day-to-day tasks, reduce stress and act as positive role models.
The Long Reach of One’s Spouse: Spouses’ Personality Influences Occupational Success by Brittany C. Solomon and Joshua J. Jackson was published in the journal Psychological Science.
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