How vocational similarity sparks romance
For singles, the workplace is an evergreen dating ground. A place to meet like-minded peers in a relaxed, comfortable, familiar environment.
No set-ups, restaurant reservations, or off-hours investment of time. The workplace also allows potential paramours to observe each other in a natural habitat—usually displaying both personality and professional proficiency.
Even when couples don’t meet in the same workplace, however, it turns out that certain types of vocational similarity predict better successful relationships. That is why a great conversation topic early on when exploring a potential dating relationship continues to be what each prospective partner does for a living.
And although you don’t need to date someone with the exact same type of job to boost relational quality, certain types of interests attract. Research explains.
In Labor and Love
Given the time we spend in the workplace, ideally, we like what we do. Yet even if we work to live, not live to work, our occupation often reflects our personality—capitalizing on personal and professional preferences. Kristel Mayrand et al. (2023) explored which types of vocational personality types are better together.
Studying a sample of 104 cohabiting couples, they found that a higher degree of vocational similarity was linked with higher couple adjustment and relational stability, particularly between partners who were similar in specific vocational personality types.
More Than a Job
Mayrand et al. recognize six vocational personality types conceptualized by prior research: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. Of the six, they found a couple vocational similarity predicted more successful relationships between partners who were similar on the Artistic or Enterprising type.
They describe the Artistic type as seeking creative, unsystematized, or ambiguous activities as writing, reading, music, acting, and visual art. They describe Artistic people as intuitive, unconventional, open, and imaginative. Enterprising personality type partners enjoy activities involving leadership and persuasion. Not surprisingly, they are described as ambitious, self-confident, sociable, extraverted, and domineering.
Mayrand et al. conclude that vocational similarity between romantic partners is due primarily to mating preferences, yet also found that the extent to which vocational similarity contributed to couple adjustment and relational stability depended on the partners’ vocational personality types.
Explaining the dynamic, Mayrand et al. noted that people with higher levels of artistic-type vocational personalities can enjoy freely expressing their unconventional nature together without criticism, and Enterprising vocational personality types can choose a romantic partner similar to themselves with whom to share a lavish lifestyle. Accordingly, Mayrand et al. conclude that mutual vocational competencies and interests appear to assist in cultivating and maintaining well-adjusted romantic relationships.
Better Together
Practically speaking, many couples can relate to the reality that similar personality traits coupled with shared professional pursuits can not only make for interesting conversation but also build common ground.
New acquaintances getting to know each other are accordingly well advised to explore what each other does for a living, as well as what they enjoy about the job. In both work and in play, rapport builds romance as well-matched partners celebrate mutual interests and pursue common goals both professionally and personally.