Dating Across Party Lines

In an era marked by political polarization, University of Michigan psychologists are asking—have politics made their way into the bedroom?

Recent research by Prof. Amie Gordon and members of her Well-being, Health, and Interpersonal Relationships Lab (WHIRLab) suggests that the answer is “yes.” Looking at survey data from over 500 couples, they found that a majority shared similar political beliefs. Only approximately 23% of couples reported different political party affiliations, and less than 8% were made up of one Democrat and one Republican.

For those few couples who did differ from each other in their political views, they found a slight negative impact on relationship quality in everyday activities and overall relationship satisfaction. However, this effect appeared lessened by prosocial behaviors like appreciation for one’s partner and attempts at perspective-taking.

Altogether, their research suggests the effect of polarization on close relationships should be considered further, and emphasizes the possible benefits of practicing empathy between romantic partners with differing political beliefs.

To learn more about this research, check out this blog post written by the study’s authors, see the Hill’s coverage of the article, for which Prof. Gordon was interviewed, or read the full article where these findings are published. She has also written further on polarization and relationships in this op-ed. If you’re interested in finding out more about Amie Gordon’s work, check out the WHIRLab website.