Happy to Know You: An Examination of Subjective Well-Being and Partner Knowledge

In this study, we examined an unexplored type of partner knowledge—familiarity with partners’ subjective well-being (i.e., SWB familiarity). Using multilevel models, we analyzed data from 101 heterosexual couples to examine how SWB was associated with partner knowledge and to determine whether SWB familiarity was associated with relationship and mental health benefits. We found that higher levels of positive affect and life satisfaction and lower levels of negative affect were associated with greater normative and distinctive accuracy in partner knowledge of attitudes and traits. We also calculated both normative and distinctive indices of SWB familiarity and found that participants’ and their partners’ familiarity with normative (i.e., average) profiles of SWB were associated with respondents reporting greater relationship satisfaction, perceived support from their partner, positive affect, and life satisfaction, as well as less negative affect. Conversely, distinctive (i.e., unique) SWB familiarity was not related to any relationship or mental health outcomes. Thus, one’s perception of their partner as having normative levels of SWB appears to be more important for relationship and mental health outcomes than knowledge of partners’ unique experiences of SWB.