Harmonies of Taste: Shared Music Preferences and Compatibility in Romantic Relationships

Although partner similarity in demographics, personal values, and personality has been well studied, little is known about partner similarity in aesthetic dispositions. Music preferences offer a particularly promising lens for examining this question because they function as powerful social signals that individuals seem to consider when forming relationships, for example, by showcasing their favorite music on dating apps. Across three studies and a mini meta-analysis, we assessed the profile similarity in couples’ music preferences ( N _couples = 309, primarily young adults) using both genre-based and artist-based methods, and compared these similarities with those observed for personal values and Big Five personality traits. Couples consistently demonstrated greater similarity in music preferences than pseudo-couples, and these effects exceeded those observed for values and personality traits. In addition, some analyses indicated small to modest positive associations between music preference similarity and relationship outcomes. These findings provide an initial demonstration of partner similarity in music preferences and its potential implications for relationship quality.