Self-control in romantic dyads: Does my partner's self-control help my own goal pursuit?

Across three dyadic studies, we examined whether trait self-control of one romantic partner is associated with the goal-directed behaviors of the other partner. Study 1 ( N = 107 couples) demonstrated that people's positive financial behaviors in the previous month were linked not only to their own but also to their partner's financial self-control. Study 2 ( N = 100 couples) found only a link between people's healthy eating behaviors and their own, but not their partner's, eating self-control. Study 3 ( N = 173 couples) examined behaviors in both the financial and eating domains, finding that the degree to which couples engaged in goal-directed behaviors together moderated the link between trait self-control and the partner's goal-directed behaviors. Specifically, the partner's general and domain-specific self-control was linked to goal-directed behaviors, especially if the goal behaviors were done jointly with the partner. Across studies, partner self-control links were not moderated by the quality of the relationship. In sum, these studies suggest the personality traits of one couple member are linked to the other member's goal pursuit, which has theoretical and practical implications. • Higher self-control is linked with more goal-directed behaviors. • Higher self-control is also linked with romantic partner's goal-directed behaviors. • Domain-specific self-control shows stronger links than general self-control. • Self-control partner effects are stronger for behaviors done together with partner.