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Women would like their Partners to be more Synchronized with them intheir Sleep-Wake Rhythm

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 October 2014

Christoph Randler ,
Selina Barrenstein ,
Christian Vollmer ,
Juan Francisco Díaz-Morales  and
Konrad S. Jankowski
Christoph Randler*
Affiliation:
University of Education Heidelberg (Germany)
Selina Barrenstein
Affiliation:
University of Education Heidelberg (Germany)
Christian Vollmer
Affiliation:
University of Education Heidelberg (Germany)
Juan Francisco Díaz-Morales
Affiliation:
Universidad Complutense (Spain)
Konrad S. Jankowski
Affiliation:
University of Warsaw (Poland)
*
*Correspondence concerning this articleshould be addressed to Christoph Randler. University of Education Heidelberg, ImNeuenheimer Feld 561–2. D-69120 Heidelberg (Germany). Phone:0049–6221477344. Fax: 0049–6221477345. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Men sleep shorter and go to bed and get up later than women, thus they are laterchronotypes. This difference between the sexes is most pronounced betweenpuberty and menopause indicating the possibility that morningness is subject tosexual dimorphism related to reproductive aspects. The objective of the studywas to compare the sleep-wake behavior of women with their actual partners andwith their preferred partners. As a hypothesis, we expect some assortment inmating concerning chronotype (with the actual partner), but we also expect ahigher synchronization with a preferred ideal partner. 167 women were analyzedin this study (mean age: 23.0 ± 2.57 (SD) years).Mated women were earlier chronotypes than their partners (t= –2.051, p = .042,d = .34) but the difference was small (11:02 min± 1:04 min). The results of the present study showed women preferringa partner synchronized to their own sleep-wake-rhythm more than their actualpartners were. The above result was true either for single facets of thesleep-wake rhythm (e.g. bed time, sleep onset) or for midpoint of sleep on freedays – an indicator of actual chronotype: women’s andtheir partners’ correlation of midpoint of sleep was lower(r = .513) than women’s and their idealpartners’ correlation (r = .855). Amongstvarious sleep-wake measures, women particularly preferred a partner going to bedat the same time. Assortative mating according to sleep-wake rhythm exists, butwomen for long-term pair-bonds would like their partners far moresynchronized.

Keywords

assortative matingchronotypefemale preferencessleep-wake cycle
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 17 , 2014 , E70
Copyright
Copyright © Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid 2014 

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