I am a social-personality psychologist who studies close relationships. On the broadest level, I am interested in all stages of romantic relationship development including initial attraction, partner selection, relationship consolidation, and relationship dissolution. The goal of my research is to answer these types of questions: Who are we attracted to and why? Why do two individuals choose to be with each other rather than with one of many others that are available? Is there a magical mechanism that helps intimates prevent their relationship from falling apart? What makes people decide to end their relationship?

Currently I have several ongoing research projects. For example, the “speed dating project” mimics the popular speed-dating service that many dating companies provide. My goal is to examine how individuals quickly come up with the decision of whom to date or not to date.  The “early dating project” is a longitudinal study involves following up couples throughout the earliest stages of their relationship. Hopefully it will help us get a better understanding of “laws” of partner selection, e.g., what factors, in what order, impact one’s partner selection decision, what works out and what does not. Finally, I am fascinated by how biased we are in perceiving our partner (not necessarily at the cost of losing accuracy) and currently examine how partners’ perceptions, particularly biases, are translated into specific observable behaviors and thus influence relationship quality.

Select Publications

Klohnen, E. C., & Luo, S. (2003). Interpersonal attraction and personality: What is attractive—Self similarity, ideal similarity, complementarity, or attachment security? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85, 709-722.

Luo, S., & Klohnen, E. C. (2005). Assortative mating and martial quality in newlyweds: A couple-centered approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88, 304-326.

Klohnen, E. C., Weller, J. A., Luo, S., & Choe, M. (2005). Organization and predictive power of general and relationship-specific attachment models: One for all, and all for one? Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 31, 1665-1682.