Knowing how you see me: Exploring meta-accuracy of personality, emotions and values and their links with relationship well-being among young adults.

Abstract

Do people (i.e., metaperceivers) know their romantic partners' (i.e., perceivers') impressions, displaying meta-accuracy? Is it related to relationship well-being? We explored two components of meta-accuracy: (1) positive meta-accuracy (i.e., knowing the perceiver's positive impressions of the metaperceiver), and (2) distinctive meta-accuracy (i.e., knowing the perceiver's unique impressions of the metaperceiver). First, we compared baseline levels of each component across three domains (personality, emotions, values), and, second, examined and compared their links with relationship well-being. A sample of 205 romantic couples were recruited. The Social Accuracy Model was adapted for analyses. Metaperceivers displayed both positive and distinctive meta-accuracy across all domains, and displayed greater positive emotion meta-accuracy and distinctive personality meta-accuracy compared to the other domains. Positive meta-accuracy, in general, was related to metaperceivers' relationship well-being and distinctive meta-accuracy, in general, was related to relationship well-being for metaperceivers and perceivers. Further, positive personality meta-accuracy was associated with relationship well-being for metaperceivers, and positive emotion meta-accuracy was associated with relationship well-being for metaperceivers and perceivers. Overall, the present research broadens the meta-accuracy literature by expanding it to a novel domain (values) and highlighting the relative contributions of domains that has been previously explored in isolation (personality and emotions).