Happier couples are those with different personalities than those with similar ones! ~We asked senior couples~

The "Senior Values Segmentation" is... a new approach to understanding the senior demographic, whose thinking and behavior are diversifying and becoming more complex. It classifies them into segments based on "values." Values are categorized into six types, each plotted on a two-axis, four-quadrant grid based on whether "behavior is proactive or reserved" and whether "orientation leans traditional/conservative or prefers change and stimulation."

Active Trad: Primarily consists of retirees living comfortably with ample time and money. They are proactive in consumption and activities but hold strong traditional family values. This segment most closely matches the image traditionally associated with "active seniors."

 

Love My Life: Strong pursuit of youth and beauty, anti-aging awareness, fond of new things, well-informed, and sensitive to trends. One of the "new type" of active seniors.

 

Socially Conscious Independent: Values human connections, eager to build new networks and engage in intergenerational exchange. Another pattern of the "new active seniors."

 

Unassuming Conservative: Fully satisfied with their current life and desire nothing more. They hold no strong opinions and live each day calmly and peacefully. Closest to the traditional image of "elderly people."

 

Within-Means Realist: Often expresses resignation, saying things like "I don't have the money" or "It costs too much, so I can't do it." They aren't actually penniless, but their consumption habits are passive, perhaps due to future anxieties.

Second Life Moratorium: Strongly feel anxiety about being left behind by society and a desire to connect with people and society. However, they don't know how to do it and are searching for how to spend the rest of their lives.

Last time, we introduced the trends in the number of couple combination types. So, how does couple satisfaction vary by combination type? We asked couples to rate their relationship satisfaction on a scale of 0 to 100 and looked at the average scores for each type (Figure 1).

 

The result showed that the highest satisfaction was found among "Husband: Love My Life / Wife: Socially-Minded Independent" couples. While the overall average score was 73.9 points, they scored a remarkably high 87.5 points.

Looking at the top-ranked combinations, the top four spots were all occupied by couples with different types.

The first same-type pairing only appeared at 5th place: the "Active Trad" couple. Looking at other same-type pairings in the rankings, "Down-to-Earth Realists" ranked 18th, "Unfussy Conservatives" 21st, "Second Life Moratoriums" 25th, "Socially Conscious Independents" 28th, and "Love My Life" 35th – consistently placing near the bottom of the rankings.

While there are many couples of the same type, their satisfaction levels are somewhat lacking. Could it be that being so similar makes them more prone to conflict? This is starkly illustrated by the combination of "Love My Life" and "Socially Conscious Independent" couples, who occupy the same upper-right quadrant (Quadrant 1) in the "Senior Values Segment" four-quadrant model, known as the "New Active Zone." As mentioned earlier, the highest satisfaction is seen in "Husband: Love My Life / Wife: Socially Conscious Independent" couples. Conversely, "Wife: Love My Life / Husband: Socially Conscious Independent" couples also show high satisfaction on both sides.

On the other hand, couples where both partners are "Love My Life" or both are "Socially Conscious Independent" show lower mutual satisfaction. These two types, both sharing elements of the "New Active Senior," might clash if their personalities are too strong and their vectors point exactly in the same direction. It's possible they get along well precisely because they're pointing slightly in different directions (Figure 2).

The Sorrow of the "Moratorium Uncle" with a Socially Conscious Wife

Furthermore, couples where one partner is a "Second Life Moratorium" – someone not particularly skilled at socializing and lacking defined hobbies – typically show lower satisfaction levels for both partners, regardless of the other spouse's type. The only combination showing high satisfaction for both partners was "Husband: Moratorium / Wife: Active Trad."

Furthermore, in "Husband: Moratorium / Wife: Socially-Minded Independent" couples, the husband's satisfaction tended to be low while the wife's was high. This might paint the picture of "a wife who is grateful for her husband's freedom and is vibrantly engaged in society" versus "a husband who feels left behind, lonely, and unable to speak up." You can almost hear the voices of those "moratorium men"—smoldering with uncertainty, unsure what to do or feeling lost, even though they have a strong desire to do something themselves, yet it's always the wife who goes out...

 

For senior couples, "entrance and exit together, separate activities inside" is best?!

To summarize what we've seen so far,

◎ Senior couples tend to pair with partners who share similar value combinations

◎ Couples with identical types tend to have lower satisfaction with their relationship

While many products and services currently target senior couples, most seem to assume that couples will get along well and enjoy spending time together. Shifting the perspective, there might be new directions worth exploring—considering that precisely because they've been together for so long, couples with identical values may clash more easily, while those with slightly different personalities tend to get along better.

For instance, with travel plans, while the couple might travel together to and from their destination, a proposal for them to deliberately split up during their time at the destination might actually be surprisingly well-received.

In fact, one Aging Lab member's mother (late 50s) apparently finds shopping with her husband quite stressful. Seeing IKEA's kids' playroom, she reportedly muttered, "It would be great if there were a space to drop off uncles who aren't interested in shopping and let them play." While department stores, shopping malls, and GMS supermarkets do have seating areas for resting, she said that just having those inevitably makes her feel guilty about "keeping him waiting," making it hard to focus on shopping. Indeed, such a space would allow fathers to enjoy themselves while mothers could shop without worrying about their husbands, creating mutual benefits.

Based on interviews and other data, "moratorium dads" in particular tend to have low marital satisfaction but high dependence on their wives. Actions they might hesitate to take alone could become possible with their wife. However, being constantly glued together can be exhausting for both. So, perhaps the idea is to start activities together, but then branch off separately afterward. Each partner experiences different stimuli, creating more topics for conversation and making life more enjoyable... Couldn't this be a new form of couple consumption worth proposing?

Furthermore, this trend among couples could potentially be leveraged in the recently revitalized senior matchmaking market for pairing and matching. Precisely because seniors have accumulated life experience, what they seek in a spouse should be entirely different from younger generations. Utilizing these research findings and this segment could enable the development of services that meet the needs of seniors.

We look forward to your inquiries.

 

For inquiries, please contact us here.

hitoken@videor.co.jp

 

●Survey Overview

Subjects: 860 couples aged 55 to 74

Survey Method: Online survey

Survey period: November 2016

　Solution Business Division, Human Research Institute, Aging Lab Leader, Tomiko Tsushima

Video Research Ltd. "Human Research Institute VR Aging Lab"

A senior research project launched to revitalize the senior market. We conduct research activities, disseminate information, and provide consulting services to companies for senior marketing, aiming to capture the reality of seniors and apply it to marketing activities.

Hito Research Institute: http://www.videor.co.jp/hitoken/#anc2