The researchers found spouses who see their partners as “savers” tend to be more satisfied with both their marriages and their finances. They found that each partner’s perception of these things was more important than how their finances actually were. For example, if a couple was spending more than saving, but the partner felt they had actually done a good job at saving or were told that saving was happening, they were more pleased. Spouses were less concerned with their own spending habits and instead derived satisfaction from their partners’ patterns. John Grable, College of Family & Consumer SciencesStill, each person’s overall rating of their relationship was tied closely to the other’s behavior.