Happily ever affluence: Dyadic analysis of money scripts, financial communication, and relationship satisfaction

Money scripts are deep-seated but typically unconscious beliefs individuals hold about money. We considered four money scripts: money avoidance, money focus (also known as money worship), money status, and money privacy (adapted from money vigilance). While money scripts have been studied in conjunction with financial outcomes, our study is among the first to test relational outcomes of money scripts and among the first to examine money scripts on the dyad level. Grounded in couples and finances theory (CFT), we conducted an actor partner interdependence mediation model (APIMeM) using dyadic data from 1,153 mixed-gender couples who had been married for about eight years to test (a) associations from couples’ average level on each money script, couples’ profile-based similarity on the money scripts collectively, and couples’ difference-score-based similarity on each money script with wives’ and husbands’ financial communication and relationship satisfaction, and (b) indirect effects on relationship satisfaction through financial communication as a mediator. High levels of money focus adherence were relationally destructive (i.e., worse financial communication, worse marital satisfaction). Similarity between spouses on money scripts collectively was relationally beneficial (i.e., better financial communication). We discuss implications for clinicians such as therapists and educators.