Researchers from California State University, Los Angeles, have found that Indian couples in the United States whose marriages were arranged were no different from couples in other types of marriages when it came to measures such as romance, love, satisfaction and commitment.

The findings, published in the journal Psychological Reports, offer insight into a little-studied type of marriage. The study’s authors included psychology Prof. Pamela C. Regan and her students, Indian American Saloni Lakhanpal and Carlos Anguiano.

The sample included 58 individuals living in a large city who had been married an average of ten years. While all were of Indian descent, the majority were Hindu.

“Regardless of the nature of their marriage (i.e., whether the spouse had been selected by family members or matchmakers, or was personally and freely chosen), the participants in this study were extremely—and equally—happy with their relationships,” the researchers wrote in the study. 

The study included an additional surprise: men reported significantly higher passionate and companion-centered love for their spouses, and more commitment to their marriages than did women.

Called upon frequently by the media as an expert on “love” and “dating,” Regan’s research interests focus on the areas of close relationships and sexuality, specifically sexual attraction, passionate love, and mate preference.

A Cal State L.A. faculty member since 1996, Regan graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Williams College, and received her Ph.D. in psychology and a Ph.D. minor in statistics from the University of Minnesota. She resides in Redondo Beach.