Study Reveals: Discover the Truth – Opposites Don’t Attract!

A new study challenges the belief that opposites attract in romantic relationships. Research conducted by Tanya Horwitz, a doctoral student at the University of Colorado Boulder, reveals that couples tend to be remarkably similar in the traits they possess, with a match rate of over 80%. The study analyzed 22 traits from nearly 200 papers dating back to 1903 and examined 133 traits among 80,000 opposite-sex couples in the UK Biobank project. The findings indicate that couples often share core beliefs, values, and hobbies.

According to Horwitz, there may be underlying mechanisms at play in relationships that we are not fully aware of, even when we feel like we have a choice. Some of these similarities may stem from growing up in the same area or socializing in the same friend groups. The research also suggests that couples often align in areas such as political and religious views, education levels, and alcohol consumption habits. Notably, the study found correlations between couples in terms of birth year, number of sexual partners, and whether they were breastfed.

However, the study also reveals that not all traits align in couples. Factors like height, weight, medical issues, and personality traits may vary among partners. In fact, the research showed that only 3% of the studied traits indicated a tendency for partners to be opposites. This challenges the assumption that human mating is random, according to Matt Keller, a senior author on the paper. The alignment of certain traits within couples could have implications for future generations, potentially leading to population extremes in characteristics like height or social habits. Interestingly, co-habiting couples, whether similar or opposite, tend to experience a surprising health benefit: lower blood sugar.