Finding lasting love is not easy. We’ve all heard the annoying adages like “there’s plenty of fish in the sea,” not to mention the old “opposites attract” chestnut. According to a study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, published on August 31, many people end up looking like their partners. Nature Human Behaviour.
[Related: Social relationships are important to the health of aging adults.]
The research was based on numerous studies from more than a hundred years ago. The team analyzed 130 traits of millions of couples. These traits ranged from political views to the age of their first sexual encounter to substance abuse habits. In between 82 to 89 percent cases, the partners are more likely to share similar traits. In one part of analysis and for just three percent studied traits, individuals tended to be paired with someone that demonstrates an opposite trait.
The research could also have an impact on human relationships by shedding some light on those forces unseen that shape them.
