Opposites attract? Depends on the relationship

By Lauren Rust

Do opposites attract?

This is a question that psychologists and singles looking to mingle have asked many times, but the actual answer may be more complicated than a simple yes or no.

A study at Columbia University shows that opposites really do attract.

The study shows that if you are too close to someone, the relationship is more likely not to work out. This study was conducted on 732 adults over three years for a psychological journal. “Couples knew they were not as close as they could be, but they were happier this way,” said Professor David Frost, leading author of the study.

It seems as if couples that share distance actually have longer lasting relationships.

As always, there is always an opposing factor. Some professionals seem to be apposing this conclusion.

In an article on psychologytoday.com, Dr. Neil Clark Warren, author of the book “How to Know If Someone is Worth Pursuing in Two Dates or Less,” says that if you have a romantic relationship with someone who is your opposite, usually you will “drive each other crazy in the long haul.”

Dr. Warren suggests that being with someone with many similarities actually makes the relationship stronger and easier.

This article was followed by a year-long study of 174 couples done by researchers, Nathan Hudson and Chris Fraley.

Their studies showed that “Partners who were similar to each other in terms of agreeableness and moderately similar in terms of emotional stability were more satisfied in their relationships.”

Even though these two studies oppose each other, there is much to learn from this opposition.

Being in a committed relationship myself, I see both sides to the issue.

Yes, sometimes each person in the relationship needs their own share of alone time or a night out with the girls or the guys.

Still, no matter if I am hanging out with my boyfriend at the end of the day or not, I still know that there is love and commitment there.

On the other hand, it is nice to know that you share many of the same ideals as your partner.

You both know that when tough decisions come, you will both work it out because you have similar beliefs in religion, politics, family values, etc.

These factors can also be applied to other relationships as well, including within families, coworker groups, friends and others.

So, do opposites attract? I guess that is up to you personally, because relationships come with all sorts of variables you must

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