A major study has turned the age-old adage of ‘opposites attract’ on its head.
Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder analysed more than 130 traits across millions of couples using data spanning over a century.
The analysed traits were wideranging and included birth year, political leanings, substance use habits, level of education, height, weight, medical conditions, and personality among others.
They found that individuals tended to partner with people different to themselves for only around 3% of traits.
For between 82% and 89% of the traits analysed, partners were more likely to be similar.
“Our findings demonstrate that birds of a feather are indeed more likely to flock together,” said first author Tanya Horwitz, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and the…
