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Published on:

28th Dec 2023

Opposites don't actually attract

It seems like every day I hear or see or read something that contradicts some long-held belief banged in my head by society.

The latest one is that opposites attract.

Apparently, most straight ones don't.

A study in the journal Nature looked at the results of nearly 200 studies on heterosexual relationships.

This mega meta-analysis featured a sample of around 8 million people from around the world.

Overall, they found that a vast majority of participants shared at least 18 of 22 characteristics with their partner.

These traits ranged from political and religious views, education and IQ levels, opinions about drug and alcohol views.

They even shared similar levels of happiness in whether they were introverts or extroverts.

The researchers also did their own study with more than 100,000 volunteers in the UK.

The participants shared a whopping 89% of these traits with their partners.

And strangely enough, many couples in the study even drank the same amount of water each day.

I'm left to ask, what came first, the chicken or the egg?

Do we simply want someone like us?

Or as I tend to believe, are we the sum of our relationships?

The longer two people are in a vice grip together, the more they compromise.

As Abe Lincoln once said, a house divided cannot stand.

What do you think?

Is your partner like you?

Let me know what you think in the comments at jamesbrowntv.substack.com

Email: jamesbrowntv@gmail.com

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About the Podcast

All of the Above with James Brown
Exploring ideas big and small with fascinating people
I explore the big ideas that bring us together and meet the people who make them happen.

Musings on news, life, and television. A few minutes a day, five days a week.

Hosted by James Brown is an award winning journalist whose work has appeared on WXXI, PBS, NPR, BBC, and a slew of other places from sea to shining sea. He's the former host of USA TODAY's 5 Things, now The Excerpt. My work is proudly produced in Rochester, New York.

My goal is to create a diverse array of projects in the style of the people I grew up following: like Bill Moyers, Paul Harvey, John Stossel, Charles Osgood, Charlie Rose, Adam Curtis, Tavis Smiley, Douglas Ruskoff, Tony Kornheiser, and Art Bell, with my own twist, of course.

You can find my work anywhere you get your podcasts.

To support my work and tell me what you think join me at JamesBrownTV.substack.com.
Or email me at jamesbrowntv@gmail.com.
You can also leave me a message at 585-484-0339. And yes, I will call you back.
On that note, I'm James Brown, and as always, be well

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