Similarity and Its Connection to the Strength, Success, and Overall Happiness of Interpersonal Relatonships

Similarity and Its Connection to the Strength, Success, and Overall Happiness of Interpersonal Relationships

Since time immemorial, social interactions, and the subsequent relationships that bloom from them, have been often explained by the old adage “Birds of a feather flock together”. This refers to a fact of simple human nature: we are most attracted to things that share traits with us. For example, those with a penchant for thrill-seeking behavior and activities will not be attracted to a person of shrewish nature. Our attraction to similar people fosters cognitive synergy, pack-behavior and a need for cohabitation which are just a few deeply rooted predispositions that our early ancestors needed in order to survive. In short, the want for similarity is pure human instinct. However, the equally as old adage “Opposites attract” rings just as true as the aforementioned one. As with most things in life, when there is an up there must be a down. Differences in traits, on a purely biological level, promote genetic stability and increased survivability of a race. Socially, these differences are like shampoo to conditioner; alone they function adequately enough but when used in conjunction, the result far outstrips the sum of its parts. Balance is often the key to having a fulfilling bond. While it is near impossible to discern the perfect ingredients for building relationships, it stands to reason that the presence of similarities (or lack thereof) between two people can have an effect on their initial encounter, future interactions and potential romantic involvement. Whether it has purely physical or social origins, research and the observations associated with it affirm that the role of similarity is not as simple as one mig...

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