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Summary
- A 2023 study in Nature Human Behaviour combined 480 partner correlations from 199 studies and found partners tend to be alike, from 0.08 for extraversion to 0.58 for political values and 0.56 for religiosity.
- In up to 79,074 UK Biobank couples, 115 of the 118 significant partner correlations were positive; the strongest negative one was for being a “morning” or “evening” person (−0.18).
- A 2008 meta-analysis of 313 studies found that perceived similarity, more than actual similarity, predicted attraction in existing relationships.
- The Bible does not discuss whether opposites attract; Genesis 2:18 calls the woman a helper “fit for” or “corresponding to” the man.
- Amos 3:3, “Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?”, belongs to a series of questions about prophecy, not marriage.
- Scripture’s guidance on choosing a spouse concerns faith and character, as in “only in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 7:39) and Proverbs 31:30.
Bibliography (Click to show)
- Scripture quotations from the English Standard Version (Genesis 2:18, with the ESV footnote; Amos 3:3–8; 1 Corinthians 7:39; 2 Corinthians 6:14; Proverbs 31:30; Ephesians 5:21; Acts 18:2–3, 26). https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+2%3A18&version=ESV
- King James Version, Amos 3:3. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Amos+3%3A3&version=KJV
- Tanya B. Horwitz, Jared V. Balbona, Katie N. Paulich and Matthew C. Keller, “Evidence of correlations between human partners based on systematic reviews and meta-analyses of 22 traits and UK Biobank analysis of 133 traits,” Nature Human Behaviour 7 (2023): 1568–1583. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-023-01672-z
- R. Matthew Montoya, Robert S. Horton and Jeffrey Kirchner, “Is actual similarity necessary for attraction? A meta-analysis of actual and perceived similarity,” Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 25, no. 6 (2008): 889–922. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407508096700
- Strong’s Hebrew Concordance, entry 5048, neged, and the Hebrew text of Genesis 2:18. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/5048.htm
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 1605 and 2333. https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM
