They say that love is a magnetic force. They also say that people in successful relationships are two parts of the whole, that they complement each other by being opposites. Where one is plus, the other is a minus. Where one is yin, the other is yang.

But… is it really like this? The time has come to corroborate the myth!

Check out: Do opposites really attract?

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Glossary

• sophisticate – a person with much worldly experience and knowledge of fashion and culture
• bookworm – a person who enjoys reading.
• mismatch – a failure to correspond or match; a discrepancy
• foretell – predict (the future or a future event)
• utterly – completely and without qualification; absolutely

Think about it

Answer the questions below.

• Why do we, as a culture, seem to love saying that opposites attract?
• What does research say about dissimilar people having a relationship?
• What should people have in common to have a good relationship?
• According to Ickes, what is the most striking example where opposites repel rather than attract each other?

Practice makes perfect

Fill in the blank spaces with the words in bold.

dissimilar   –   fireworks   –   root   –   ever   –   mismatched   –   blossoms   –   opposites

As a culture, we seem to love saying that, and when ________ do attract — whether in movies or in real life — we’re fascinated. The rich sophisticate and the working-class hero. The popular guy and the nerdy bookworm. The dwarf and the elf. When romance ________ between a seemingly ________ pair, we ________ for them. We wait to see what kind of ________ will happen, and hope their relationship will succeed. It’s like a fairy tale: Two totally ________ people celebrate their (extreme) differences and live happily ________ after. True love wins!

Fill in the blank spaces with the correct forms of the words in CAPITAL LETTERS.

Sure, the idea of two ________ CREDIBLE different people being able to find love is cool and spirit-lifting. It makes for great movies and books and daydreams. But in real life, ________ MATCH couples rarely last. “Based on what research ________ EVIDENT shows, similar people are more likely to get together in the first place — and are also more likely to find satisfaction in their relationship,” says William Ickes, distinguished professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Arlington and author of “Strangers in a Strange Lab.” “The theme is that love is such a ________ POWER force that it can transcend all those differences. What we know in real life — after the honeymoon, or maybe sometimes during the honeymoon — is that all those differences suddenly emerge and ________ TELL doom for the relationship.”

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