Most people marry those whose political views align with their own, according to a study from Rice University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
The study, published recently in the Journal of Politics, examined the physical, personality and behavioral traits of more than 5,000 married couples in the United States. The various qualities - including body shape, height, weight, impulsivity, religion and ideology - were scored on a scale of zero to one, with one being a perfect match.
The researchers found that spouses appeared to instinctively select partners with similar social and political views. In fact, political attitudes were among the strongest shared traits - even taking precedence over personality or looks. The only attribute that scored slightly higher than political views was the frequency of church attendance.
"It turns out that people place more emphasis on finding a mate who is a kindred spirit with regard to politics, religion and social activity than they do on finding someone of like physique or personality. It suggests that, perhaps, if you're looking for a long-term romantic relationship, skip 'What's your sign?' and go straight to 'Palin or Obama?' And if you get the wrong answer, just walk away," added Alford.
Over spring break, I saw the movie The Adjustment Bureau. It has Matt Damon and Emily Blunt in it, and it's nice political/action sort of movie with a romantic twist. I highly recommend it. Anyway, this all got me to thinking, what really is important in a relationship? What is it, exactly, that makes us compatible?
The recent separation between Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver probably could have been spotted from a hundred miles away. In my opinion, she's about 15 years too late in doing what Willie Nelson's wife did, and that's sewing him up in the bed sheets and hitting him with a broom handle! But in this day and age where everyone is finding some reason or another to leave each other, I'm questioning our motives for matching up in the first place.
Everything changes at college. As women, we are husband searchers. Even if we don't know it, we are. We can try to seperate the emotions and the feelings from the guys we are meeting, but even my friend Mallory, who I thought had it all together, confessed that she was a little jealous upon finding out that Barret had moved on.
I gave this year my best shot, and I've gained a lot of widom from it. Even the best of boys can be jerks at times, and it's best to not chase any of them. Some of them look good on the outside, but aren't on the inside. And usually the ones you glance over first, turn out to be the ones who will stick it out in the long run. Honesty is uaually the best policy, but for everything else there's tea and 'Say Yes to the Dress'. And perhaps Erin isn't too far off with her idea of posting relationship applications on Facebook...
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