“Birds of a feather flock together” or “Opposites attract” – The Results Thank-you to everyone who took our Personality Type and Attraction survey. There were almost 100 responses provided (in both English and French), and it provided some interesting results. There were many different ways that we could examine the results, but I have decided to look at them from the four perspectives below. Number of matching preferences In an attempt to answer our original question, we looked at the number of matching preferences for each couple. Number of Matching Preferences Not a very clear answer now, is it? It seems that there may not be a “best” approach. 42% of our couples fell into the category that I would define as “Opposites attract” – they have 0 or 1 matching preferences. However, 33% of our couples fell into the “birds of a feather flock together” category – they have either 3 or 4 matching preferences. Which dichotomies matched more often? Was there a dichotomy that preferred to flock with their own? Was there one that enjoyed the variety brought by their opposite preference? More couples matched on their Sensing/Intuition preferences, compared to the other dichotomies. In fact, it seems that couples matched less often on the other dichotomies, especially in the Thinking/Feeling preference. Perhaps Thinking and Feeling types gravitate towards each other to balance their values (broader considerations for decision making), but prefer to align on the types of information they share (easier communication)? Do your preferences impact partner choices? Are you more likely to seek those who are opposite to you, based on your preference for Extraversion over Introversion? Are those with a Judging preference more likely to seek someone similar to them, over someone with a Perceiving preference? Based on the respondents in our survey, the E/I dichotomy and the S/N dichotomy had the most impact. Extraverted individuals were more likely to have partners who are different from them (fewer matching preferences), while Introverted individuals seemed to seek partners with more matching preferences. Sensors were also more likely to have partners with fewer matching preferences, while Intuitives showed a preference towards partners more similar to themselves. (Given that there were more Intuitives in the sample overall, this helps to explain the results of the previous section.) In Closing… Despite research suggesting that we tend to flock to those most like us (as a general pattern), it seems there are clear exceptions to this rule. While it’s easier to identify with a partner similar to you, it leaves little room for helping each other move outside of your comfort zones. Perhaps the best approach to dating and relationships, much like many other things in life, is “Everything in Moderation”?
