We’ve all heard the saying “opposites attract.” Whether or not we believe it is another story. While it may not necessarily be a rule of nature, it’s certainly true that people with seemingly opposite personalities can work well together in a relationship, for a variety of reasons. Besides, dating someone who’s exactly like you would probably get boring after a while!
1. You complement each other
The purpose of being in a relationship is to find your better half. While some people are content living the single life, most of us strive to find the person that makes us feel whole. This won’t happen if you find someone who’s exactly like you; it’ll only fill up one half of the relationship. Like two sides of the same coin, the best relationships are made up of two individuals who, despite their differences, are not complete without the other by their side.
2. You encourage each other
If you’re truly in love with someone, you’ve likely been inspired by them in some way, and you’ve done the same for them. Of course, the way in which you’ve inspired each other likely varies. Maybe you’ve inspired them to work harder for the things they want in life, while they’ve inspired you to not work so hard that you miss out on more important things. However you do it, you both encourage each other to live life to the fullest.
3. You compensate for each others’ weaknesses
You’ve heard of the “power couple,” right? Well, the only reason many relationships are seen like this is because both halves work incredibly well together. When one person falters, the other person is always there to pick up the pace. Alone, they might not be much, and they might not make it very far in life. But together, they can take on the entire world, and come out of the battle triumphant (just ask Beyonce and Jay-Z).
4. You realize greatness in those unlike yourself
Unless you’re incredibly self-deprecating, you most likely think very highly of yourself. Whether you realize it or not, you probably often feel that if everyone saw the world the way you do, there wouldn’t be so many issues plaguing society. Falling for someone whose views on the world clash with yours will open your eyes to different perspectives, and allow you to see things in a different light. Although you most likely will hold on to your beliefs, being with someone opposite of you teaches you to respect other people’s point of view, and give your own ideas a second thought.
5. You experience more
Let’s take a sidebar from the more serious points in this article and realize that, simply put, being with someone different from yourself allows you to experience much more of the world. Maybe you don’t have the same taste in movies or music as your significant other, but you’ll end up giving them a try at some point–which could change your perspective entirely. I don’t love Top 40 radio by any stretch of the imagination, but since my wife does, I’ve learned to enjoy singing along to silly pop songs while driving to the supermarket. I know if it weren’t for me, she would have never watched The Usual Suspects or Se7en, but after we finished them, she looked at me and said “Wow…that was really good.” Being with someone with different interests allows you to experience things outside of your comfort zone that you never would have on your own.
6. You can be comfortable being yourself
Speaking of your comfort zone, being with someone opposite of you, ironically, allows you to be more comfortable with who you are. You get validation from the moments I’ve spoken about, such as when they agree with you on something you didn’t think they’d agree with you on (whether it’s a movie or a political viewpoint). You also can be comfortable knowing there are certain things you’ll never agree upon. Like I said before, you’re two sides of the same coin; you won’t always see eye to eye, but you know you wouldn’t be complete without your better half.
Featured photo credit: Yinyang / Chris via farm4.staticflickr.com
