Couple Hobbies

A recent study found evidence of correlations between human partners, meaning: couples tend to have similar traits, to be alike.

The study triggered a shower of articles declaring that the common saying “opposites attract” has been disproved by science:

Study of over 80,000 UK couples finds that in love opposites don’t actually attract | The Independent
Opposites don’t attract: couples more likely to be similar than different, study shows | Science | The Guardian
Opposites don’t attract, major study concludes | The Times

This deduction is, of course, faulty reasoning. More specifically, a fallacy of the converse. Logical accuracy was sacrificed for a catchy headline.

The study examined partners. People can attract, without becoming, or remaining, partners. The fact that partners tend to be similar says nothing about the attraction between unpartnered individuals. Opposites may attract, but not commonly become partners.

A more reasonable conclusion from the study is that some similarity is required for maintaining a romantic partnership.

Similar interests, for example, might be important in relationships:

All else considered, couples that have similar interests to a similar degree tend to have healthier relationships.
The Importance of Shared Interests in Relationships | Psychology Today

Luckily, unlike some other traits such as height, body mass index, and religiosity, interests are dynamic. They can be explored, discovered, and fostered. This process can be done together as a couple and can be done through hobbies.

Hobbies can also help with another important ingredient of a successful relationship – quality time together.

Quality time is one of the five love languages that Gary Chapman proposed in his book “The Five Love Languages“. However, a busy, hectic life might make it hard to spend quality time together regularly. Engaging in a leisure activity together can help couples overcome this challenge and create a habit of spending quality time with each other.

That being said, it is good to mention that alone time and personal interests are also important for a successful relationship.