Bad boy or nice guy, science reveals why you keep dating the same type
Well, apparently we’re not alone. According to a new study by social psychologists at the University of Toronto, people are more likely to date the same personality types again and again, regardless of if the relationship was bad or not. Researchers used data from an ongoing multi-year study on couples and families of different age groups to assist in their study, which compared the personalities of the current and past partners of 332 people. Results found a significant consistency in the personalities of a participant’s romantic partners.
Those who participated in the study, along with a sample of their current and past partners, assessed their own personality traits in regards to agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion, neuroticism, and openness to experience. The poll they were given asked participants to evaluate how they identified with a series of statements, including, “I am usually modest and reserved,” “I am interested in many different kinds of things,” and “I make plans and carry them out.” Participants rated their agreement or disagreement with each statement on a five-point scale.
The results of the poll showed that overall, the current partners of participants described themselves in ways that were similar to their past partners, suggesting that people really do have a “type” when it comes to relationships. The answers of a participant’s current and past partners were actually more similar to each other than the answers of the participant and their current partners, meaning that an individual’s current partner had more traits in common with their ex than with the individual themselves.
The study’s accuracy is due to the fact that researchers relied on first-person testimonials from participants’ partners, instead of participants describing their partners themselves, like in other studies. Researchers say the study can be helpful for those in relationships with people whose personality resembles their ex. They suggest taking the skills you’ve learned from a past relationship and applying them to your new relationship to keep it healthy.
More research is needed to see if dating someone similar to your ex is helpful or harmful, since people may have gotten used to dealing with their ex’s personality traits in negative ways, and bringing these negative habits into a new relationship can cause a premature breakup. So if you’re thinking about or already are dating a carbon copy of your ex, make sure you’ve healed from the past and are in a better place to deal with their personality traits.
Source: Women Working
Source: Elikem Adiku
Trending News
Lack of public purse protection ‘pathetic’ – Sam Jonah calls out ‘weaponisation of state agencies against opponents, assault on press freedom'
04:02Feeding grants'll be paid directly to school heads in my next gov’t – Mahama promises
11:02Francis-Xavier Sosu rallies support to aid Madina market fire victims
19:30Let's do away with 'slash and burn' politics- Adutwum
03:26NDC Youth Wing expresses solidarity with nurses and midwives
10:08Running mate: Ashanti NPP youth organisers distance themselves from Napo’s bid
10:11NPP sets up disability secretariat
02:46I'll ban all mining in water bodies, forest reserves – Kyerematen
12:042024 polls: 'Bawumia in pole position to take over from me' – Akufo-Addo
03:45Asantehene commends Matthew Opoku Prempeh for conceiving GENSER Kumasi Pipeline Project
01:37