By Mylee Dubin
A few weeks ago, I asked my mom what made her and my dad so compatible even though they are very different. I’ve heard many times before that “opposites attract,” but I thought there have to be at least some similarities, right?
My curiosity could not be contained, I had to find out what things are most important in making a couple compatible.
According to the results from the survey we sent out to the school, there are several factors that are incredibly essential when it comes to the compatibility of your partner, and some factors where it’s either semi-important or really just up to you!
The survey consisted of several different categories with a 1-5 scale, 1 meaning that sharing the same interest in that category is of little to no importance, and 5 meaning that sharing that interest is of the utmost importance when it comes to their compatibility.
The results of the first question are as follows: In terms of pop culture, 5 people out of the 62 that responded ruled that sharing the same pop culture interests (i.e. music, movies, etc.) is not at all important, ranking it at a 1. On the other hand, 6 respondents ranked it at a 5, implying that sharing the same pop culture is imperative to a relationship.
However, the vast majority of respondents were somewhere in between, with 11 ranking it at a 4, 16 ranking at a 2, and the other 24, counting as 39% of the respondents, ranked it at a 3. I personally agree with the latter – though it may be important to share the same music taste and whatnot, depending on the person, it can be both exciting and beneficial to broaden our horizons. Like me, it seems that most people think that while sharing some aspects of pop culture interests can be important, it is perfectly fine to not have the exact same taste.
The second test of compatibility is liking the same foods. Full disclosure, I realize that some people may be the dino nuggets and french fries kind of picky, so I suspect that those leaning towards more important may have more specific tastes. Similar to the pop culture results, most people were in the middle on this one, with 25 out of 63 or 40% of respondents ranking the importance at a 3. However, not far behind were 18 respondents or 29% who ranked it at a 4. Perhaps those people enjoy trying new foods, but they like a little routine when it comes to weekly dinners.
13 respondents were the 21% that ranked it at a 2. In contrast to those who voted a 4, maybe these people like variety in their meals, but don’t mind sticking to the basics every once in a while. Finally, the last 7 voted on opposite ends of the scale. 4 respondents made the 6% that I suspect to be the picky eaters by voting 5. Last and coincidentally least, the 3 people who voted a 1 are the 5% that would gladly open themselves up to a whole new palate as long as they like the other qualities of their partner.
Next, 63 people voted on how important it is to share the same hobbies and interests. In my humble opinion, I hypothesize that those who vote on the end of more importance are those who have busy schedules, whether it be from sports or other extracurricular activities, being with someone who does not have the same dense schedule as yourself can be difficult to navigate.
In this category, 8 people (13%) agreed that sharing the same hobbies is not super important, but maybe slightly by ranking it at a 2. On the other hand, 14% said it is extremely important with those 9 people ranking it at 5. Again, I presume these are the busy bees of the world.
19 people responded in the middle at a 3, as that 30% is impartial to sharing hobbies with their significant other. But majority rules here, and the 27 people that made up a whopping 43% ranked it at a 4, communicating that though it may be nice to share some of the same current interests, learning and exploring your partner’s other interests could be a new and exciting endeavor.
I then asked about how important it is to share the same religion as your partner. I had no expectations for this category, considering how some people are open to everyone and everything, while others may be considering their futures and how they expect their children to be brought up.
This also happened to be the most answered question out of all the compatibility questions, with 73 respondents. In this category, an equal 16% or 12 people each chose a 1 or a 4. 18% or 13 people voted at a 3, claiming impartiality to the subject and considering it could go either way, and 19% or 14 people responded with a 2. But the majority of 22 which made up 30% of the respondents said that sharing the same religion with your partner is imperative by ranking it at a 5.
My final question about compatibility had to do with something many may have heard of from TikTok called “the olive theory.” The idea is that the “perfect partners” consist of one person who LOVES olives (or just likes them, if you’re not as enthusiastic about olives as me) and one person who can’t stand them. For example, my best friend and I are perfectly compatible because like I said, I love olives, but she is not a fan, so in turn, it creates a symbiotic relationship. If she orders a Greek salad but doesn’t want the olives, I’ll do her a solid and take them off her plate.
Out of the survey respondents, 31 people said they do believe in the olive theory, while 20 disagreed. There are also variations to the olive theory, like the pickle theory or the tomato theory. All the same concept, just different “controversial” foods.
Overall, this article taught me one thing: compatibility is individual. Some people value certain things more than others, and vice versa. To truly find your perfect match you have to put yourself out there and be able to find someone whose beliefs and values match yours, however similar (or not) that ‘match’ may be.
