We at Sexcerpts love the political-opposites-attract James Carville and Mary Matalin love story — there’s something sexy about a lefty and a righty hooking up. However, a new study of more than 5,000 married couples says that most people marry a person whose political ideas mirror their own.
[Researchers] found spouses in the study appeared to instinctively select a partner who has similar social and political views.
“It turns out that people place more emphasis on finding a mate who is a kindred spirit with regard to politics, religion and social activity than they do on finding someone of like physique or personality,” said John Alford, associate professor of political science at Rice University and the study’s lead author.
How can singles make these new facts work for us? Alford offers this quip about the research:
“It suggests that, perhaps, if you’re looking for a long-term romantic relationship, skip ‘What’s your sign?’ and go straight to ‘Obama or Palin?’” Alford said. “And if you get the wrong answer, just walk away.”
Probably a good idea when selecting your friends, too.
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I could never date a guy whose political beliefs didn’t match my own. Most of them, anyway.