Want to know who you'll marry? Science says you should look in the mirror
A study using Australian census data confirms that 'homogamy'—the tendency for romantic partners to share similar traits like education, occupation, and religion—is a universal mating pattern. The research highlights that people are statistically more likely to choose partners who mirror their own characteristics.
Why it matters
This insight into human behavior explains long-standing social patterns and provides data-driven context for how societal structures and personal choices intersect in relationships.
Link copied Share Share article Once I saw it, I couldn't unsee it.
I noticed it among friends. Then within my family. It is rife among my colleagues.
Romantic partners who are strikingly similar to one another, whether in their appearance, personality, habits, attitudes or characteristics such as age, ethnicity, religion or education.
It began with noticing just how many romantic partners have the same job. Then I started to see it across all sorts of traits, from the logical (couples with the same education who met at uni), to the quirky (the outdoorsy couple who both had big teeth, talked loudly, and always wore hiking boots and puffy jackets) to the, well, unfortunate (the backpacker couple who lived in a van and both had bad body odour).
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in