Opposites Don’t Attract, We Like What’s Physically Close to Us, and the History of Last Names

Curiosity Weekly

Warner Bros. Discovery

Self-improvement, Science, Astronomy, Education

4.6 • 935 Ratings

🗓️ 14 February 2020

⏱️ 12 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Learn about why opposites don’t really attract; the “propinquity effect” and how physical distance affects the way we feel about other people; and the history of when and why we started using last names.

Opposites Don’t Attract by Kelsey Donk

Johnson, M. D. (2018, February 12). No, opposites do not attract. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/no-opposites-do-not-attract-88839
Montoya, R. M., & Horton, R. S. (2012). A meta-analytic investigation of the processes underlying the similarity-attraction effect. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 30(1), 64–94. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407512452989

We Like What’s Physically Close to Us by Mae Rice

New evidence for the “propinquity effect” – mere physical closeness increases our liking of desirable people and things. (2018, August). Research Digest; Research Digest. https://digest.bps.org.uk/2018/08/01/new-evidence-for-the-propinquity-effect-mere-physical-closeness-increases-our-liking-of-desirable-people-and-things/
Shin, J., Suh, E. M., Li, N. P., Eo, K., Chong, S. C., & Tsai, M.-H. (2018). Darling, Get Closer to Me: Spatial Proximity Amplifies Interpersonal Liking. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 45(2), 300–309. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167218784903

The History of Last Names by Ashley Hamer (Listener question from Gregory)

Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps. (2012). Forebears.Io. https://forebears.io/surnames
Surnames & The Norman Conquest | Heritage Family History. (2016, September 3). Heritagefamilyhistory.co.uk. https://www.heritagefamilyhistory.co.uk/blog/2016/09/surnames-the-norman-conquest/
SCMP. (2016, November 17). South China Morning Post. https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/2046955/complex-origins-chinese-names-demystified
The Memi De-Shalit Database of Jewish Family Names at Beit Hatfutsot. (2020). Beit Hatfutsot. https://www.bh.org.il/databases/family-names/jewish-family-names-introduction/
Muraskin, B. (2014, January 8). Jewish Surnames Explained. Slate Magazine; Slate. https://slate.com/human-interest/2014/01/ashkenazi-names-the-etymology-of-the-most-common-jewish-surnames.html

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, you're about to get smarter in just a few minutes with Curiosity Daily from
0:04.7	Curiosity.com. I'm Cody Goff. And I'm Ashley Hamer. Today you learn about why
0:08.8	opposites don't really attract and how physical distance affects the way we feel about other people.
0:14.7	We'll wrap up with a listener question about when and why we started using last names.
0:19.1	Let's set us some curiosity.
0:21.3	We're releasing this episode on Valentine's Day, so we just had to get into some
0:25.2	relationship research, starting with that old saying that opposites attract.
0:29.8	You know, the idea that maybe creative types fall for analytical types or messy people end up with tidy people?
0:36.0	Well, I've got some news for you.
0:38.0	Science says that idea is a big old myth.
0:42.0	According to research, we're most attracted to people who have similar attitudes, personalities, interests, and values to our own.
0:50.0	That's right. We love to tell ourselves that opposites attract, but since the 1950s,
0:55.0	social scientists have conducted more than 240 studies to determine whether similarity or difference is what most leads to attraction.
1:03.0	In 2013, two psychologists looked at all the results of these studies put together
1:08.0	in a meta-analysis published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.
1:12.0	What they found was pretty conclusive. in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.
1:13.0	What they found was pretty conclusive.
1:15.6	There's a strong undeniable association between being similar to another person and being attracted
1:20.8	to that person.
1:21.8	In other words, there is essentially no research evidence
1:24.9	that differences in personality, interests, education,
1:28.2	politics, upbringing, religion, or other traits
	...

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