Birds of a feather flock together. Discuss and defend your position with evidence.

Birds of a feather flock together. Discuss and defend your position with evidence.

Friends, engaged couples and spouses are far more likely than randomly paired people to share common attitudes, beliefs and values. Furthermore, the greater the similarity between husband and wife, the happier they are and the less likely they are to divorce. Such correlational findings are intriguing. But cause and effect remain an enigma. Does similarity lead to liking? Or does liking lead to similarity?

Dr. Morry has been interested in determining if similarity lets to attraction to if the opposite is true- that attraction leads to perceptions of similarity. I one study participants were asked to rate their own and their friends locus of control and friendship satisfaction. As Dr. Morry expected, participants perceived their friends to be similar to themselves, however these perceptions did not match the friends self-ratings. Instead participants perceptions reflected a belief in their friends similarly to themselves.

In other studies it was shown that the desire for similar mates outweighs the desire for beautiful mates. Studies of newlyweds reveal that similar attitudes, traits and values help bring couples together and predict their satisfaction. Similarity breeds contentment-birds of a feather do flock together.