Interpersonal attraction

I have heard a lot of times that "opposites attract," especially when it comes to romantic relationships. However, in chapter 15 it discussed that married and dating couples tend to be similar in age, race, religion, social class, education, intelligence, physical attractiveness, and attitudes. There are also similarites among friends. The theory used to explain this trend is that similarity causes attraction. But research has also found that attraction can lead to similarity, which is caused attitude alighment. I can see both sides of these results. When I think back to how I formed my friendships and my relationships, I can see that initially the connection happened out of similarities instead of differences. I could relate to the people I was talking to, through anything from similar tastes in music to events that have happened in their life. Relating to them helped build the foundation of our friendship. However, I can see that over time I have unknowingly adapted similar interests and attitudes as those of my closest friends and significant other. They introduced me to new music, movies, and ideas. Their knowledge and experience impacted me in subtle ways. For instance, my boyfriend introduced me to his favorite television show, which is now also my favorite show. We have formed more similarites over time because of introducing each other to new ideas and because the time we spend together can unconsciously form us to become more alike in personality or attitudes. My theory is that interpersonal attraction is initially caused by actual similiarites accidentally shared by two people, but over time more similarities develop due to the connection you have and the time you spend with that person.