Apples Fucking Oranges

We’ve all heard it — opposites attract. Scientifically speaking, there is sound evidence to prove this phenomenon, but why does it also prove true socially speaking?

It could be because as we grow older we tend to define ourselves with boundaries as to what we are and what we aren’t. We categorize and compare ourselves using opposing values in order to establish ourselves. But in this struggle to create an identity that is unique, we tend to look for friends or partners that spark our interest with qualities contrasting our own. It is the ever alluring idea of their opposite qualities that draws us in. A momentary release of an untapped potential is reflected back in this other person and causes a simultaneous sense of fascination and fright.

For example, like when the good girl meets the bad boy, they have a whirlwind romance because each opens the other’s eyes to a world of possibilities. You can change the roles, scenarios and labels, but most of the time, we find ourselves attracted to those who are different, or opposite, from us because they mirror back an image of ourselves that could otherwise go unrealized.

Whether we see something we like or not, we get to vicariously live out another life or experience uncharted worlds through that opposing world view. And if we look past the obvious differences and negotiate with the similarities, we find a balance that will push us to improve and expand
ourselves.

This attraction sparks an unspoken compromise between two worlds to take the best both have to offer.