Are you dating your polar opposite? How 1 in 4 Americans make it work

This story version has been formatted as an on-air script for broadcast outlets. See the original research story here.

DO OPPOSITES TRULY ATTRACT?

A QUARTER OF COUPLED-UP AMERICANS SAY THEIR PARTNER IS THEIR ‘POLAR OPPOSITE,’ ACCORDING TO NEW RESEARCH FROM LELO (LAY-LOW.)

THE SURVEY OF 2,000 AMERICANS IN A RELATIONSHIP OR MARRIED REVEALED THAT WOMEN ARE MORE LIKELY TO BELIEVE THAT OPPOSITES ATTRACT (74% VS. 69%).

NOT ONLY THAT, INTROVERTS TEND TO PREFER EXTROVERTS (58%), AND EXTROVERTS TEND TO PREFER INTROVERTS (55%), AND ARIES, LIBRAS AND SCORPIOS ARE LIKELIEST TO BELIEVE THAT OPPOSITES ATTRACT (76% EACH), WHILE TAURUSES ARE THE MOST SKEPTICAL (16%).

SO HOW ABOUT YOU? ARE YOU IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR DOPPELGANGER OR YOUR POLAR OPPOSITE? WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

HOW RESPONDENTS AND THEIR PARTNERS FIT INTO “OPPOSITES ATTRACT”

• I'm social and extroverted and he is shy and introverted
• I like to be active but my wife is a couch potato
• My partner is serious and I am super friendly with everyone
• He likes to sleep in a messy bed with lots of covers and I like a neat bed with less covers
• My husband is very calm, nothing upsets him and I am the total opposite: I get mad very quickly
• I’m a huge worrier and he is the opposite
• My husband loves all types of food, I have a very limited palate
• I am a night owl and he is a morning person
• My partner loves quiet nights in, while I enjoy going out and socializing
• I am very calm and like a plan and my husband is spontaneous and carefree
• My husband looks at short-term plans, while I tend to look at long-term planning
• He loves the mountains and hates the beach. I love the beach and choose it over the mountains
• He's a country boy and I'm a city girl

Survey methodology:

Talker Research surveyed 2,000 Americans in a relationship; the survey was commissioned by LELO and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between Sep. 18 and Sep. 24, 2025.

We are sourcing from a non-probability frame and the two main sources we use are:

• Traditional online access panels — where respondents opt-in to take part in online market research for an incentive
• Programmatic — where respondents are online and are given the option to take part in a survey to receive a virtual incentive usually related to the online activity they are engaging in

Those who did not fit the specified sample were terminated from the survey. As the survey is fielded, dynamic online sampling is used, adjusting targeting to achieve the quotas specified as part of the sampling plan.

Regardless of which sources a respondent came from, they were directed to an Online Survey, where the survey was conducted in English; a link to the questionnaire can be shared upon request. Respondents were awarded points for completing the survey. These points have a small cash-equivalent monetary value.

Cells are only reported on for analysis if they have a minimum of 80 respondents, and statistical significance is calculated at the 95% level. Data is not weighted, but quotas and other parameters are put in place to reach the desired sample.

Interviews are excluded from the final analysis if they failed quality-checking measures. This includes:

• Speeders: Respondents who complete the survey in a time that is quicker than one-third of the median length of interview are disqualified as speeders
• Open ends: All verbatim responses (full open-ended questions as well as other please specify options) are checked for inappropriate or irrelevant text
• Bots: Captcha is enabled on surveys, which allows the research team to identify and disqualify bots
• Duplicates: Survey software has “deduping” based on digital fingerprinting, which ensures nobody is allowed to take the survey more than once

It is worth noting that this survey was only available to individuals with internet access, and the results may not be generalizable to those without internet access.