A common rule of magnets is that opposites attract, but some people may think this rule applies elsewhere.

“It relationships you have to find some contrast,” junior Scott Ring said. “You want to find someone who has equal parts in common with you as uncommon. Then you have things to explore.”

Sophomore Hannah Thomasson agreed with Ring’s statement.

“If you’re the same person you’ll always be competing with one another.” Thomasson said.

Junior Jared Thom elaborated on this thought.

“I’ve seen examples of people being too much alike, and that doesn’t work at all,” Thom said. “They just fight a lot. It’s a constant battle because each person moves with the same strategy. Nobody can win.”

The flip side, being too different, can also lead to difficulties.

“Sometimes my friend date people who are complete opposites from them,” sophomore Grant Coffman said. “It may work out, or it may not. I’ve seen it where they can hardly talk to each other because they’re so different.”

Thom spoke out about his personal current experience with the topic.

“I don’t think my girlfriend and I are necessarily opposites,” Thom said. “We’re similar, but not completely alike. We share some interests, but we’re still separate people. That’s what keeps our relationship interesting.”

Other students spoke of past experiences.

“I’ve had relationships where we’re either too alike or too different,” sophomore Angel Bryant said. “He’d ask to go to a movie I didn’t want to see, and I’d try to get him to do stuff he didn’t like. We never cared about the same things. There’s nothing that can come out of that.”

Freshman Taya Randle finds that you can make good of your differences.

“It’s good to be different,” Randle said. “You broaden your horizons and learn how to get along, even if it doesn’t work out. It’s good to explore and be open-minded.”

The only people who can make a relationship work are the two people in it.

“I feel like you and your partner shouldn’t be alike at all,” sophomore Cooper Flores said. “It causes conflicts in relationships, which is part of growing. If everything runs too smoothly, it gets boring and ends.”

17mcrees@usd489.com