4 Reasons Why You Should Date Your Opposite
By Emma Thorn
He was a morning person; she wouldn’t get out of bed before noon. He liked the cold; she’d rather be laying on the beach someplace tropical. He was an NSYNC fan, she preferred Backstreet Boys. You get the idea. On paper these two would not be caught dead at the same boy band concert, let alone take the plunge into relationship territory.
What did N’SNYC and your relationship have in common? You both broke up. I’ll even go as far to tell you why. Too similar is not good. While we can be thankful for that sometimes, i.e. Justin Timberlake’s solo career, it’s likely you won’t see the silver lining of your split. Mostly because of those damn rosy colored glasses we always seem to put on. Trust me, there is a reason you two didn’t last. The problem: not enough differences. While every relationship needs some common ground to stand on, I urge you to abandon your preconceived notions of what your partner should be like and take my advice, date your opposite.
1. It’ll shake up your routine
If you don’t think your routine is a problem for you, that’s a sign to shake things up ASAP. I know you love waking up at lunch time, but girl there is a whole different world out there before noon! You need to be with an early bird who rises at the crack of dawn and makes you coffee. Change is good, especially when it’s experienced with someone you’re really into. Hey, maybe then you can show him the perks of being a night owl; anyone else enjoy the sweet taste of Taco Bell late night as they wait for all three washers to be done!? That’s right. I came. I saw. I had the laundry room all to myself while you slept. Victory is mine.
2. A different perspective
When we are in a relationship we play more than one role. We’re not just a boyfriend/girlfriend; we’re a cheerleader, a friend, and more often than not, a therapist. It’s only natural to confide in the people closest to us- the people we trust the most. So when we date someone with different problems than our own, we see a completely new side of life we hadn’t been exposed to before. There is something so very interesting about that. You will also get the best advice from them, because it’s advice you’d never think of. While you gotta love those friends that stand by you even when they know you’re in the wrong, sometimes we all need that one person to tell us that, hey, maybe we shouldn’t dye our hair purple right before the big interview.
3. There will be so much room for activities
Well, I mean you will get a whole new set of them- music, movies, hobbies. That TV series on Netflix you’ve never even heard of? Wow! Who knew this show existed?! Oh, your S/O did? Time to binge watch together until you’re both caught up to the new season. Dating your opposite comes with the perks of discovering new passions and obsessions you never knew you had, because you never had a reason to try them. Plus, there is just something immensely satisfying about sharing your favorite past times with the person you care about. Unless it’s your celebrity hair collection- keep that shit hidden.
4. You become more “you”
When you date someone with a different outlook than you, it sparks debate, bringing to light things you might not even had realized you were passionate about. This person is going to make you say, “Wait, what?!” Maybe you never had to give much thought to who you are. Maybe you’ve always been perfectly content eating your eggs scrambled every morning. That is, until someone shows you there’s more than one way to do things. They are going to sunny side flip your entire world upside down. And it will be awesome.