The Science of Mating

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The 180-dating trend on social media is about going for the "opposite" of your type.

A breakup can be a good opportunity to see how you might want to change your dating preferences.

The degree to which 180-dating works depends on how earnestly you want to learn about yourself and others.

So you have been recovering from a breakup and are ready to circle back to the dating market. Will you be seeking more of the same as your ex? Or is it time to follow this whole "180-dating" trend on social media and the internet—namely, going for someone who is the opposite? Well, whether you make such a 180-degree turn does depend on the degree to which you truly know yourself and have already tried different things.

A Breakup Is a Good Opportunity to Reassess Your Dating Preferences

A breakup is sort of like the end of a sports season when a team didn't win the championship and typically reassesses its entire strategy, approach, and personnel and determines what changes are needed for the next season. That's because finishing anywhere but on top is usually a sign that something wasn't completely right.

Similarly, breakups don't typically result from you and your ex fitting just too darn well with each other. Instead, some significant mismatch was there. Or maybe even multiple red-flag-level mismatches that you simply didn't notice while you were too busy listening to your body, your fear of being single, or whatever you shouldn't have been listening to so much.........

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