This was my favorite assignment of the items to archive because I was able to see firsthand, through people I know, how easily people may latch on to a common sense heuristic. Although the participants did have time to consider the question, the majority of them just accepted the psychologists’ findings, despite the claim not being backed by any real data. This showed me how easily we will acceptable data from more reputable people, including friends. I easily could have been lying, but they decided to trust me because of our relationship. Additionally, I found it interesting that the participants who were faced with information that opposed the norm of opposites attracting were more analytical in their approach compared to those that were given information that supported a norm (although it was a small sample that I collected data from).

Photos like this one have romanticized the concept of opposites attracting, although historically I would assume that this would suggest that men and women were socialized to act in totally different ways, as men were given more authority in society. Seeing this norm challenged through this assignment was interesting to me, because it also helped me to think about other social norms that still may be toxic to us if we consider the underlying rationale behind why it exists.