There are some laws that require a closer evaluation from time to time, because laws in general are not irrefutable and often have to be adjusted. However, there is one law that we rarely examine, despite so many instances of misuse, and this would be the Law of Attraction. I often get the sense that this is a law that is frequently applied yet seldom understood, and as anyone can tell you, if you don’t read the signs before parking, you are asking for trouble!
I am not sure how you would define it for yourself, but I tend to split the law into two areas: physical attraction; and emotional compatibility. This makes it easier for me to point out where we “break the law” so often, and why we should not be surprised at ourselves when this happens. Everyone understands physical attraction because there are bodily sensations that usually go along with it: heart rate increases, skin flushes, stomach butterflies, etc. And perhaps it is also easy to understand emotional compatibility for its benchmarks: shared values, common interests, mutual respect, attunement, feeling safe. Where we get into trouble is when we lump the two areas together and allow a “Yes” vote in one area to influence or even override the voting procedure in the other. For example, it is very easy to assume emotional compatibility because we find ourselves attracted physically to someone. Some of it may just be wishful thinking, but it can really get us into trouble if we stop the evaluation process right there.
We all know people who drink Diet Coke, and then think that this action alone will help them lose weight without changing any of their other habits. This is similar to the way most people approach finding a mate, thinking that physical attraction is enough to bring about a resulting “good” relationship. And yet we all know that in addition to drinking low calorie drinks, losing weight also requires healthy eating and exercise. Comparatively, when looking for a partner, you don’t have to throw out physical attraction—instead just add to the process. Maybe this is why it is referred to as “chemistry”, since it is a process of combined elements!
Like many people, I have made the “mistake” of deciding on someone’s compatibility without a more thorough evaluation period. I suspect that the necessity of an “evaluation period” is one of the main reasons we lean more on physical attraction—it takes less time! Determining emotional compatibility requires repeated exposure to the other to allow attunement to build, trust to develop, and vulnerability to rise. All of these ingredients are important keys to compatibility, and though some might argue that something like “trust” is a decision, I would contribute that it is a decision we make based on supportive evidence. We decide we can trust someone because we have a history of trusting experiences with them; we allow ourselves to be vulnerable because we have a history of feeling safe around them; and attunement builds through prolonged closeness and intimacy. The common denominator in all of these? Time. This is quite different from physical attraction, which can often show itself in a matter of seconds—sometimes the actual person does not even need to be present!
To sum up, it helps to think of the whole process like a recipe. There are certain ingredients that are required, and the others can be altered or replaced. Unlike baking, which is often extremely precise, your dating recipe can change with the mood—add a little more fun activities here, a little less making out in the car there. Throw in a dash of trying something new together, stir, and bake. We all know what happens when we leave out key ingredients in our recipe—the result exposes shortcuts that were taken, and we are suddenly not so hungry anymore! Resist taking shortcuts with the processes involved in determining emotional compatibility and you have a better chance of ending up with a result you can enjoy. As everyone always says about a great dish: “It was worth all the time that went into it”!