One of the most widely believed dating myths has been proven to be incorrect

The world of dating is a complex and difficult terrain with many hurdles to overcome before a date can be deemed "successful." Despite the changes in dating over the last few years - with Tinder and Bumble becoming key players in the way we meet and interact with each other - there are still some old conventions that have stuck around.

Issues such as who pays for the date, where you go and what you should wear etc still exist - but, with the rise in dating apps, it can also be hard to know what your type is. Seeing as you know very little about these people before you decide to spend a few hours in their company, it's impossible to know whether they're the right fit for you or whether you are going to spend two hours in awkward silence, before heading home as your "shower is leaking everywhere."

Despite this, the old train of thought that "opposites attract" is still used by the majority of us on dating apps, with plenty of people seeking a partner who has different interests to them.

While the notion has been around since the days of Shakespeare, it turns out that it might not actually be true. According to research collated by Dutch psychologist Pieternel Dijkstra in 2008, 86 percent of people claim to be looking for a partner that has opposite traits to them.

It is easy to see why we would do this - we are constantly told that variety is the spice of life and it's something that plenty of us seem to be looking for in our relationships. I mean, at the end of the day, who wants to go out with someone who is exactly the same as themselves; it would get boring, right?

Well, according to psychologist Matthew D. Johnson, we're all guilty of getting it wrong. It turns out, in fact, that opposites do not attract.

Johnson argues that - scientifically speaking - people are actually attracted to others who are similar to them. He claims that, since the 1950s, scientists have conducted over 240 studies to determine whether similarity in terms of attitudes, personality traits, outside interests, values and other characteristics leads to attraction.

Johnson goes onto explain that in 2013, psychologists examined the combined results of the research and that the results actually revealed something markedly different to the common association regarding our attraction to others.

"They found an irrefutable association between being similar to and being interested in the other person.

"In other words, there is clear and convincing evidence that birds of a feather flock together."

So while we may think that opposites attract, it turns out that isn't the case in the slightest. In other words, if you're a left wing, arty and creative type - don't go out with a right-leaning, practical thinker: it won't work.

Now, I don't know about you, but I'm going to have to change my Tinder tactic. Is there anyone out there who is broke, spends all their money on trainers and just eats pizza? If so, get at me.