Today, despite the availability of the Internet, telephones, airplanes and other benefits of civilization, the choice of a partner is complicated by a number of factors: • the circle of friends is narrowed • the requirements for a future partner are increased (increasing in proportion to age) • the uniqueness of the personal make-up (and now we are all so individual , well-developed, but each in their own way) • ineffective strategies for finding a potential partner (sometimes people sincerely do not understand why searching for a healthy lifestyle specialist near a drink shop does not bear fruit), etc. In this regard, we are all interested in what factors influence the choice partner? Let's understand it from the point of view of social psychology. The factors for choosing a partner, as shown by the results of numerous studies, are: • Physical attractiveness of partners. Studies have shown that this factor acts exclusively in conjunction with others, such as common interests, attitudes, etc. Some authors believe that the coincidence of values ​​can become compensation for the low external attractiveness of a partner. There is also a study that showed that a direct relationship between physical attractiveness and attraction was established only in a situation of short interaction. • Age. It's no secret that men more often marry women younger than themselves. There is also evidence that the older a man gets, the younger his desired partner becomes. • Image of the parental family. We strive to either repeat the marriage and family history of our parents, or do everything differently. Certain stereotypes that a child develops in the parental family (about proper material security, family structure, positive and negative events in relationships, etc.) determine the choice of a partner and the relationship with him. The level of parental conflict is also considered to be the reason for the formation of a positive/negative model of marital relations. • Assortative characteristics. It can be either direct or reverse. With direct, we strive to choose a partner who is similar to us (in age, race, religious views, hobbies, etc.). With reverse assortativity, we tend to choose a partner who is not similar to us. • Complementarity (mutual complementarity) of needs. “We complement each other so much! He sings, I dance. And together we are an ensemble!” People always strive to maximize the satisfaction of their needs. This maximum can be achieved when the specific needs of the partners are complementary. • Gender-role stereotypes. “A woman/man should be..., want..., do...” (Who should it? Why? Who decided this?). At the same time, empirical research data indicate a sharp discrepancy between stereotypical ideas and the actual behavior of men and women. This causes serious difficulties in the process of choosing a partner, and also affects the further development of relationships in a couple. It is important to note that partnerships are unique and dynamic. They go through a number of stages in their development. Each of the above factors plays a decisive role at a certain stage in the existence of the dyad. There are interesting systems theories in social psychology that emphasize the relevance of certain factors for a certain stage of a relationship. For example, B. Murstein’s theory “Stimulus - value - role”. According to this theory, each of the partners, going through each stage, aims to make the best possible “acquisition”. Within this approach, three stages of relationships are distinguished: stimulus, value comparison stage and role. During the stimulus stage, the physical, social, and mental qualities of the partner are perceived, as well as the perception and assessment of those own qualities that may be attractive to another person. At the second stage, the partners discuss values, the set of which for each of them can be completely diverse. The third stage is extremely important, since