From the famous couples like Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix to Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons, it’s not uncommon for celebrity pairs to resemble each other. However, this phenomenon extends beyond the realm of the rich and famous. An Instagram page called @siblingsordating is dedicated to sharing pictures of couples who bear an uncanny resemblance to each other. This begs the question: why are we attracted to people who look like us?
Recent speed dating experiments shed light on this phenomenon, revealing that we find people who look similar to us more attractive. This preference stems from perceiving them as kind and trustworthy. When someone looks similar to us, it creates a sense of kinship, which, in turn, fosters pro-social behavior and increases the likelihood of forming a romantic bond.
This study comes in the wake of the emergence of a new term coined “doppelbanger,” referring to dating someone who closely resembles us. Notably, celebrity couples like Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix exemplify this phenomenon.
The University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, conducted this new study, which delves into the facial traits that make people attractive. It explores factors like similarity to oneself, masculinity or femininity of facial features, and the perception of kindness or pro-social behavior. Lead study author Amy Zhao emphasizes that facial similarity plays a crucial role in attraction, as individuals who rated their partners as attractive tended to resemble them.
Previous research has attempted to explain why we are drawn to individuals who resemble us, often attributing it to a subconscious attraction to family members. Hungarian scientists discovered that women tend to choose partners who resemble their fathers, while men were more likely to pursue relationships with women who resembled their mothers. Similarly, a French study found that some men are particularly attracted to women whose features have been digitally manipulated to resemble their own.
To investigate these facial attraction traits further, the team organized speed-dating interactions involving 682 heterosexual participants. A total of 2,285 interactions were recorded, with participants rating their partners’ facial attractiveness and kindness after each three-minute encounter. Photos of participants were used to determine facial similarities between couples. The results revealed that facial similarity significantly influenced perceptions of attractiveness. Participants also received higher facial attractiveness ratings from partners of the same ethnicity.
Interestingly, facial similarity continued to predict ratings of kindness, regardless of whether the partner belonged to the same or a different ethnic background. The psychologists propose that similar faces create a sense of kinship, fostering trust and a belongingness. It is worth noting that previous studies have suggested that cues of kinship can decrease sexual desirability due to an unconscious awareness of the potential costs of inbreeding. Nevertheless, the team argues that there is likely a genetic basis for attractiveness preferences and that certain facial features potentially signal fitness benefits.
Furthermore, the study found that facial masculinity positively influenced attractiveness ratings of men but inversely affected attractiveness ratings of women. This finding aligns with previous research demonstrating the association between facial masculinity and perceived attractiveness.
The team acknowledges that prior studies in this field have had limitations, often involving participants rating photographs or computer-generated faces. They stress the need for further investigation into whether the objective facial characteristics discovered in this study translate to real-life couples.
Contrary to the notion that opposites attract, research has consistently shown that people tend to pair up with partners who resemble them. Celebrities such as Kristen Stewart and Courteney Cox exemplify this tendency. The phenomenon is not exclusive to the world of fame; an Instagram page, @siblingsordating, is dedicated to showcasing couples who share striking resemblances.
There is a possibility that we are inherently drawn to individuals who resemble us due to the sense of familiarity or kinship it evokes. A study conducted in France in 2012 found that over a third of men were most attracted to images of women manipulated to resemble their own features. Additionally, the idea that couples start to resemble each other more over time has been both supported and debunked by separate studies. A recent study from Stanford University found no evidence of couples morphing into each other as they age, suggesting that spouses’ faces are inherently similar from the start.
In conclusion, the concept of attraction based on facial similarity remains a fascinating topic of study. The University of Queensland’s research sheds light on the innate desire to connect with individuals who resemble us, attributing it to perceptions of kindness, trustworthiness, and a sense of belonging. Further exploration into this subject will undoubtedly contribute to our understanding of human attraction and relationship dynamics.
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