According to folk beliefs, couples living together often exhibit similar facial features, a phenomenon referred to as “couple resemblance.” So, is couple resemblance a real phenomenon? Why do couples often resemble each other?
Couple Resemblance
We often hear elders say: “These two look alike, they must have couple resemblance; they will definitely become a married couple.” Couple resemblance is believed to stem from a connection formed earlier or some kind of mutual influence that ensures they will marry each other later.
Photo: todaysseniorsnetwork.com.
Couples in Love Often Resemble Each Other
Science offers several hypotheses for why this occurs, but one of the most popular explanations is a phenomenon known as “the mere exposure effect.” According to this, people tend to develop preferences for things that feel familiar to them.
An article published in the journal PLOS One analyzed photographs taken of couples when they first marry and then 25 years later. Experts found that most couples begin to look alike in the later photographs. This may likely result from a phenomenon known as “empathic mimicry,” which occurs between individuals who have a close bond.
Due to their closeness, they gradually develop a higher degree of empathy towards each other, leading to unconscious mimicry. Couples may mimic each other’s facial expressions, and over time, they develop similar facial features.
Additionally, when two people frequently post pictures together, whenever someone encounters one of them, they will likely associate and imagine the other person. This could be the reason why people feel that long-term couples start to resemble each other.
The similarities in life also contribute to physical resemblance. (Illustrative photo.)
Explanation
Livescience reports that psychologist Robert Zajonc from the University of Michigan analyzed photographs of couples when they were newlyweds and 25 years later. The results showed that many older couples resemble each other more than they did when they first married. The higher the level of happiness in family life, the greater the likelihood of physical resemblance over time.
Zajonc suggests that older couples begin to look alike because they mimic each other’s mood expressions and facial features. In other words, if one partner has a knack for humor and often laughs, the other will gradually become humorous and laugh more.
A 2006 study from the University of Liverpool in the UK demonstrated that men and women are more attracted to the opposite sex who have similar personalities. Scientists asked volunteers to view personal photographs (of both men and women) and predict the personalities of the individuals in the photos.
The volunteers were unaware that many of the men and women in the photographs were married couples. However, when experts asked them to select the pairs of men and women who looked the most alike, the majority of volunteers correctly identified long-married couples.
By natural instinct, we often feel attracted to people with similar DNA to our own.
Scientists believe that, by natural instinct, we are generally more attracted to people who share similar DNA. In a study involving twins, a group of experts from Western Ontario University in Canada discovered that the spouses of twins tend to share similar gene sets. Furthermore, the partners of twins also possess a higher degree of physical resemblance compared to those of non-twin couples.
Next, dietary habits are also considered a contributing factor. Naturally, weight gain or loss depends on one’s diet and individual physique. However, for example, if a couple’s meals contain a lot of fatty foods, their faces and figures may become rounder over time.
The environment can also be seen as a reason. Couples living in the same household or partners who share similar weather conditions will experience similar external influences on their skin, such as sunlight, rain, temperature, and humidity. Consequently, they may exhibit similarities in skin and other features.
Additionally, there have previously been theories, such as the suggestion from the legendary psychologist Freud, that we seek partners that subconsciously remind us of our parents.
A modern study indeed found that heterosexual individuals rated images of potential partners as more attractive when they bore resemblance to their father or mother. It is normal for us to resemble our parents. Therefore, under this “bridging” nature, the person we find attractive may also resemble ourselves.
