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Why some old lovers look alike
(LiveScience.com)
Updated: 2006-02-15 08:43
Forget about opposites attracting. We like people who look like us, because
they tend to have personalities similar to our own.
And, a new study suggests, the longer we are with someone, the more
similarities in appearance grow.
Researchers set out to investigate why couples often tend to resemble one
another. They asked 11 male and 11 female participants to judge the age,
attractiveness and personality traits of 160 real-life married couples.
Photographs of husbands and wives were viewed separately, so the participants
didn't know who was married to whom.
The test participants rated men and woman who were actual couples as looking
alike and having similar personalities. Also, the longer the couples had been
together, the greater the perceived similarities.
The researchers speculate that the sharing of experiences might affect how
couples look.
A biological reason
The idea that there is a connection between appearance and personality might
seem odd at first, but there could be biological reasons for a link, said study
member Tony Little from the University of Liverpool in England.
"Testosterone is linked to masculine face shapes and it also affects
behavior," Little told LiveScience. "Also, the face displays our emotions and
over time emotional expressions may become written in the face."
For example, someone who smiles a lot may develop lines and muscles that are
suggestive of someone who is happy.
Other studies have shown that partners who are genetically similar to each
other tend to have happier marriages. Similarities in personalities and physical
features might be one way to gauge genetic similarity.
Smiles and eyes
The new study, to be detailed in the March issue of the journal Personality
and Individual Differences, indicates that people home in on a variety of
different features when using facial appearance to make decisions about
someone's personality and that the particular cues focused on change from face
to face. Vital to the decision, however, are eyes and smiles.
"Smiles are important social cues that may tell us whether or not someone is
friendly and eyes are also a traditional focus of attention," Little said.
Overall face shape can be important too. For example, the combination of
masculine features, large chins, and dominant brow ridges can create an
impression of disagreeableness and being unwilling to cooperate, Little
said.
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