Home / Science / Do You Date Your Brother? Science Says Yes!
Do You Date Your Brother? Science Says Yes!
5 Feb
Summary
- Women prefer partners who resemble them facially, study finds.
- Men tend to prefer partners who look dissimilar to them.
- Personality similarity matters most for social status alignment.
New research from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology suggests that women are more attracted to men who resemble their brothers or themselves. Analyzing over 40,000 users on a dating platform, scientists used AI to assess facial and personality similarities. The findings indicate a clear preference among women for men with similar facial features, which researchers theorize could be a heuristic for trustworthiness stemming from parental investment.
In contrast, men were found to prefer women with dissimilar facial features, a phenomenon the study links to evolutionary mechanisms for avoiding inbreeding and enhancing genetic diversity. When it comes to personality, socio-economic status emerged as the most significant factor. Women rated high-status men more positively if their personalities matched, whereas men showed less favor towards high-status women with similar personalities, suggesting a perceived deviation from traditional gender roles.
The phenomenon of couples looking alike has been observed anecdotally, with social media accounts dedicated to such pairings. Previous studies have explored this, with some suggesting couples may converge in appearance over time. However, a 2020 Stanford University study debunked this, concluding that spouses tend to look similar from the outset rather than developing likenesses later in marriage.
