Time and again, we’ve heard the assertion that we’re attracted to partners who look like our parents.
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An example is a study in which Scottish researcher David Perrett of the University of St. Andrews found that men often favor women who resemble their mother when choosing mates. Similarly, the study showed that women prefer male faces that resemble their fathers.
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While such findings can be taken as an indication of possible sexual imprinting, where a young person develops preferences for a mate by using a parent model, this interpretation has a catch: a partner who looks like our parents, looks similar to ourselves. After all, on average, we share 50 percent of our genetic material with our mothers and 50 percent of our genetic material with our fathers.
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So, what was it that people liked about the manipulated faces: a resemblance to their own mother or father or perhaps similarities to themselves? Or was it just that the photos were somehow recognizable?
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Beyond physical characteristics, similarities like comparable education level, social environment, worldview, value systems and lifestyles tend to promote mutual attraction. Or, as the saying goes, “Birds of a feather flock together.”
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