Why do old couples look alike?

Or Why women say they want a guy like dad? Annotated

Among the raft of books, articles, jokes, romantic comedies, self-help guides and other writings discussing marriage, some familiar ideas often crop up. Few appear more often than the idea that many old couples look alike. You’ve probably seen it before — two elderly people walking hand in hand down the street or sitting at a café, resembling each other so strongly that they could be siblings. Do these couples actually look alike, and if so, what’s caused them to develop this way?A study published in the March 2006 issue of “Personality and Individual Differences” may have the answer. Twenty-two people, divided equally between male and female, participated in the study. They were asked to judge the looks, personalities and ages of 160 married couples. The participants viewed photographs of men and women separately and were not told who was married to whom. The subjects consistently judged people who were married as being similar in appearance and personality. The researchers also found that couples who had been together longer appeared more similar.

Image courtesy Morgue File
An old couple’s experiences
can be reflected in their faces,
as evidenced by this unhappy pair.

The study also offered some answers on why couples may look alike. To start,consider that life experiences can end up being reflected physically. Genetic influences are also a factor. In another study, a researcher at the University of Western Ontario determined that when considering friends or romantic partners, a similar genetic profile made up about a third of the selection criteria.

We may think subconsciously that people who are genetically similar work better together. In other words, many women say they want a guy like dad.