Women May Prefer Romantic Partners Who Resemble Their Brothers, Psychology

Women May Prefer Romantic Partners Who Resemble Their Brothers, As Ultimate Sign Of Narcissism



Women may prefer to date someone who reminds them of their brother.


You may have heard the old adage that women look for partners that remind them of their father, but a new study has suggested that may be a bit askew, and it’s actually their brother that women strive to replicate in a romantic partner. Of course, before you get too grossed out the evidence is weak, only slightly higher than “chance” and is likely just further evidence to human narcissism, after no one looks more like you than a sibling.

The study, published online in Evolution and Human Behaviour Journal, found “clear evidence for perceptual similarity in facial photographs of a woman’s partner and her brother”, with likeliness that a woman’s partner would resemblance her brother being a little bit over chance, 27 percent, The Independent reported. According to the researchers, this finding may back the idea that “familiarity is attractive” and that, in reality opposites don’t attract as often as we like to think they do.

"[Our findings] were not a rule or true of every woman but we do find that, at levels greater than chance, partners did show some subtle resemblance to the women's brothers," lead researcher Tamsin Saxton told The Independent.


The study involved having strangers look at a photograph of a woman’s brother, and then choosing an image of a man from a pile which they believed most resembled the brother. The images were made up of three non-related strangers and one photograph of the woman’s romantic partner. Ultimately, 27 percent of the time, the volunteers chose the woman’s romantic partner as the man who most resembled the woman’s brother. The volunteers were not aware of the identity of any of the men, and blindly gave their opinion on which men most closely resembled one another.

Dating a man who somewhat resemblances your brother in no way means that you want to date your brother. If anything, it’s only further indication that you want to date yourself, but instead you’ve settled for someone who resembles the one person in this world who is most genetically similar to you. Psychologists suggest that we not only go for a partner that is similar to us in looks, but also in personality and beliefs.

Psychology Today reported that we may be drawn to like-minded individuals because it affirms that our own characteristics are not only normal, but also desirable. In addition, a 2005 study found that certain qualities, such as having similar personality qualities, such as being anxious, extroverted, or conscientious, resulted in happier marriages among newly weds.

Of course, if you’re not entirely sold on the idea that we’re attracted to similar mates because we’re all giant narcissists, how about this. One study suggested that we are more likely to go after someone similar to ourselves because we’ve accepted that most people aren’t capable of making big personality changes. That’s why we go for those who are compatible with what we need now, because ultimately, while opposite may have that instant romantic spark, it's the like-minded couple that really stand the test of time.

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