The Surprising Way We Pick Our Match

Sounds like the plot from some futuristic sci-fi movie, right? Well it may not be as far-fetched as it sounds. New research published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that many of us might subconsciously choose mates with similar DNA profiles to our own.

Researchers studied 825 heterosexual couples, and found that each subject’s DNA was more similar to that of their partner than to the other, unrelated participants in the study.

Of course, DNA may only tell part of the story; scientists also found that subjects with similar DNA had equivalent levels of education. And the association between partners and their level of schooling was three times stronger than that of having similar genes. In other words, matching education levels were a much better indicator of compatibility than DNA.

Regardless, the DNA link raises some interesting questions. We already knew that we tend to be most attracted to those with similar traits to our own, but this is the first discovery of any genome-related explanation for compatibility.

We still have lots of questions, but for now, it seems that opposites may not really attract after all!