Doppelgängers Share More Than Just Looks – Interesting DNA Connection Unveiled by New Study

Apparently, there are genetic and lifestyle similarities between unrelated lookalikes – besides the looks.

Have you ever wondered if there is someone out there who looks exactly like you? A person who could be your twin, but is not related to you by blood? This phenomenon is known as having a doppelgänger, which means “double walker” in German. Doppelgängers are unrelated individuals who possess remarkably similar physical traits to the extent that, on occasion, they could easily be mistaken for twins, or at the very least, siblings.

But what makes doppelgängers look so alike? Is it just a coincidence, or is there something more behind their resemblance? A new study published in the journal Cell Reports says that these lookalikes share more than meets the eye: besides their highly similar facial features they also have commonalities in both genes and lifestyle traits.

The study was based on 32 pairs of unrelated doppelgängers from around the world, who were recruited thanks to the work of Canadian artist and photographer François Brunelle. Brunelle has been globetrotting since 1999 to capture intimate portraits of unrelated individuals who bear a striking resemblance to each other for his “I’m not a look-alike!” project.

The researchers asked the doppelgänger pairs to answer questions about their lifestyles and submit samples of their DNA. Using facial recognition software, the team analyzed the photos of the doppelgängers and computed a score to quantify their facial similarity. They found that half of the pairs had scores that were comparable to those of identical twins.

To explore the depth of similarities, the researchers then looked at the DNA of participants who closely resembled each other. Among the 16 pairs, nine displayed significant shared genetic variations called single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 3,730 genes. As geneticist Manel Esteller told Gizmodo, these pairs are “therefore like virtual twins.”

Interestingly, the lookalikes also shared similar lifestyles, including weight, height, education levels, and smoking history. But despite the similar genetics and traits, their microbial communities and expressed traits influenced by past generations were notably divergent.

From a nature versus nurture standpoint, this implies that the resemblance between doppelgängers is predominantly influenced by DNA rather than shared life experiences or environmental factors. These insights not only offer hints about the genetic foundation of our facial features, and potentially other aspects of our body and personality, but also underscore the extent to which our identity and characteristics are inherited versus acquired during our lifetime.

Most intriguingly, the genetic parallels among unrelated doppelgängers appear to arise by chance, suggesting that the potential variations in the human genome are not limitless, particularly on a planet approaching a population of 8 billion. Somewhere, there’s likely someone with your face, and this unrelated look-alike might share more with you than meets the eye.

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Of course, this also raises intriguing questions about how we perceive ourselves and others. Do we feel more connected to our genetic doppelgängers than to strangers who look different from us? Do we judge people based on their resemblance to us or to someone we know? Do we have a subconscious attraction or aversion to our look-alikes?

The research findings suggest that we might find out sooner than later.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4