Science File / An exploration of issues and trends affecting science, medicine and the environment

Q: Do married couples actually begin to look alike after many years?

A: Yes, according to research by psychologist Robert Zajonc of the University of Michigan. Zajonc obtained individual photos of husbands and wives when they were young and after many years of marriage and blacked out the backgrounds. Independent judges were able to match up the older pictures of the couples much more successfully than the younger pictures. Although similar diets might contribute to the facial resemblance, Zajonc speculates that years of unconsciously mimicking each other’s expressions causes couple’s faces to adopt the same general shape.