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| Women pick men who look like dad | Women pick men who look like dad |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Women tend to choose husbands who look like their fathers, a study shows. | Women tend to choose husbands who look like their fathers, a study shows. |
| And it works both ways - the women in the Proceedings B study also resembled their partner's mother. | And it works both ways - the women in the Proceedings B study also resembled their partner's mother. |
| The latest work from the University of Pécs in Hungary provides yet more evidence for the phenomenon, known as sexual imprinting. | The latest work from the University of Pécs in Hungary provides yet more evidence for the phenomenon, known as sexual imprinting. |
| Others have shown women use dads as a template for picking a mate even if they are adopted, suggesting imprinting is led by experience not simply genes. | Others have shown women use dads as a template for picking a mate even if they are adopted, suggesting imprinting is led by experience not simply genes. |
| This notion is backed by other work showing the imprinting link is lost on women who did not have good relationships with their fathers. | This notion is backed by other work showing the imprinting link is lost on women who did not have good relationships with their fathers. |
| Zoe's husband Norman Cook looks like... | Zoe's husband Norman Cook looks like... |
| The Hungarian team measured the facial proportions of the members of 52 families. | The Hungarian team measured the facial proportions of the members of 52 families. |
| They found significant correlations between the young men and their fathers-in-law, especially on facial proportions belonging to the central area of face - nose and eyes. | They found significant correlations between the young men and their fathers-in-law, especially on facial proportions belonging to the central area of face - nose and eyes. |
| Women also showed resemblance to their mothers-in-law in the facial characteristics of their lower face - lips and jaw. | Women also showed resemblance to their mothers-in-law in the facial characteristics of their lower face - lips and jaw. |
| Lead researcher Tamas Bereczkei said: "Our results support the sexual imprinting hypothesis which states that children shape a mental template of their opposite-sex parents and search for a partner who resembles that perceptual schema." | Lead researcher Tamas Bereczkei said: "Our results support the sexual imprinting hypothesis which states that children shape a mental template of their opposite-sex parents and search for a partner who resembles that perceptual schema." |
| ...Zoe's dad Johnny Ball | ...Zoe's dad Johnny Ball |
| Familiarity alone does not appear to account for choosing a partner because the participants did not adopt templates for their same-sex parents, they said. | Familiarity alone does not appear to account for choosing a partner because the participants did not adopt templates for their same-sex parents, they said. |
| They say males and females choose different facial areas of parents to be models in accordance with their general sexual preferences for facial traits. | They say males and females choose different facial areas of parents to be models in accordance with their general sexual preferences for facial traits. |
| class="lp" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/default.stm">HAVE YOUR SAYDoes nobody else think it's a little bit weird to pick a partner because he looks like your dad? Morris, Wrexham class="" href="http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?forumID=5297">Send us your commentsExperts say there may be an advantage to selecting a mate somewhat similar to themselves genetically. | |
| Dr Lynda Boothroyd from the University of Durham, a psychologist who has carried out similar research, said: "There is an argument that a certain degree of similarity makes people more fertile and genetically compatible." | Dr Lynda Boothroyd from the University of Durham, a psychologist who has carried out similar research, said: "There is an argument that a certain degree of similarity makes people more fertile and genetically compatible." |
| But there is a balance between the benefits of marrying someone genetically close and the risks of inbreeding. | But there is a balance between the benefits of marrying someone genetically close and the risks of inbreeding. |
| "We have a lot of mechanisms - such as pheromones and smell - to stop us choosing someone too similar to us, like an immediate family member," said Dr Boothroyd. | "We have a lot of mechanisms - such as pheromones and smell - to stop us choosing someone too similar to us, like an immediate family member," said Dr Boothroyd. |