The inner workings of quantum mechanics, the possibility of an afterlife, why some people date men that look like their brothers — mysteries of the universe perpetually allude us. This past July, the double whammy news of Ariana Grande separating from husband Dalton Gomez and moving on to Broadway thespian and Wicked co-star Ethan Slater set the internet aflame. Some placed their focus on Ariana not being a “girl’s girl” (according to Ethan’s ex-wife), her track record of “stealing” men, or were simply asking themselves, “Why are theater kids so horny??!” However, others were quick to latch onto the fact Ariana was essentially moving on with her brother’s doppelgänger. Yes, new beau Ethan Slater is but a ginger Frankie Grande.
Weirdly enough, this is no new phenomenon. Take the Instagram account @siblingsordating. If you’ve never ventured into this disturbed corner of the internet, you’ve been warned. Yet, the fact that it exists at all kinda proves it’s not that weird, no?
Don’t go down a Freudian spiral just yet. There’s actually a science behind this freaky concept. In a study published in the Evolution and Human Behavior Journal, a panel found that the brothers and significant others of participants, more often than not, shared common facial features. Take this a weird step further… the same researchers also did a study that found most people choose partners who look like their parents. Eek.
Another study published in PLOS Genetics in 2017 surmised that many spouses even share the same ancestry. Researchers analyzed the genes of three sets of groups, Northern and Western European, Southern European, and Ashkenazi ancestry and found many spouses share similar genetic lines. Maybe that’s why Diana and Charles never worked out (they were distant cousins!) That and, you know, the whole Camilla/tampon thing.
Thankfully, this trend is decreasing, which researchers attribute to partners of different races marrying and plus adults moving and settling far from where they were born, creating a bigger dating pool and thus more diverse genetic makeup.
But Ariana isn’t the only celeb whose psyche we need to unpack: Brad Pitt mimicked the appearance of all of his boos throughout the whole of the ‘90s, most notably, Jen Aniston. Gisele Bündchen and Tom Brady looked like kissin’ cousins, and newlyweds Barbara Palvin and Dylan Sprouse low-key look like they’re using the Gender Swap filter.
If you’re reading this in bed, turning to your slumbering partner, and internally screaming, fret not. Based on the research, it appears the phenomenon is fairly normal as overall, scientists believe the trend indicates that “familiarity seems to be attractive.” So before you book an emergency sesh with your therapist, take a breather and remind yourself: “If it’s good enough for Ethiana, (Arithan?) it’s good enough for me.”
