YOU, ME AND OUR MICROBES
Very Interesting|July/August 2022
Why you are more like your partner than you might think
MICHAEL MOSLEY
YOU, ME AND OUR MICROBES

I have known my wife, Clare, since our first year at medical school, which was more than 40 years ago. Since then, we have we have grown an almost telepathic understanding of each other’s moods and thoughts. That might sound rather dull, but it is actually a very bonding experience. This got me wondering about the extent to which we were also growing more alike in other ways. Take looks. There is a wealth of research that shows that long-term couples tend to look alike. But is this because they start off looking like each other, or is it that couples become more similar-looking over time? Perhaps because of shared diets, or lifestyles, or mannerisms, or some other factor?

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