Do you have celebrity DNA? Here's how, according to your famous lookalike

Many of us may have come across the soapie trope of two people being mocked about looking alike and finding out that they are actually siblings. Or perhaps chilling doppelgänger movies about someone who looks like you wanting to take over your life. In the past week, netizens have gone crazy for celebrities who look alike, a topic that comes up often on social media.

However, what many might not know is that there is a lot of logic behind those lookalikes. In a journal conducted by Cell Reports, researchers found that people who look alike share the same genetic variants. This means that lookalikes, or doppelgängers as referred to in the research, can have similar physical, behavioural and lifestyle traits.

The author of the study, Manuel Esteller, took 32 pairs of people who were not related and photographed them as part of the questionnaires conducted to see if there were any similarities between them.

One of the tests used to determine this was a facial recognition software that found 16 of them matched similarly to identical twins. Many of them also weighed the same and had similarities based on behavioural traits like smoking or even their education level. 

But doppelgängers don't just share similar traits, they can also fall in love. While there are truths behind couples who tend to look alike due to using similar facial expressions and blurring the lines to others over time, some suitors subconsciously end up dating their lookalikes.

Psychologist Justin Lehmer told The Times that this is caused by those who “naturally gravitate towards people who are familiar” when they are looking for new partners.

“You’re familiar with your own appearance, so seeing other people who share those similar sorts of traits might lead to more liking for that reason,” says Lehmer.

An experiment conducted in 2013 found this to be true. Participants were shown images of their romantic partner's face with digital editing that merged features from other faces. In both the male and female studies, participants preferred the faces that included edits featuring their own faces.

Assistant professor of neurobiology, Michael Sheehan said that visages can share traits due to the many existing variables that come with generations of people having children. Sheehan believes this might mean many lookalikes share a heritage. Especially people who come from the same racial group. 

Others have benefited from having celebrity lookalikes thanks to social media. Controversial designer Alexander Wang cast doubles of famous stars in a campaign for his brand's latest bags. Some can even be covered by reps like Lookalikes Agency, which has handled clients for David Beckham, Marilyn Monroe and even Katy Perry, among others.

Some might get very little attention, but celebrity scandals and successes can open doors as per Will Smith's impersonator, Shad Ellis, who was in high demand after the infamous Oscar slap.