The finding comes from behavioral scientists who compared the DNA of more than 800 married couples with that of people paired together at random for the study.
Despite the old adage that opposites attract, the husbands and wives had more DNA in common than the strangers.
This means, in the words of another saying, that birds of a feather flock together.
The researchers, from the University of California, said that the finding can be partly explained by people tending to marry someone who lived nearby or of the same ethnicity.
However, despite this, we still seem to be drawn to spouses whose genes are similar to our own.
Researcher Ben Domingue said he does not know how we sniff out the right person – but it may be as simple as the genes involved affecting something as obvious as height.
If someone who is short or tall then sets their sights on someone of similar height, they would unwittingly be picking a partner with similar DNA.
It is also possible that people with similar genes are thrown together by their hobbies or educational interests.
His study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, clashes with previous research which has found evidence for the theory that opposites attract.
These focus on the genes that control the body’s ability to fight disease and show we seem to be programmed to seek out partners whose immune systems are very different to our own.
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| The researchers said the finding can be partly explained by people tending to marry someone who lived nearby or of the same ethnicity. |
It is thought that seeking out a mate with a different immune system ensures any children a couple has will have the broadest possible immunity against disease.
But a study in 2010 found people do tend to settle down with partners whose tastes mirror their own. Researchers from Michigan State University tried to find out if couples grew more alike with each wedding anniversary, or if it was their similarities that brought them together in the first place.
The findings from around 1,300 couples showed that newlyweds were just as likely to have similar traits – such as optimism, extroversion, bossiness and conventionality – as those who had been together for many years.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2633324/Perfect-match-Husbands-wives-similar-DNA-research-shows.html#ixzz32DVs5dVv
KEY VOCABULARY
1.birds of a feather really do flock together--people with similar likes,appearance, or behavior hang together.
2.adage-- a wise saying or general truth
3.sniff out-- to find something through smell/to discover someone or something, usually only after a special effort
4.unwittingly-- without knowing or planning
5.thrown together--to bring people together in a manner that is not planned
6.clashes-- to fight or argue / disagree
7.bossiness--describes someone who is always telling what to do
8.conventionality--rules of behavior
7.bossiness--describes someone who is always telling what to do
8.conventionality--rules of behavior
CONVERSATION QUESTIONS
1.What springs to mind when you hear the word "marriage"?
2.Is marriage different today than it was a hundred years ago?
3.Are there any rules to marriage?
4.What would the world be like if there was no marriage?
5.What is important in a marriage?
6.Do you think it is okay to marry someone of a different race?
7. Do you think it is okay to marry someone with a different religion?
8. How long do you think couples should know each other before they get married?
9. What are some dating and marriage customs in your country?
10. Would you marry someone from another country?
11.Would you marry someone ten years older than you? How about ten years younger than you?
12.Would you marry someone that your parents didn't like?
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