Forget about opposites attracting. We like people who look like us, because they tend to have personalities similar to our own.

And, a new study suggests, the longer we are with someone, the more similarities in appearance grow.

Researchers asked 11 male and 11 female participants to judge the age, attractiveness and personality traits of 160 real-life married couples. Photographs of husbands and wives were viewed separately, so the participants didn't know who was married to whom.

The test participants rated men and woman who were actual couples as looking alike and having similar personalities. Also, the longer the couples had been together, the greater the perceived similarities.

The researchers speculate that the sharing of experiences might affect how couples look.

The idea that there is a connection between appearance and personality might seem odd at first, but there could be biological reasons for a link, said study member Tony Little from the University of Liverpool in England.

"Testosterone is linked to masculine face shapes and it also affects behavior," Little said. "Also, the face displays our emotions and over time emotional expressions may become written in the face."

For example, someone who smiles a lot may develop lines and muscles that are suggestive of someone who is happy.

The new study indicates that people home in on a variety of different features when using facial appearance to make decisions about someone's personality and that the particular cues focused on change from face to face. Vital to the decision, however, are eyes and smiles.

"Smiles are important social cues that may tell us whether or not someone is friendly and eyes are also a traditional focus of attention," Little said.

Overall face shape can be important too. For example, the combination of masculine features, large chins, and dominant brow ridges can create an impression of disagreeableness and being unwilling to cooperate, Little said.

别再寻找和你互补的爱人了，我们需要和自己相似的爱人，因为相似的相貌意味着我们有相似的个性。
 

新的研究显示，和某人在一起时间越长，我们和他的长相就越相似。

研究人员选取160对夫妻的单人照片，分别给11名的男性和11名女性看，让他们判断这些夫妻的年龄、魅力点和性格特征。但是在此之前，他们并不知道谁和谁是一对。

22名参与者把他们认为相貌和性格相似的人摆在一起，而他们也恰恰就是真正的夫妻。而且，在一起生活时间越长的夫妻，相似性就越明显。

研究人员认为共同的经历造成了他们的相似性。

英国利物浦研究人员托尼·利特尔说：相貌和性格之间有关系这一想法听起来有点怪异，但却是有生物学依据的。

他说：“睾丸激素直接影响男性化的脸型形成，也影响人的行为。脸可以反映我们的情绪，长时间重复一个表情也会改变我们的脸。”

例如，一个人总是笑就会产生笑纹，别人就能看出这个人生活挺幸福的。

此项研究显示，人们利用面部特征来判断某人的特点，对于每张脸，人们判断的依据也有所不同。但是眼睛和微笑绝对是判断的最重要依据。

利特尔说：“笑容是社交中十分重要的友好表示，眼睛也是精力是否集中的最有力证明。”

利特尔说：整个面部也很重要。例如，由宽下巴和上扬的眉峰等组成的男性化面部特征会让人觉得不友好、不愿意合作。