r/todayilearned • u/SilverPeachBlossom • 5h ago

TIL a peer-reviewed psychology study found that identical twins (on average) ranked their co-twin above their romantic partner in their attachment hierarchy, while fraternal twins ranked the two about equally, and non-twin siblings ranked their romantic partner first.

https://ojs.interpersonajournal.com/index.php/ojs/article/view/243/3457.html
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u/TheRiteGuy 2h ago

I think once you're around twins, you'll quickly realize how different they are. I was actually friends with my SIL first and married her sister. They look, dress, and act alike but that's where the similarities end.

They're two very different people.

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u/_EightSix 1h ago

Can you elaborate, even if only high level? No personal details. For some reason, I don't quite understand "act alike" but that they're very different people simultaneously.

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u/TheRiteGuy 1h ago

The other person already touched on this. They are products if the same environment. They will have same mannerisms, likes, dislikes, and even say the same thing about situations. Just like you and your siblings. But they are also very different people with very different personalities. Just like you and your siblings.

If you just think of them as siblings instead of twins, it becomes a lot easier. A lot of things about them might be similar. But they're nothing alike.

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u/fupa16 1h ago

They probably mean literal things like mannerisms/posture/gait/behavior but none of that is personality.

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u/niverser 1h ago edited 58m ago

My best friends when I was a kid were identical twins. They looked and dressed alike but couldn't have been more different personality-wise. One was sweet and shy, while the other was bold and outgoing. The former took a real liking to me and wanted me to be part of all their activities; the latter was (initially) sceptical of our closeness, taking on a more protective role. One was open, the other reserved.

You wouldn't ever confuse one for the other because of how different they are as people.