Your close friend may be distant relatives: Study

A study has discovered that our close friend may be distant relatives, sharing genetic similarities akin to those of fourth cousins. This means that the friends we choose could be as genetically related to us as people who share the same great, great, great grandparents.

Researchers, including Professor James Fowler from the University of California, San Diego, and Nicholas Christakis from Yale University, analyzed the DNA of nearly 2,000 individuals. They compared the genetic makeup of friends and strangers and found that friends are significantly more genetically similar than strangers. On average, friends share about one percent of their DNA, roughly equivalent to the genetic overlap between fourth cousins.

The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests that an unexplained mechanism might drive us to select friends who are genetically similar to us. This phenomenon may have evolutionary roots, where being around people with similar traits could have provided survival advantages.

One possible explanation for this genetic similarity is that people are subconsciously drawn to others with similar olfactory senses or sense of smell. This idea is supported by previous studies showing that women often judge male attractiveness based on smell, potentially choosing partners with different immune system genes to avoid inbreeding. Interestingly, the study found that friends are most similar in genes related to the sense of smell, but differ significantly in genes related to immunity.

The findings challenge the idea that social factors alone determine friendships and highlight the potential role of genetics in friend selection. The researchers propose that the genetic similarities among friends may have deep evolutionary roots, aiding in mutual survival and cooperation.

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