One Soul, One Face
fashion styling for Soffa Magazine – issue 19 dedicated to Generations
photo essay of
Is there someone you love? Do you feel you have found your soulmate? Relationships may not be about how we complete each other, but about what we share. Whether seeking a life partner, a friend or simply congenial company, we humans are programmed to search for those who understand us. How does it work? The answer lies in the face, which tells it all.
Are you in a great relationship because you understand each other perfectly, or are your genes responsible for your bliss? ‘Assortative mating’ suggests that we naturally select partners who are similar to us in terms of appearance, character, talents and even DNA. In addition, psychologist Robert Zajonc from the University of Michigan has found that through a lifetime of togetherness our faces begin to resemble each other. With life partners we share not only the most emotional of situations, but also our daily moods. If your partner is a jokester then you probably laugh together day and night and your facial muscles and wrinkles may begin to look similar. ‘Mirroring’ is a well known behaviour phenomenon observed between partners and within groups. We subconsciously imitate body postures, facial expressions and voice intonations of those whom we like or admire. We even change our behaviour or habits – all part of the human adaptation strategy that helps us feel like we belong. Researchers at the University of Western Ontario confirmed this phenomenon in their studies of identical twins, whose partners tend to resemble each other. This mechanism also works inside our bodies. About 25% of our immune system is determined by genetics, and the rest is influenced by our lifestyle. Thus the right partner can also mean a healthier future for your body – the same is of course true in reverse.
Partnership. Each is different, each representing a unique inner world that no one on the outside can fully understand. Some couples travel thousands of miles together, while others are happy to walk in the backyard. Some eat from the same plate, while others keep strictly to their own. Some like to tickle each other, wrestle or even shout. Some sing or dance behind closed doors, others sit and chat. One half of a couple can be a manic talker, while the other is happy to listen, and there are couples that talk even on the toilet. One prepares breakfast, the other dinner. One chooses films, the other exhibitions. However unusual our partnership habits may be, we never stop loving. After all, love makes the world go round.
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photo: Michaela Karásek Čejková / karasekcejkova.com
styling: Patrik Florián
make-up: Aleksandra Sidorina, hair: Tomáš Koblása
models: Alex & Lu, Filip & Adéla, Jana & Jonas, Ondřej & Ondřej, Jakub & Kateřina, Šárka & Pavel
make-up: Aleksandra Sidorina, hair: Tomáš Koblása
models: Alex & Lu, Filip & Adéla, Jana & Jonas, Ondřej & Ondřej, Jakub & Kateřina, Šárka & Pavel
