Researchers have discovered that the genes that determine our height also influence why people tend to choose partners of similar height as themselves.
The finding, published in the journal Genome Biology, suggests that our choice of romantic partner can be determined by genetics more than we might expect.
“How we choose our partners has important biological implications for human populations. This study brings us closer to understanding the complex nature of sexual attraction and the mechanisms that drive human variation,” said lead researcher Albert Tenesa from University of Edinburgh in Scotland.
For the study, the researchers analysed genetic information from more than 13,000 heterosexual couples.
They found that 89 per cent of the genetic variation that determines a person’s height also influences their height preference in a mate. By analysing the genetic information that determines a person’s height, it is possible to predict the height of that person’s partner with 13 per cent accuracy, the study said.