Meeting a stranger who looks like an ex-partner can subconsciously alter your personality
Encountering a stranger who resembles an ex-partner can trigger 'relational self-activation,' causing you to subconsciously adopt the personality traits you had during that relationship.
Your personality is not a fixed entity but a collection of 'relational selves' that can be triggered by external cues. Research into relational self theory shows that when you meet a stranger who physically resembles a significant person from your past, your brain subconsciously activates the beliefs and behaviors you associated with that person. Priming studies from the early 2000s found that such resemblances can trigger a 20% shift in a person's empathy levels or social confidence.
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