According to a recent study, friends share more DNA with one another than they do with strangers.

You may have more in common with your buddies than you think.

According to a recent study, friends share more DNA with one another than they do with strangers.

The similarity level was found to be the same amount present in 4th cousins.

Researchers discovered this while reviewing data collected for a previous study, which involved a multi-generational review of genetic materials.

Over the duration of that project nearly 2 thousand samples were collected from pairs of participants, some friends and some not.

The recent analysis of the DNA markers showed that the pals showed more similarities.

Most of the overlap was found in the genes related to olfactory functions.

James Fowler, the co-author of the study, commented on the historical relevance of how smells form bonds.

He said that in prehistoric times, one’s fondness for either the smell of blood or flowers would have informed their decision to be either a hunter or a gatherer.

Nowadays, a preference for the scent of coffee may lead people of similar tastes to congregate at a coffee shop.

He says that DNA could also be the reason some people enjoy the same activities, resulting in the formation of social networks.