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With a population of 7.9 billion, virtually no place on Earth is left untouched by humans. So it makes perfect sense that somewhere in this vast world, there must be someone who looks exactly like you. Long-lost twin parents never told you about, a double, a doppelganger, or whatever you want to call them, a person with incredibly similar looks, from hair color and complexion down to facial expression, is definitely out there.

But as it turns out, you don’t even need to run into your lookalike in real life to learn about their existence. Sometimes, they present themselves in the most unexpected places — as cartoon characters, painting heroes, ad models, or simply strangers found in photographs or posters.

So without further ado, allow us to introduce you to one entertaining online community called 'People Sitting Under Signs That Resemble Them', or PSUSTRT for short. This subreddit is the perfect outlet for members to share examples of this bizarre phenomenon where people (and animals!) spotted striking resemblances to them in the most random locations. Below, Bored Panda has wrapped up the best posts of this glitch in the Matrix to share with you all, so continue scrolling! Be sure to upvote your favorite pics, and let us know in the comments if you ever found yourself in a similar situation.

#1

This Duck Passing By Its Own Sign

This Duck Passing By Its Own Sign

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The PSUSTRT subreddit was originally launched in March 2019 and has steadily amassed devoted fans from far and wide who enjoy sharing their discoveries with everyone online. It currently has nearly 21k members and is home to countless pictures of people and animals who found their lookalikes in the most unexpected places.

The forum encourages and welcomes a variety of posts, including eerily similar portraits found on signs, posters, ads, book covers, works of art, and other surprising locations. As you can see from a brief scroll through this list, the subreddit really knows no bounds. Which makes this an absolutely brilliant place to visit.

#4

I’m Back

I’m Back

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Headless Roach
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You gotta be more precise. We don't need one more person to to a backflip with an apple between his teeth.

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Ally Joy
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For people in the back: Jesus was not a white Christian. He was a BROWN, Jewish Man!

Gala Axy
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Jewish people 2000 years ago didn't look like they do today. They looked like what you would call 'black african'. Africans were the first who believed in god. But the Europeans changed history because they don't want africans to be part of hystory. And lots of Jewish Cmmunities don't want to be associated with Africans but with White European or worsed case brwon people. It was a european pope that used a picture/painting of his son and told europeans that was how Jesus looked like. Before that it was not custom or allowed to paint pictures of Jesus. This is a european invention. The Europeans ripped of many African cultures of their religions that were based on the god we read about in the bible. The Europeans did bring hristianity to Africa, but most Africans already believed in God. Their religion was just not Christinity. But white people pretwnd know they braught the faith in God to Africa like they did to the native Americans or Australians. But no.

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Natalie H
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yo, I have several gallons of water that needs turned into wine. I also have 2 bottles of wine that needs turned into liquor. Thanks!!

Heather Vandegrift
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If Jesus actually came back from the dead and claimed to be the resurrected Son of God, used get thrown in institution and health medicated for schizophrenia

Lisa B
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Dear handsome 27 year old Jesus, please fix things. Amen.

JustinTime
Community Member
2 years ago

This comment has been deleted.

Waite Forit
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The painting could not be Jesus because it was not made by someone who saw him and there is no detailed description of his appearance to use as reference. Also, the style of the time in that society was short hair for men. Even the Bible says it is a dishonor for a man to have long hair (1 Corinthians 11:14).

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When you stumble upon photos of people noticing someone who looks startlingly like them, it seems like finding your double can be a fun surprise. But throughout history, however, it was anything but. In fact, stumbling upon your doppelganger — also written "doppelgaenger" or "doubleganger" — could only mean bad luck and was considered an evil warning by many folklore tales. The word itself comes from the German Doppelgänger, literally meaning "double goer" or "double walker".

It was considered (and still is!) to be a mysterious double of a living person, which led to a great deal of superstition developing around them. According to Stephen Wagner, a paranormal researcher with 30 years of experience, doppelgangers have traditionally been viewed as sinister or even evil entities and seeing one has also been considered an omen of misfortune.

#7

We Adopted Him At 2-Years-Old And Always Wondered What He Looked Like As A Kitten. Now We Know

We Adopted Him At 2-Years-Old And Always Wondered What He Looked Like As A Kitten. Now We Know

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Wagner pointed out many reports of doppelganger sightings are probably nothing more than cases of mistaken identity. However, he added that "such an explanation becomes harder to accept when they are seen by best friends, siblings, and parents who know the real person intimately. It seems hard to believe that they would be fooled by another person who simply resembles the original."

But whether people simply experience a bizarre lookalike phenomenon or encounter a creepy paranormal trying to snatch their life, the question still remains — are doppelgangers real? What are the odds of really meeting someone with the exact same features as yours?

#11

The Resemblance Is Real

The Resemblance Is Real

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#12

A Modern Egyptian Man Taking A Selfie With A 2000 Years Old Portrait Of An Egyptian Man During The Roman Era

A Modern Egyptian Man Taking A Selfie With A 2000 Years Old Portrait Of An Egyptian Man During The Roman Era

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Well, science journalist Zaria Gorvett noted in an article for BBC that everyone has a doppelganger, according to folk wisdom: "Somewhere out there there’s a perfect duplicate of you, with your mother’s eyes, your father’s nose and that annoying mole you’ve always meant to have removed," Gorvett wrote. "We live on a planet of over seven billion people, so surely someone else is bound to have been born with your face? It’s a silly question with serious implications — and the answer is more complicated than you might think."

#15

Barely Any Resemblance But

Barely Any Resemblance But

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Unfortunately, the research found that despite all the folklore and scary tales in literature and movies, it is highly unlikely you have a double who looks exactly like you. In 2015, Dr. Teghan Lucas, a forensic anthropologist at The University of New South Wales and Flinders University, Australia, together with professor Maciej Henneberg, published a study where they compared people for eight facial and eight body measurements (ear length and head circumference, for example) to see how alike they really were.

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"If we are talking about measurements of the face there is a 1 in a trillion chance that 2 or more people will match one another on 8 measurements of the face," Dr. Lucas said in an interview with How Stuff Works.

But when she looked at the rest of the body, the odds became bleaker: "If we look at measurements of the body, the chance is even lower at 1 in a quintillion based on 8 measurements. This is because these measurements are larger and thus have a larger range which means there is less chance for people to match each other."

So according to these findings, it’s highly unlikely that someone bears a striking resemblance to another person in the true meaning of the word doppelgangers — no matter how many times your mom or best friend swears they saw someone just like you walking down the street the other day. "Two people may look very similar to the naked eye but when you start measuring they will not match each other," Dr. Lucas added.

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#21

Friend Looks Like The Painting At A Bar

Friend Looks Like The Painting At A Bar

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But as it turns out, there’s still a possibility of stumbling upon someone alike. "A lot of the people we see as doppelgangers are people we don't know very well," Dr. Michael Sheehan, a neurobiologist at Cornell University, explained. "You're a lot more likely to see a doppelganger of an acquaintance than your mom. You know your mom really well. If someone looks similar you can appreciate it," he said and added that you still should be able to quickly spot the differences, in comparison to someone you don't know as well.

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#24

Selfie At The Doctor's

Selfie At The Doctor's

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"There is only so much genetic diversity to go around," Dr. Sheehan told Live Science. "If you shuffle that deck of cards so many times, at some point, you get the same hand dealt to you twice."

However, that "deck of cards" is incredibly voluminous because there’s a huge number of genes that determine the facial structure, hair, eye and skin color. And they are all highly variable. And even if you’re one of the lucky ones who manage to run into someone who looks eerily similar, there’s a high chance that time and other factors like changing hairstyles will distort your doppelganger promise.

"Growing up one of my younger brothers was like the spitting image of me when I was 3," Dr. Sheehan said and added that time has also done a number on that. "We look similar-ish now, but not the same."

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#26

Thought That Painting Looked Familiar

Thought That Painting Looked Familiar

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Alaina Jones
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Is it bad that the painting head doesn’t have a body attached? She’s got plans… /s

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#27

A Picture Of Me In The Seattle Light Rail Station

 A Picture Of Me In The Seattle Light Rail Station

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Headless Roach
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sounds a lot like a ransom letter "WE'VE GOT YOUR PASSION COW" and I want to hear the rest of this story.

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#29

A Little Older, A Little Wiser

A Little Older, A Little Wiser

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Richard Graham
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The painting is "American Gothic" by Grant Wood. The man is Grant Wood's dentist, Dr. Byron McKeeby. I wonder if that man is also a dentist? (BTW, the woman is Grant Wood's sister, Nan Wood Graham.)

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#30

At Least The "Cute Kitty" Is Smiling More Than His Painting

At Least The "Cute Kitty" Is Smiling More Than His Painting

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#31

This Butterfly At The London Zoo

This Butterfly At The London Zoo

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#32

This Litter Was Made For Me

This Litter Was Made For Me

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#33

Met My Own Twin Today

Met My Own Twin Today

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#35

Do I Go In For The Autograph?

Do I Go In For The Autograph?

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#36

Found A Guy In A Painting That Looked Like Me

Found A Guy In A Painting That Looked Like Me

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#37

When They Said I Was Going To Be Advertising Our University, This Isn’t What I Had In Mind

When They Said I Was Going To Be Advertising Our University, This Isn’t What I Had In Mind

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#39

Vincent Van Gogh Or Mitchell Pritchett?

Vincent Van Gogh Or Mitchell Pritchett?

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#40

Stumbled Upon A Graffiti In Berlin

Stumbled Upon A Graffiti In Berlin

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David Martin
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Is that graffiti a picture of Gordon Ramsey? I'm not the only one seeing that, right?

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#41

My Friend Might Be A Two Thousand Year Old Egyptian Boy

My Friend Might Be A Two Thousand Year Old Egyptian Boy

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