A bit too late for Halloween, this list still shows us what may have been the origin of the “Doppelgänger,” which has multiple variants across all sorts of different mythology. As it so often is, every mythological tale has some connection, however faint, to real-life phenomena. People who look like other people are no exception. 

Ancient Egypt and much of European folklore has some variant of a creature that looks, acts, and talks like a real person. While this no doubt featured heavily in folk tales and stories to frighten children, one wonders if, perhaps, it was the creation of a particularly wily individual who needed to get out of being placed at the scene of a crime. 

Interestingly, even in the ages before smartphones, people were encountering doppelgängers all the time. English metaphysical poet John Donne swore that he saw his wife in Paris, in 1612. “I have seen a dreadful Vision since I saw you: I have seen my dear wife pass twice by me through this room, with her hair hanging about her shoulders, and a dead child in her arms: this, I have seen since I saw you,” he wrote to his friend, a Sir Robert. While John Donne perhaps mixed up a dream with reality, there are still many cases of people who just look quite similar to others. 

These days, perhaps taking some of the magic out of it, people can even upload images of their faces to sites that will find their doppelgängers in the wild. While this might require sacrificing some privacy, it could help someone scratch that itch of finding people just like them on the internet. 

What is truly spooky is when scientists actually get some living doppelgängers together in a room to study them. Naturally, they often have an above-average number of genes in common. After all, this is what decides what we look like, the shape of our faces, and the overall dimensions of our bodies. 

However, the similarities don’t end there, as researchers have found that, more often than not, these people will also share personality traits. Unfortunately, this means that your doppelgänger is probably not acting in such a way that would convince others it isn’t you. Regardless, this research has helped scientists figure out what parts of epigenomes and microbiomes contribute to what we look like. 

Of course, it’s a whole different ball game when a person who looks like you becomes famous. As the various people in this list no doubt already experienced, you will probably end up approached by groups of drunk people demanding selfies. If you are unlucky enough, they won’t even tell you why they want a selfie. 

To perhaps shed some light on the situation, there was a 2010 internet meme, commonly referred to as Doppelganger Week, where folks would post an image of themselves and a celebrity they, supposedly, looked like. Most examples were perhaps a bit generous, but there were a good amount of people who truly could pass as someone famous. 

But, to return to the spirit of the mythological doppelgängers, there is a psychological condition in which a person starts to believe that someone close to them has been replaced by an identical clone. The exact nature of this “replacement” might differ, some believe it’s a paranormal creature, others a clone or just a very convincing actor. 

Called Capgras delusion, after Joseph Capgras who first discovered it in 1923, it describes a variety of delusions, all focused on someone impersonating a loved one or family member. The details will vary, in one case, a woman thought her husband had been “replaced” by her long-dead father. There isn’t a general treatment method, beyond therapy and trying to get the individual to see reason. 

Fortunately, these folks simply got a bit mixed up. In their excitement, it seems, they did not consider why this famous person happened to be hanging out at their local bar or mall. And if you want to see other examples, Bored Panda has got you covered, check out our article on the “Walmart” version of celebrities that people have encountered in the wild.