Now that 7 out of 10 Americans are dating online, it’s more likely than ever that you and your friends will encounter some awkward overlap in your swiping habits. When you find that your latest lover, Chris, has a lot in common with your friend Jane’s new beau, Chris, it’s only natural to be curious. If you’re getting worried that the similarities are more than mere coincidence, ask yourself:
Are they never in the same place at the same time?
If you think there’s a chance your respective BFs are one and the same Chris, try inviting both of them to the same event, for example, an outdoor concert or a taco night. If only one Chris shows up, you need to start asking some hard questions.
Do they have the same sense of humor?
If the tip doesn’t provide conclusive evidence one way or the other, you and Jane may have to resort to more devious methods of detection. Try telling each of your Chrises the same joke. Report back to each other on how they respond. If one laughs less hard than the other, they could be different men with different senses of humor—or it could mean the Chris who laughed less hard just heard the same joke twice because he is, indeed, the same Chris. What a mess!
Do they have the same Facebook profile?
While things on the internet are rarely what they seem, you can usually assume that if two people share one Facebook profile, they are probably the same person. The same goes for Instagram. If both of your Chrises are posting the same pictures from the same handle at the same time, the most likely explanation is that they are a single human being.
Do they have the same central nervous system?
If Jane punches her Chris, does your Chris say “ow”? Try it and see.
Do they look alike?
Compare Jane’s photos of her Chris with photos of yours. Do the Chrises in these photos share similar features? Are they both standing in front of Niagara Falls next to an old guy in a Yankees hat? Perhaps it is the same Chris.
What does your gut say?
While asking the above questions can bring you closer to solving this mystery, you may never know for sure whether there are two Chrises in the picture or one. Whatever the “facts” say, your heart’s assessment is the only one that matters.
At the end of the day, consider this: If these two Chrises are so similar as to be indistinguishable, does it really matter whether he is two people or one? Probably not, right? At least you’ve got a boyfriend. J
