By Annette Aucamp & Emanuel Nader

It is human nature to wonder about things that we perceive to be out of the ordinary or unique. One particular fascination humans have is with twins. There are about 1.6 million twins born each year worldwide including both identical and fraternal twins, according to BBC News. The myths and folklore surrounding twins are as old as time itself, with many legends, tales, and myths existing within mythology and history. Many parables about twins come from the Greco-Roman world which depicts twins both positively and negatively, as they could be either healers and heroes or villains and monsters. 

Although these myths and fables are now seen as mere stories, there is still a sense of mystery surrounding the public perception of twins. Many myths and old wives tales still exist about twins such as twins sensing each other’s pain, finishing each other’s sentences, speaking their own language, or swapping places. To answer these questions, we, as twins ourselves, interviewed two sets of identical twins to find out their stories and experiences regarding these myths.

Is it true that twins sense each other's pain?

A persistent belief about twins is the idea that they have the uncanny ability to sense each other’s pain. People seem to believe that twins have a strange telepathic link, which allows them to realize when their other half is in danger or experiencing something painful. Although scientific evidence dismisses the notion that twins can feel each other’s physical pain, it appears that some twins possess an intuitive ability to better read their counterpart’s emotions and moods. 

 “Vivian and I actually recently found out that we can sense each other’s emotional pain,” junior and identical twin Julia Jingozian said. “Say I’m feeling a little nervous about something, Vivian can tell that I’m nervous and she’ll feel a little nervous too.” 

Despite the lack of scientific proof, many anecdotal stories show that twin telepathy or twin empathy is a sign of the deep emotional connection between twins.

Is it true that twins can finish each other’s sentences?

Another widespread belief about twins is that they can effortlessly finish each other’s sentences because they are so in tune with each other. However, our interviews with twins showed differing perspectives and experiences. 

Seniors Rico and Lito Lebya, don’t have the ability to finish each other’s thoughts or sentences. 

“We are still two different people, so there isn’t a way we can finish each other’s sentences unless we have the exact same thinking process,” Rico said. 

Vivian and Julia Jingozian had a different experience, though. 

“I wouldn’t say that we can necessarily finish each other’s sentences exactly but we can finish each other’s thoughts,” Julia said. “Say she’s answering a question that I also know the answer to, then sometimes we end up responding the same and our mannerisms would be the same as well.” 

“Unintentionally sometimes we just end up doing the same thing at the same time,” Vivian said. “We’ll be sitting and we’ll both cross our legs at the same time. Or Julia will say something and I’ll have the same thought in my head.” 

Although it doesn’t seem like Vivian and Julia tend to finish each other’s sentences verbatim, they do have the ability to predict each other’s actions and thoughts which in a way, proves this myth true.

Did you and your twin ever make your own language?

The idea of twins developing their own language actually has a scientific term, “cryptophasia.” This phenomenon is not universal and is a lot less common than popular culture suggests, however. It makes sense that it is a popular concept as twins are always together no matter what they are doing, whether it be bathing, eating, or playing when they are young. 

Julia experienced this with her own twin but with non-verbal language.

”We can kind of talk with our eyes. Like we can be in a situation and if Vivian just looks at me a certain way then I could sense her vibe of the moment and how she feels.” 

However, not all twins have a unique way of communicating with each other.

“Though we spoke like regular siblings, we’ve never really made up our own ways of saying things,” Rico said. 

Emanuel, himself a twin, has grown up with stories of himself and his twin brother speaking gibberish to one another and being able to understand each other. “Like little gremlins communicating” his mom would tell them. 

From these instances of non-verbal and verbal communication between twins, the enduring myth of their heightened connection seems valid.

Have you ever switched places with your twin?

Twins, especially identical twins, are physically very similar, their faces, body structure, and their voices are very similar. This results in many mix-ups and misunderstandings with other people, confusing one twin for the other. There have been many movies that play on this idea, depicting twins trading places as a plot device, such as “The Parent Trap” (1961 & 1998) and “The Man in the Iron Mask” (1998). 

“I was in the 4th grade,” Rico said. “I don’t think we planned it before we actually did it. We were walking to school and decided to just switch classes for the fun of it. As an elementary kid, we were bound to have the exact same hairstyle, clothes, way of speaking, and mannerisms. No one could tell when we switched in our classes and thankfully we were never recognized by our classmates either.”

The striking physical resemblance of identical twins often leads to mistaken identity but can be a fun way to baffle classmates and teachers alike. Many twins swap places, mostly to see if they can get away with it. This experience underscores the bond shared by identical twins.

Although the prevailing myths about twins might be exaggerated, they are often based on the truth that twins share a special bond.