President Obama and Mitt Romney may not be so different after all. Both like grilled chicken and Star Trek—and iPads, Modern Family, and spicy food. On a more serious note, both are considered aloof, analytical introverts who prefer cautious decision-making to gut instinct, and eschew the emotional tone of today's politics, the New York Times reports. "Both of them are almost shy, which is amazing in this business," says former Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell.
Even their bios are similar: Both attended top prep schools and seemed restless thereafter, living abroad and going to several colleges before receiving degrees at Harvard. One key difference, besides (ahem) politics, is that Obama's dad was out of the picture, while Romney tirelessly followed his own father, working on his political campaigns and even treasuring a photograph of him. "Obama had to create his own identity, while Romney’s was programmed early," says a Washington psychoanalyst. (More President Obama stories.)