Attraction is defined as power to evoke pleasure, interest, or ability to make someone like you. It is also the feeling of making someone romantically or sexually interested with you.
Much has been said about attraction. Like most of us, you probably already read countless articles about how to boost your sex appeal and make yourself look more attractive to women. You also remembered and practice those techniques by heart and mastered what worked.
The question now is this: how much do you know about the science of attraction?
These 19 facts will tell you everything there is to know about the psychology of attraction – and use them to back up the techniques you mastered:
1. Physical Attraction: How Your Parents Affect Your Choice of Mate
No, this doesn’t mean incestuous relationships. It might sound creepy to you, but your parents’ physical appearance could dictate your choice of partner – and you may not even notice it.
According to a study published in the Journal of Research in Personality, parents play an important role in shaping later mate preferences. It is not something imposed, but scientists theorized that the repeated exposure to a particular stimulus increases familiarity. As a result, it indirectly affects mate preferences due to the familiarity factor.
2. Red: The Symbol of Attraction and the All-Powerful Color of Sex
What do you first notice when you see a woman walk in the room? Oftentimes, you will pay attention on how she looks, the way she smiles, and even what she is wearing.
Here’s a secret based on science of love: while the little black dress is a classic on women, wearing red could make them more attractive in your eyes – believe it or not.
Based on a study conducted by two experts from University of Rochester, the color red enhances your attraction towards women. It is unclear whether societal conditioning has an effect on this, but the researchers related their findings with deeper biological roots. It turns out that male primates are attracted to female primates displaying red since it sends a clear signal meant to attract males.
Whatever the reason is, red enhances positive feelings, which makes you attracted to women. This leads you to the next tip.
3. The Power of Lipstick and Why Wearing It is More Attractive
There are two kinds of people you will meet: someone who wears lipstick and someone who doesn’t. You may not notice it but between the two, you would go for a woman who wears lipstick, particularly red – and there’s a study to back it up.
According to a scientific study conducted by University of Manchester experts, a woman wearing lipstick, specifically red, draws attention to her mouth. Based on their experiment, they found out that women wearing red lipstick had men staring at her for 7.3 seconds compared to 2.2 seconds of staring on women who don’t wear any lipstick at all.
What is the reason behind this?
Call it the Angelina Jolie effect, but red is associated with warmth and positive energy. It could also excite your emotions and trigger the feelings of ambition and strength.
4. The 10-Day Beard – Plus Tips on How to Achieve One
Who would’ve thought that your beard can be attractive?
You might think that clean shave is a way to a woman’s heart. After all, it is cleaner and more hygienic. It turns out that having a bit of stubble, also known as the 10-day old beard, is more attractive.
The science of physical attraction dictated that facial hair indicates not just maturity and masculinity but also dominance and aggression, according to this 2013 study.
How do you achieve this 10-day old beard? Try these techniques:
- Make sure the hair must be three to five millimeters only.
- Neckline must be clean shaven.
- Keep most of your stubble near the bottom third of your face.
- Grab all hairs evenly.
Don’t forget to wash your stubble and keep it clean all the time.
5. Your Face: The Most Attractive Feature in the Science of Human Attraction
Admit it. The first thing you notice on women is their faces. The better-looking they are, the higher your chances of getting attracted to them. After all, how can you say no to a woman with a pretty face?
It turns out that when set apart, men find a woman’s face the most attractive part of her body – and the reason is obvious. A woman’s breasts, butt, tiny waist, and wide hips are attractive when taken together as a whole. Individually, they still have their own appeal on men, but it is inferior compared to a woman’s face.
No wonder your head turns 360 degrees every time you see a pretty face walk in the room. Nonetheless, it doesn’t stop there. Check out the next section to find out what makes a face more attractive in your eyes based on the psychology of attraction.
6. Facial Symmetry: A Sign of Good Genes and a Surefire Boost in Physical Attractiveness
When it comes to social interaction, the face is considered the most important part of the body. Apparently, your choice of partner is not just about going for women with a beautiful face. In fact, facial symmetry is also a crucial factor when choosing a partner.
You might ask why.
Good symmetry connotes good genes. At the same time, it signifies health and a good and fertile choice for mating. According to some evolutionary biologists, choosing a symmetrical partner and being able to reproduce with them will have a better chance of producing a symmetric child and being able to deal with perturbations.
This could be the reason why men with higher degrees of symmetry had more sexual partners than those with lower symmetry. Still on the facial features page, read the next section to find out how women of today view manliness.
7. Out with the Brutes, In with His Feminine Side
You were told that the best way to get a woman’s attention is by developing muscles and looking more masculine. Not anymore.
Being a macho and aiming for the six-pack abs are still attractive. Apparently, women today prefer men who are more feminine-looking compared to Bruce Willis and his wannabes. Women find men with full lips, delicate cheekbones, and large jaw more attractive, which are signs of high testosterone levels.
You might be wondering about the reason for this shift.
Women are more after the higher quality of life, and they want to worry less about their partner’s strength and potential offspring.
8. Love at First Smell: Scent to Detect Genetic Compatibility with a Partner
This might sound odd to you, but humans can use the sense of smell to detect genetic compatibility with a partner.
What does this mean?
You can sense and smell fertility in women, partly due to the pheromones they emit. During their most fertile time, women give off a different scent that makes them attractive to potential male suitors. According to a research from the University of Texas, fertile women are more pleasant and sexy compared to those who are not.
Don’t be too complacent. Women can detect attractiveness using their sense of smell, so make sure you are able to emit an attractive scent.
No need to watch Science of Attraction documentary. There are more facts about the biology of attraction waiting for you, so make sure you read until the end.
9. Pitch Perfect: How Your Voice Can Make Your and Her Skin Tingle
Here is another surprising part about the science of human attraction: human voice could also play a crucial role in it.
According to a study from James Madison University, hormones could affect various tissues beyond the reproductive organ, which includes the larynx. This means any variation in the hormones like estrogen and progestin can also affect water retention in the vocal chords. As a result, it could make a woman’s voice more high-pitched; hence more attractive. ‘
As for women, they prefer men with lower voices and find it more attractive.
10. Don’t Forget the Pill: Understand How Contraception Changes the Science of Attraction
You think that the pill is intended to make you and your partner enjoy sex without the worries of becoming a parent. It turns out that the pill could influence a woman’s preference for sexual partners.
You’ve been told that the more masculine you are, the more attractive you will be in women’s eyes. Believe it or not, when a woman is on pills, she is more likely to go for a partner with similar major histocompatibility complex or MHC genes to her own.
The exact reason for this mechanism is still unknown. On the other hand, scientists believe that hormonal changes brought by taking contraceptive pills draw women to “nurturing relatives.”
Does this finding affect long-term relationships? The answer is yes. If you met your partner while she is on pill and is still currently taking it, or if you met her without any contraceptive pills, involved, then there is a higher sexual satisfaction between you two compared to couples who started or stopped taking pills during the course of the relationship.
11. Understanding the Positive Personality and Attractiveness Connection
If given the chance, would you surround yourself with negative people or those who have nothing good to say? Whatever happens, you want to stay away from negative vibes since negativity can spread even without you noticing it.
The same concept applies to women. If you are in the dating world, as much as possible, you would go for women who exude a positive vibe.
Based on a study published in the Journal of Social Psychology, positive personality traits could have an impact on your perception of physical attractiveness. This may not be the most sensual tip you will hear but the more positive you are or the woman you are aiming for is, the higher the chances of attraction. There is something pleasant and attractive when you see a woman who is smiling, vibrant, and positive in life.
That’s not all. A positive disposition also leads to higher social attraction, one of the key factors when choosing a long-term partner.
12. Social Status Matters in Women’s Male Preference
No, this doesn’t mean women are only after your money. The truth a woman’s background and social status in life greatly affects her decision of choosing a potential partner – and it goes beyond the money.
What does this mean?
According to a study from Face Research Laboratory, women who love in poorer areas tend to go for men with more masculine features. This is because masculinity is your way of advertising that you have good genes. There is also a higher possibility that you are more dominating and more likely to father healthier kids.
On the other hand, women who live in richer environments prefer men who are more feminine-looking. The connection is still blurry, which is not surprising when it comes to women, don’t you think?
13. Understanding the Real Deal in the Humor Department
Without a doubt, women prefer men who have a good sense of humor and can make them laugh. Women value humor production and all they want is to have someone who can make her laugh – and be serious every time the situation calls for it.
Here lies the difference. Women like humorous men and someone who can make them laugh and feel light, especially during a tiring day. In your case, things are a bit different. Most men find funny women intimidating and a turn off for some. Men value receptivity to their own humor compared to letting someone make them laugh.
Why this happens is still a mystery to many. Perhaps, it could be a big step on your ego that someone is making people laugh and do more than what you can do.
14. Scars: A Reminder of the Thing that Was that Women Find Attractive
Generally, scars do not pose a serious threat in your health, although it may cause self-esteem issues. In fact, scar formation is a part of the normal healing process, although scars decided to stay on your skin a bit longer.
If you don’t like your scars, then here is a reason that could make you think twice and embrace it: women find it attractive.
The science of attraction for men revealed that scars, particularly facial scars, symbolize your bravery, masculinity, and daring personality, which is manlier. Still, this doesn’t mean you should be a daredevil just to make you more attractive and appealing on women. Scars may be a symbolism of your brave soul, but this allure applies to casual flings and not on long-term relationships.
Are you waiting to watch the program on the Science of Attraction on Netflix? Save yourself some time flipping through channels. Keep reading until the end and get to know more facts about the biology of attraction in the succeeding sections.
15. The Anatomy of a Smile: A Connection to the Science of Attraction
Who doesn’t want to see a smiling face of a woman? After all, it is the simplest and most inexpensive makeup they can wear, which wills surely get your attention. Consequently, a smile is the most important physical attribute when it comes to attraction. It makes the woman look more friendly and approachable, and makes it easier for you to do your job.
Here’s the catch: your smiling face might not seal the deal.
Surprisingly, women prefer men who look either proud and powerful or moody. Canadian women also found smiling men least attractive.
Does this mean you should stop smiling? Of course not. A proud and powerful look could boost your sexual attractiveness, but when it comes to long-term relationships, flashing your pearly whites could seal the deal.
16. Move Over Blondes – Brown or Black Hair is the New “In” Thing
There is a reason why women dye their hair blonde. Since the Marilyn Monroe era, blondes are considered beautiful and more appealing in the eyes of men.
Not anymore.
According to a survey conducted by social network site, Badoo, 60 percent of respondents said they find women with darker locks more attractive. This is a huge number compared to blonde’s 29.5 percent. It could be due to the negative association with blonde women or any other reason. The bottom line is don’t be surprised if you approach more brunettes than blondes when out on a Friday night with your guy friends.
17. Long Arms Versus Long Legs: Another Test in the Science of Love
How can you not see a woman with long legs? Her towering height will surely make your head turn and remind you of a supermodel, in case she is not one.
Here is the surprising part: most of your friends find women with long arms more attractive than those with long legs. According to the researchers from University of New South Wales in Sydney, women with long arms were perceived as more attractive compared to women with long legs.
You may or may not agree with this finding. After all, at the end of the day, it is still your choice whether to go for women with long arms like Heidi Klum or long legs.
18. The Single Hottest Trait You Should Master According to the Science of Attraction
All the tips and facts you learned above are effective in getting a woman’s attention, but there is one crucial component many men miss – availability. You can have good looks and lots of money; nonetheless, there is something you should remember and master to make sure you will seal the deal: availability. More than the physical aspect, your availability is the most important factor in boosting your sex appeal.
Some men have performance anxiety. If you find you can’t be there when the situation calls for some romance, the first thing to do is get a checkup to make sure it’s nothing serious. Next, talk to your doctor about trying a natural male enhancement product like BuyExtenze, so you can be sure that your man down there will cooperate in case the situation calls for it.
Regardless if you are looking for a casual fling, going to a business meeting, meeting with friends, or hoping to find the woman of your dreams, availability could play a big factor to make sure the science of human attraction will work.
Show availability and you will surely enjoy the benefits of what science discovered for you when it comes to attraction.
19. At the End of the Day, It Still Boils Down to Your Own Love Map
You will find countless tips and techniques on how to boost your attractiveness meter to increase your chances of finding a partner. Still, at the end of the day, attraction still varies from person-to-person based on your individual makeup and preferences.
In other words, you have your own love map to follow and the facts and techniques you learned about the science of human attraction are there to guide you as you go through the journey. Who you will be attracted to is still based on your personal choice and will always be an individual matter. No one can dictate you what you need to do and who to love.
Still, this doesn’t mean you should not believe what you read. You may have your own standards, but there are still universal qualities that you will look for, including cleanliness and a positive outlook in life.
The Bottom Line
The science of attraction varies from person-to-person, but these 19 facts and techniques will give you a boost in the attraction department. Still, don’t confine yourself to this list, because what matters most is you, the woman of your dreams, and what works best for both of you.