The rules of attraction

Valentine’s day is soon approaching, and many will soon be in the throes of love – or lust. Lust is the first stage of falling in love, and is fueled by the hormones testosterone and estrogen. These two hormones are the reason that we have a sex drive, as they motivate humans to achieve sexual gratification and seek out a partner. Not just confined to men, women also release testosterone when experiencing attraction. This hormone has been shown to boost risk-taking behaviour, suggesting that it is what gives us the confidence to approach a potential partner.

After these hormones are released, another hormone comes in to play. Phenylethylamine (PEA) is stimulated either by someone’s touch or simply just thinking about them, and can lead to a loss of appetite, an inability to sleep, the ability to notice tiny details about someone and giddiness – all the signs someone exhibits when they are falling in love. The decrease of PEA when a relationship ends is also responsible for the feelings of depression.

Psychologists have shown that it takes between just 90 seconds and 4 minutes to determine whether you are attracted to someone. So what causes this attraction?

1. The nose knows

The smell of sweat is also a contributing factor to the level of attraction we feel for someone. The awful smell of sweat under someone’s armpits may not seem particularly appealing, but scientists have revealed that it may boost our attraction to them.

Androstadienone, a chemical present in male sweat, was found to boost a woman’s mood and increase her sexual arousal. It also sparked the release of two chemicals in our brains, called serotonin and dopamine – chemicals that leave us feeling ‘loved up’.

However, the level of attraction we feel when exposed to the smell may vary depending on the person. Psychologists conducted a study where women were asked to smell unwashed t-shirts worn by a group of men and rate them according to which smell they preferred. It was discovered that the women consistantly preferred the smell of men whose immune systems differed significantly from their own, suggesting that we choose our mate to ensure that our child has a wide range of genes for immunity.

2. The look of love

Numerous studies have shown that looking in to someone’s eyes increases their attraction to you. One psychologist asked two strangers to talk and reveal intimate details about their lives to each other for an hour and a half. After this time was up, they were asked to stare in to each others eyes for four minutes. Afterwards, the majority of the couples admitted to feeling a high level of attraction to the other person. Two subjects felt such strong attraction that they later got married to each other!

The way we position the rest of our body can also have an impact. It’s only a very momentary movement and lasts just a fifth of a second, but when encountering someone who we are attracted to, our eyebrows rise and fall. Another method that we subconciously use to attract others is the mirroring of their movements. The theory behind mirroring is that we are attracted to those similar to ourselves, so by unwittingly mirroring someone’s posture or gestures we are trying to increase the person’s attraction to us.

3. Lust at first sight?

Psychologists have conducted extensive studies on the physical preferences of both men and women when it comes to a potential partner. The colour red has been shown to have a significant effect on how attractive someone is found to be. In one study, men found women wearing red to be more desirable than women wearing blue, and women percieved men wearing red to be of a higher status and more powerful – traits often associated with a man’s attractiveness.

Another study has also been conducted on the most attractive amount of facial hair a man can have. The study showed a clear correlation between the amount of facial hair and maturity, dominance and aggression. Women rated men with heavy stubble to be the most attractive, as opposed to clean-shaven men or men with a full beard.

When it comes to preferred eye and hair colour, researchers at the University of St. Andrews have uncovered that people tend to be with partners that have a similar eye colour and hair colour to their parent of the opposite sex. Another recent study has revealed the ideal facial structue of a woman. Men were found to be more attracted to women with a smaller chin and a less prominant brow, as these signal higher estrogen levels. However, another study found that it was more complicated that just finding an ideal facial ratio. Although men were found to be more attracted to women with feminine faces, this was only in cases when a man was looking for a short-term fling, and the opposite was more attractive when faced with a long-term relationship. Although science has attempted to determine what makes us attracted to someone, it is not always accurate. Everyone has a different opinion on what they find attractive, and it can be hard to quantify exactly what has drawn you to someone.