have been carried out hundreds of studies on attraction and falling in love And to this day, everything is still not said when it comes to the great mystery of our brain and our behavior’s relationship with romance. The truth is that both falling in love and attraction towards another individual are complex phenomena to study, in which individual but also cultural factors intervene.
In today’s article We echo research that claims to have found the key to the attractiveness of men and women (at least in the West). So don’t miss it!
You may be interested in: “The chemistry of love: a very powerful drug”
What science says so far
That said, and before moving on to the topic of this article, perhaps you may be interested in another article that we published just a few months ago, in which you can find a compilation of the results of different research that talks about falling in love and attraction. .
Because in recent decades, studies in this field have been many and varied, and although there has not always been a consensus on the matter, they allow us to draw some curious conclusions about this phenomenon and They help us understand what happens inside the mind of the lover
These conclusions from different works carried out by psychologists, sociologists and doctors can be found in our article. “Love and falling in love: 7 surprising investigations.”
The trait that men and women find most attractive
But what is the trait or characteristic that men or women think is most attractive in the opposite sex? That is what Jessica Tracy, professor at the University of British Columbia (United States) and director of research carried out by the same university that was published in the American Psychological Association Journal.
The study subjects were presented with different photographs of the opposite sex. The participants were then asked what their reaction was to the attraction they felt to the expressions they saw. The results can be considered surprising in terms of women’s tastes: “Men who are considered more attractive are those who show a more serious appearance and smile less.” says Tracy.
The reaction of men is opposite to that of women
However, the reaction of men was opposite to that of women. “For men, women who smile are very attractive. This was the characteristic most appreciated by men” Tracy said.
The researchers admit that they do not know exactly why this difference exists. Now, there are also different studies that affirm that women like bad boys or tough guys, in which the smile is not exactly their most characteristic feature. But Tracy warns: “When people want a long-term relationship, they look for other things and not just physical attractiveness, for example, whether they are a good or responsible person. So this research doesn’t say you’re a bad man.”
Another study confirms that moody men are more intelligent
And the results of this research are surprising. But Bad-tempered men, in addition to being more attractive to women, are more intelligent This is the conclusion of a study led by Joseph Forgas and published in Australasian Science. This emotion expert devised different experiments in which the subjects’ mood was manipulated through movies and positive or negative memories.
The scientist found that being in a bad mood helps us think more clearly. Contrary to what happens with people with excessive optimism, people who are characterized by their habitual bad mood make better decisions Furthermore, they are more incredulous people: it is not easy to deceive them**.**
Furthermore, according to Forgas, people with a lower mood have a greater ability to argue their opinions in writing. People process reasoning and common sense better and have a better communication style. Finally, this study seems to indicate that bad weather also affects us, since humid and sad days improve memory, while sunny days promote forgetting.