All Articles Tagged As: attraction

What the brain values may not be what it buys (2/22/2010)

New brain-imaging research shows it's even possible to predict how much people might be willing to pay for a particular face. Researchers at Duke University Medical Center found that as participants were watching a sequence of faces, their brains were simultaneously evaluating those faces in two distinct ways: for the quality of the viewing experience and for what they would trade to see the face again. ...> Full Article

Scent of a woman: Men's testosterone responses to olfactory ovulation cues (1/19/2010)

Women around the world spend billions of dollars each year on exotic smelling perfumes and lotions in the hopes of attracting a mate. However, going "au natural" may be the best way to capture a potential mate's attention: Men who smelled shirts of ovulating women subsequently had higher levels of testosterone than men who smelled shirts worn by non-ovulating women, suggesting that testosterone levels may be responsive to smells indicating when a woman is fertile. ...> Full Article

The importance of attractiveness depends on where you live (12/20/2009)

Do good-looking people really benefit from their looks, and in what ways? A team of researchers from the University of Georgia and the University of Kansas found that yes, attractive people do tend to have more social relationships and therefore an increased sense of psychological well-being. ...> Full Article

What she sees in you -- facial attractiveness explained (8/26/2009)

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Single women gaze longer (6/6/2009)

Neuroscientists found woman's partner status relevant for her interest in the opposite sex ...> Full Article

Do good looks get high school students good grades? (4/24/2009)

University of Miami study shows that physical attractiveness, personality, and grooming are good predictors of grades in high school and may indicate future success in college and labor markets ...> Full Article

Fear or romance could make you change your mind, study finds (3/26/2009)

People's primal emotions alter effectiveness of persuasion tactics ...> Full Article

Observers of first dates can predict outcome, study shows (2/3/2009)

Interested or deceptively flirting? Observers of first dates try to predict dating outcome in speed-dating study ...> Full Article

Scientists find facial scars increase attractiveness (11/23/2008)

Men with facial scars are more attractive to women seeking short-term relationships, scientists at the University of Liverpool have found. ...> Full Article

Study sheds light on facial preferences (11/13/2008)

New study is the first to demonstrate differences in brain activity as women considered masculinized and feminized male faces and whether the person was a potential sexual partner. Researchers identified regions that responded more strongly to masculine faces and demonstrated that differences between masculinized and feminized faces appeared strongest when the women were closer to ovulating. ...> Full Article

Psychological study reveals that red enhances men's attraction to women (10/29/2008)

A groundbreaking study adds color -- literally and figuratively -- to the age-old question of what attracts men to women. ...> Full Article

Being altruistic may make you attractive (10/15/2008)

Displays of altruism or selflessness towards others can be sexually attractive in a mate. ...> Full Article

Testosterone levels dictate attraction (9/22/2008)

Women with higher levels of testosterone are more attracted to masculine looking men ...> Full Article

Bikini-Clad Women Make Men Impatient (6/2/2008)

Images of sexy women tend to whet men's sexual appetite. But stimulating new research says there's more than meets the eye ...> Full Article

Rules of the game: the unwritten rules of the bar pick-up (5/23/2008)

How is a pick-up done in a bar? What strategies for rejection and sexual come-ons do men and women use? ...> Full Article

Fruit fly avoidance mechanism could lead to new ways to control pain in humans (5/12/2008)

A team has discovered for the first time that the important developmental switch from food attraction to aversion in the fruit fly larva is controlled by a timing mechanism in the brain and its sensory system ...> Full Article

Hunger hormone makes food look more attractive (5/7/2008)

A new brain-imaging study reveals that ghrelin - a stomach hormone, acts on specific regions of the brain to enhance our response to food related cues and eating for pleasure. ...> Full Article

The untrained eye: Confusing sexual interest with friendliness (4/6/2008)

New research from Indiana University and Yale suggests that college-age men confuse friendly non-verbal cues with cues for sexual interest because the men have a less discerning eye than women -- but their female peers aren't far behind. ...> Full Article

'Hotties' not so hot when you're in love, study (2/22/2008)

As if inspiring countless songs and poems and an international holiday weren't enough, love now is being credited with a truly amazing power: the ability to resist temptation. ...> Full Article

Rethinking What We Want in a Partner (2/20/2008)

When it comes to romantic attraction men primarily are motivated by good looks and women by earning power. At least that's what men and women have been saying for a long time. Based on research that dates back several decades, the widely accepted notion permeates popular culture today. ...> Full Article

The Beauty Bias: Can people love the one they are compatible with? (2/17/2008)

Physical attractiveness is important in choosing whom to date. Good looking people are not only popular targets for romantic pursuits, they themselves also tend to flock together with more attractive others. Does this mean then that more attractive versus less attractive people wear a different pair of lens when evaluating others' attractiveness? ...> Full Article

A Sense of Scarcity: Why it seems like all the good ones are taken (2/15/2008)

Singles' bars, classified personals and dating websites are a reflection, not only of the common human desire to find a mate, but of the sense of scarcity that seems to surround the hunt. Many people participate in dating activities in the hopes of finding that special someone, yet feel as though it is an impossible task. However, thanks to an international team of psychologists, the solution may be closer than we think -- within ourselves, to be exact. ...> Full Article

Newly launched study to probe women's response to male odor (2/6/2008)

A single gene determines whether a whiff of androstadienone smells pleasant or foul, or like nothing at all ...> Full Article

Hiring Practices Influenced by Beauty (12/10/2007)

A new study published in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences finds that the attractiveness of interviewees can significantly bias outcome in hiring practices, showing a clear distinction between the attractive and average looking interviewees in terms of high and low status job packages offered. ...> Full Article

Attractiveness Is Its Own Reward (12/8/2007)

Studies of the snap judgments we often make about people are shedding new light not only on social behavior, but also on drug abuse, gambling addiction, and other disorders in which our ability to make decisions is impaired, say scientists at the California Institute of Technology. ...> Full Article

Personality Traits Influence Perceived Attractiveness (12/3/2007)

A new study published in Personal Relationships examines the way in which perceptions of physical attractiveness are influenced by personality. The study finds that individuals - both men and women - who exhibit positive traits, such as honesty and helpfulness, are perceived as better looking. Those who exhibit negative traits, such as unfairness and rudeness, appear to be less physically attractive to observers. ...> Full Article

Direct gaze makes you more attractive (11/8/2007)

Looking directly at someone makes you more attractive to them according to research. ...> Full Article

Hormone Therapy Boosts Sexual Interest But Not Memory, Study Finds (9/25/2007)

Hormone therapy in early post-menopause increases sexual interest, but does not improve memory ...> Full Article

Can't take my eyes off you: Study shows the power of attraction (9/18/2007)

Whether we are seeking a mate or sizing up a potential rival, good-looking people capture our attention nearly instantaneously and render us temporarily helpless to turn our eyes away from them, according to a new Florida State University study. ...> Full Article