Maybe it’s destiny. Maybe it’s not.
But science says that love happens due to your hormones, how your parents look like, and what interests you. This article highlights some strange psychological reasons why people fall in love.
Being alike
When it comes to love, decades of research have demonstrated that the cliché ‘opposite attract’ is way off. Partners who are similar (in broad terms, e.g. personality), are more likely to feel the same! This makes it super easy for them to understand each other!
Resemblance to parent of opposite sex
According to David Perrett, a psychologist at St. Andrews University, people are often attracted to others who have eye color and hair that resembles their parents. The age range of the parents at their time of birth also plays a role. For instance, women who were born to parents over 30 years of age often are less impressed by the youth. They are more attracted to the age qualities in male faces.
The smell
When women are ovulating, they naturally preferred the smell of clothing from men who had higher testosterone levels. They also had a preference for men who had a strong jaw line. This is based on a study carried out by the University of Southern California.
Body language
Posture says more about a potential suitor than words do. People who keep their hands inside their pockets, and their shoulders bending inwards, send the message that they have no interest. On the other hand, standing in an open stance with your hands being part of the action is an expression of availability.
Voice level
Men’s voices go up when they are attracted to a potential mate, while women’s go down.
Height
Men who are tall happen to make more money. They also enjoy a significant advantage when it comes to dating. That’s according to a psychologist at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute.
Thrilling activities
Doing something thrilling together is one of the weird psychological reasons why people fall in love. That’s why riding a roller coaster, doing bike rides or anything other exciting activity works great for first dates.
Where you live
When people live close to each other, this increases chances that they’ll feel closer to each other. This can be attributed to the numerous passive interactions that they make (e.g. passing each other in a hallway) which makes them feel more intimate. In psychological circles, this is referred to as mere exposure effect. It means that familiarity has a huge role to play towards attraction.
Beautiful home
We have all heard that women like men with nice cars. But this is also applicable for nice homes. A study demonstrated that men who were photographed in luxury apartments appeared more attractive to female subjects than those who were photographed in the standard apartment.
Smiling a lot
Swiss researchers found out that the intensity of a smile is often used to gauge the attractiveness of a face. Indeed, a happy expression on the face somewhat compensates for unattractiveness.