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7 Things That Attract Others Subconsciously To You

Channel: Psych2Go
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oHeFunmRAw

A research-cited listicle arguing attraction goes beyond looks: seven habits or traits the channel says subconsciously raise how attractive others find you.

Key points

  • Wearing sunglasses: Vanessa Brown (Nottingham Trent) argues they lend facial symmetry, hide imperfections around the eyes, and add mystery by concealing the eyes (a key source of information and vulnerability).
  • Being androgynous: a 1983 study (Dr. Linda A. Jackson, Michigan State) found people with both masculine and feminine traits were rated more attractive, more likable, and better-adjusted.
  • Being kind: a study from China found faces shown alongside positive personality information were rated more physically attractive -- a "halo effect" of personality on looks.
  • Owning a pet: a 2008 French experiment had a man ("Antoine") ask 240 women for their number -- 10% success alone vs 30% with a dog. UNLV's Peter Gray found ~35-36% more attracted to pet owners (49% of men / 64% of women for rescue adopters); most said they wouldn't date someone who dislikes pets.
  • Expressing emotions and reading others: a 2016 PNAS study found the better participants felt they could understand someone's emotions, the more attracted they were -- tracked to activity in the brain's reward circuit.
  • Tilting your head down: a 2015 study found women's downward-tilted facial portraits were preferred in 64-73% of cases and rated more alluring.
  • Playing a musical instrument: a 2014 University College Dublin study found women rated those who compose and play complex music as more attractive, possibly as a cue of cognitive ability.