The Law(s) of Attraction

Who’s Attractive? Guys argue about it, girls obsess over it, and scientists cannot figure it out. Throughout the years the definitons have changed and the theories have clashed, but the debate still remains: what makes us attracted to each other? (By Jill Schumacher, Jessica Wise, & Erika Short)

What classifies something as being beautiful or attractive? Is it what is on the inside or the outside that matters most? Some people attract mates by their physical traits and pheromones, while others have unique or desirable personality attributes. Some say that one is considered attractive if they come close to what society has labeled as the ideally beautiful woman or man, and others think it’s the science behind attraction that makes people attracted to others. So what is it really that creates an attraction toward somebody?


The truth is there is no one thing that creates an attraction. Scientists have done experiments over and over to test face symmetry, body shape, pheromones, and still don’t know what it is exactly causing attraction in the world. So this brings us to the conclusion that there are numerous things causing attraction that people are both aware of and things that are pushing us subconsciously towards infatuation.

What a person is specifically seeking for also contributes to what points them in a certain persons’ direction. If a serious relationship is the desire then personality traits are going to have a bigger impact than the physical, but if someone just wants some fun the looks department will be more important.

Some many things come together to create an attraction between two people it is hard to just narrow it down to one thing. So it seems “Attraction is beyond our will or ideas sometimes.”—Juliette Binoche.
 
The Science


Behind

Attraction

“It feels like there are butterflies running wild in my stomach, I’ve felt twitter pated all day,” she said. At this point in time there is no one at RHS who can say that this has never happened to them, the feeling of just pure happiness, even if only for a moment. It happens every time that special person walks by, and there is no point in trying not to blush. What most people don’t really stop to think about is why this happens and why different people are considered “more attractive” then others.

It is said that men and women will decide who is attractive within the first ten seconds. Which means when your parents tell you to make a good first impression, they are giving you good advice. Scientists have done a plethora of studies on this topic, which means that there are a plethora of theories.

One of the theories states that people aren’t necessarily attracted to only looks, but to the pheromones that one gives off. Pheromones are an odorless chemical that a person’s body gives off, though it sounds disgusting, one’s pheromones are given off more when he/she sweats.

Another theory is that we are attracted to people that have the opposite immune systems and blood types. Scientists think that this may be true because a person wants to make healthy babies, with the opposite blood type and immune system, then one could create a super baby.

Studies show that attractiveness varies when it comes to environment and culture. In the environment of RHS, if you ask boys in around the same age group what they find attractive, most will probably give you an answer like, thin, nice body, good smile, and something about their eyes.

Attraction also depends on the girls “cycle.” When it is that time of the month for a girl she is likely to be more attracted to a man with more testerione, meaning a guy with a deep voice and more pungent pheromones. Face shape can also play a role in what makes someone good looking. It comes down to preference, some people prefer guys/girls with baby faces. When it comes to a guy they might not be drawn to a girl with more testerione, the amount of testerione a girl has effects the shape of a girls face. A girl with more testerione might have a more masculine face, and square jaw bone. Then again a girl may appear more inviting when she is on her menstrual cycle because she seems to have a glow to her.

A lot of scientists do focus on a persons smell when it comes to what others find attractive, but on the other hand it also comes down to physical attraction. In a recent study, it was shown that people find others with symmetrical faces attractive, little imperfections don’t make as much of a difference as it would if someone had a crooked nose or one eye that was smaller then the other. Judging a face size plays a major role in what makes the face attractive. If ones nose is too small compared to their mouth then that person is said to not be as attractive as someone who has the perfect ratio of nose to mouth.

According to a study hosted at www.fac-and-emotion.com it is said that there is someone out there for everyone, whether it is physical attraction or it is your body telling you that it has found someone to make healthy babies with. Next time you walk by someone that catches your eye, yes it might be physical attraction but on the other hand it might be your body saying that it has found that perfect person.

-Jill Schumacher
-Jessica Wise
-Erika Short