yuck
8 Psychological Reasons Why Someone Looks More Attractive to Us
We tend to think that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But, as a study suggests, this isn’t necessarily true. In fact, the truth is somewhere in the middle. Standards of attractiveness are, indeed, broadly shared, however, our personal preferences play quite a big role too.
We at Bright Side decided to dive deeper into this topic and find out what features in people we consider more appealing without even realizing it.
1. Pupils
![](https://wl-brightside.cf.tsp.li/resize/728x/jpg/46c/0ab/cac69652e9b824ed30daa4a795.jpg)
![](https://wl-static.cf.tsp.li/avatars/icons_wl/8.png)
The pupils change their size in response to emotions, becoming bigger when we’re happy. Some studies showed that we subconsciously consider people with large pupils more attractive because it indicates their mutual interest in us. In the past, Italian women purposefully dilated their pupils using a poisonous extract from the belladonna plant to appear more attractive to male suitors.
2. Proportion of the waist
![](https://wl-brightside.cf.tsp.li/resize/728x/jpg/bc8/a2b/d776f8598381722a1f9b083714.jpg)
![](https://wl-static.cf.tsp.li/avatars/icons_wl/8.png)
The waist’s proportion to the hips has always been considered one of the most important features in a woman’s appearance. And as some research shows, the lower the waist-hip ratio is, the more attractive a woman seems to a man.
3. Face symmetry
![](https://wl-brightside.cf.tsp.li/resize/728x/jpg/de2/47d/ad1a3055d3b093bedf6458ac31.jpg)
![](https://wl-static.cf.tsp.li/avatars/icons_wl/8.png)
Researchers have confirmed that we rate symmetrical faces as more attractive than those with less symmetry because our visual receptors can process them much easier. Another reason for this is that we biologically associate symmetrical faces with good genes.
4. Averageness
![](https://wl-brightside.cf.tsp.li/resize/728x/jpg/f67/582/cc2302588e8e72db0420beeb0a.jpg)
![](https://wl-static.cf.tsp.li/avatars/icons_wl/8.png)
As a study suggests, we prefer an appearance that looks more average to us. And this can have different explanations: either we link it with biological advantages such as good genes, or our brains simply prefer more typical faces.
5. Diet
![](https://wl-brightside.cf.tsp.li/resize/728x/jpg/7e1/61d/383f965c4fa4cf38492e1a28f6.jpg)
![](https://wl-static.cf.tsp.li/avatars/icons_wl/8.png)
There’s a small study that shows food preferences can actually make a man more attractive to a woman. The smell of men who recently ate fruits and vegetables was considered way more preferable over men who mostly ate food like bread and pasta.
6. Voice
![](https://wl-brightside.cf.tsp.li/resize/728x/jpg/79b/d1c/ab7cc55a7f970d04993a90df47.jpg)
![](https://wl-static.cf.tsp.li/avatars/icons_wl/8.png)
According to research, women associate men’s lower voices with maturity, thus considering it more attractive.
7. Smell
![](https://wl-brightside.cf.tsp.li/resize/728x/jpg/792/b9a/53432656fc9305dba95eb32624.jpg)
![](https://wl-static.cf.tsp.li/avatars/icons_wl/8.png)
A woman’s scent can actually affect how attractive they seem to men. But this is true for a particular smell: the one that’s based on women’s reproductive hormones. As research shows, women are much more appealing to men during the stage of ovulation because the level of hormones at this time is higher in the middle of the cycle, indicating their fertility.
8. Taste
![](https://wl-brightside.cf.tsp.li/resize/728x/jpg/bd5/d97/275c9a5541bbff7e6a7aea2dcc.jpg)
![](https://wl-static.cf.tsp.li/avatars/icons_wl/8.png)
When we kiss, we exchange a lot of bacteria, and this, as studies show, has some practical meaning too. It helps us to find out whether we’re a good match with this particular person. So the way a person tastes can really make him or her more or less attractive to us.
What are the features you pay attention to the most when you meet someone? Share your answers with us!
Comments
wow! amazing! ??
Everyone is attractive. Stop making people feel bad.
Exactly! I was hoping somebody had already said it.. this actually makes me kinda mad. It’s 2020 people we know better than this by now.
yeah everyone's attractive in their own way
Come on... you know that's not true and that's ok! Therapy is always advised.
Interesting
We can’t really control the asymmetry of our face. Stop making people with asymmetrical faces look bad
So many cry babies these days...
![](https://wl-static.cf.tsp.li/avatars/icons_wl/8.png)
Related Reads
8 Cool Psychological Tricks to Read People’s Minds
![8 Cool Psychological Tricks to Read People’s Minds](https://wl-brightside.cf.tsp.li/resize/336x177/jpg/f78/e58/727bbe5116911b864112b280c0.jpg)
13 Pictures From an Artist Who Destroys Stereotypes About Women
![13 Pictures From an Artist Who Destroys Stereotypes About Women](https://wl-brightside.cf.tsp.li/resize/336x177/jpg/c7a/d31/137cd95178b7218dd0428c408d.jpg)
Which Girl Will Be Most Attractive When They Turn Around? Learn What Your Choice May Say About You
![Which Girl Will Be Most Attractive When They Turn Around? Learn What Your Choice May Say About You](https://wl-brightside.cf.tsp.li/resize/336x177/jpg/684/603/47ce965c1cb1050cda52cc2a5b.jpg)
Dakota Johnson’s Naked Dress Divides the Internet, as Some Deem It Has “No Class”
![Dakota Johnson’s Naked Dress Divides the Internet, as Some Deem It Has “No Class”](https://wl-brightside.cf.tsp.li/resize/336x177/jpg/938/5c5/fa386a559eb22a69ba43a84a5e.jpg)
15 Inspiring Stories That Prove Everything in This Life Depends on Us
![15 Inspiring Stories That Prove Everything in This Life Depends on Us](https://wl-brightside.cf.tsp.li/resize/336x177/jpg/e1d/716/22c23955eba9f32c2e918b7e82.jpg)
15 Times Strangers Stepped Up in Superheroes’ Shoes
![15 Times Strangers Stepped Up in Superheroes’ Shoes](https://wl-brightside.cf.tsp.li/resize/336x177/jpg/4b5/289/9fbc235cac8621021f2968b5f9.jpg)
19 Undergarment Rules That We Often Break Without a Second Thought
![19 Undergarment Rules That We Often Break Without a Second Thought](https://wl-brightside.cf.tsp.li/resize/336x177/jpg/20f/54e/7c6e2051da9bcc9f7391b4a8bf.jpg)
15+ People Who Hit the Jackpot in a Thrift Store
![15+ People Who Hit the Jackpot in a Thrift Store](https://wl-brightside.cf.tsp.li/resize/336x177/jpg/e0d/c32/bdde175d52af374a5f4060888b.jpg)
19 Truthful Comics About How Differently Moms and Dads Raise Their Children
![19 Truthful Comics About How Differently Moms and Dads Raise Their Children](https://wl-brightside.cf.tsp.li/resize/336x177/jpg/10c/c90/f3ac865417996ab9522cb44b3c.jpg)
“She Looks 20 Years Younger,” a Woman Undergoes Transformative Surgery and Leaves Everyone Speechless
![“She Looks 20 Years Younger,” a Woman Undergoes Transformative Surgery and Leaves Everyone Speechless](https://wl-brightside.cf.tsp.li/resize/336x177/jpg/03b/f81/e154495ac5bbefa9f0ba43ca23.jpg)
“He Needs Surgery,” Fans Urge Tom Cruise to Get Anti-Aging Procedures, As He Is Deemed Unrecognizable at 61
![“He Needs Surgery,” Fans Urge Tom Cruise to Get Anti-Aging Procedures, As He Is Deemed Unrecognizable at 61](https://wl-brightside.cf.tsp.li/resize/336x177/jpg/c30/54e/b79228599c81e3db0f6a7e3283.jpg)
Linda Evangelista Returns to the Met Gala Years After Procedure That Left Her “Brutally Disfigured”
![Linda Evangelista Returns to the Met Gala Years After Procedure That Left Her “Brutally Disfigured”](https://wl-brightside.cf.tsp.li/resize/336x177/jpg/d52/fd0/7b77165cf987208cb818e17832.jpg)