The trait that attracts us the most at first glance (according to science)

Have been carried out hundreds of studies on attraction and infatuation. And to this day, everything is still not said regarding the great mystery of the relationship of our brain and our behavior with the romantic. The truth is that both falling in love and being attracted to another individual are complex phenomena to study, in which individual but also cultural factors intervene.

In today's article we echo research that claims to have found the key to the attractiveness of men and women (at least, in the West). So don't miss it!

You may be interested in: " The chemistry of love: a very powerful drug”

What science says so far

That said, and before moving on to the topic of this article, you may be interested in another article that we published just a few months ago, in which you can find a compilation of the results of the different investigations that talk about falling in love and attraction.

Because in the last decades the studies in this field have been many and varied, and although not always consensus has existed in this regard, allow us to draw some curious conclusions about this phenomenon and

help us understand what happens inside the lover's mind.

These conclusions from different works carried out by psychologists, sociologists and doctors can be found in our article. "Love and infatuation: 7 surprising investigations".

The trait men and women find most attractive

But what is the trait or characteristic that men or women think is most attractive to the opposite sex? That's what Jessica Tracy, a professor at the University of British Columbia, tried to discover (United States) and director of an investigation carried out by the same university that she was published in the American Psychological Association Journal.

The study subjects were presented with different photographs of the opposite sex. The participants were then asked their reaction to the attraction they felt to the expressions they saw. The results can be considered surprising in terms of women's tastes: "The men who are considered the most attractive are those who show a more serious trait and smile less"says Tracy.

Men's reaction is opposite to women's

However, the reaction of men was opposite to that of women. “For men, women who smile are very attractive. This was the characteristic most appreciated by men " Tracy said.

The researchers admit that they do not know exactly why this difference. However, there are also different studies that affirm that women like bad guys or tough guys, in which the smile is not exactly its most characteristic feature. But Tracy cautions: “When people want a long-term relationship they look for other things than just physical attractiveness, for example, if they are a good person or responsible. So this research does not say that you are a bad man. "

Another study confirms that moody men are smarter

And the results of this research are surprising. But moody men, in addition to being more attractive to women, are smarter. This is the conclusion of a study led by Joseph Forgas and published in Australasian Science. This expert in emotions devised different experiments in which the mood of the subjects was manipulated through films and positive or negative memories.

The scientist found that being in a bad mood helps us think more clearly. Contrary to what happens with people with excessive optimism, people characterized by their usual bad mood make better decisions. In addition, they are more incredulous people: it is not easy to deceive them.

In addition, according to Forgas, people with a lower mood have a greater ability to argue their opinions in writing. People process reasoning and common sense better and have a better communication style. Finally, this study seems to indicate that bad weather also affects us, since humid and sad days improve memory, while sunny days favor forgetfulness.

You can read more about this research in our article: "People with a difficult character tend to be smarter, according to study"