Wouldn’t we all like it to be a little hotter?
With the global market for weight loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy expected to reach $100 billion by 2035, and demand for Botox expected to reach $10.62 billion by 2030, there is no shortage of procedures that can help us on the way to ever greater hotness.
But now a scientist has revealed the actual science behind attractiveness – and it doesn’t require surgery.
Lillian Park, associate professor and chair of the Department of Psychology at the State University of New York – Old Westbury, says that rather than the way we look, we can actually manipulate the way people see us.
In the book How to Win Friends and Influence Fungi: Collected Oddities of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math from Nerd Niteshe describes five scientifically proven ways to appear more attractive to other people.
Researchers have found that both men and women find the opposite sex more attractive when they wear red
Wear red
Park says the colors we wear can have a significant impact on how warm we appear to others.
‘Researchers have discovered that wearing the color red increases how physically attractive people find you.’
That’s because although red is often seen as a sign of danger and aggression, it also symbolizes passion, love and desire.
A groundbreaking 2008 study presented a group of men with a photo of a woman wearing a red shirt, while a separate group saw the same woman wearing a blue shirt. When asked about her attractiveness, the lady in red appeared to be much more sexually desirable.
In a separate study published in 2010, women were shown photos of a man, first dressed in a red shirt and then in green. The women rated the man wearing red as significantly more attractive and sexually desirable.
But you don’t even have to go all the way for Little Red Riding Hood, says Park. A touch of color – in the form of a tie or lipstick – is enough.
Have handsome friends
Contrary to popular belief, having attractive friends appears to help improve the perception of our own physical attractiveness.
“Yes, being surrounded by good-looking friends makes you look better than if you were alone or surrounded by plain-looking friends,” says Park.
‘Researchers from Michigan State University found that having attractive friends on social media led people to think the profile owner was more attractive. So let your beautiful friends do the hard work. Surround yourself with it and voilà, your own attractiveness will be increased.
Let people approach you
“When it comes to horniness,” says Park, “it turns out you want to be the prey.”
A study from Northwestern University was conducted during a speed dating event. For half of the event, men moved from table to table, while women stayed in place. In the other half, the women moved while the men stayed put.
Let the object of your desire come to you – people of both genders are considered more attractive when they are passive
The results surprised the researchers, who found that attractiveness was rated higher when the counterpart was more passive – regardless of their gender.
“The people who moved experienced greater attraction and chemistry toward their speed dating partner,” she said.
So the next time you’re attracted to someone across a crowded bar, let him do the work.
Wait until closing time
“It’s true that people become more attractive around closing time,” says Park.
But the old myth of the beer goggles is only part of the story.
Australian researchers conducted a study in a bar in Sydney. At the beginning of the evening, mid-evening and at closing time, customers were asked to rate their fellow bar visitors on attractiveness.
Their blood alcohol levels were also tested.
Lillian Park (left) says that instead of changing the way we look, we can actually manipulate the way people see us
And although they became increasingly drunk, researchers said this alone could not explain the changes in perceived attractiveness. Rather, they said that repeated exposure to the same people, combined with the increasingly smaller pool of potential romantic options, led customers to view people as a lot hotter as the night went on.
“So go to a bar, show up and wait until closing time when there isn’t much competition,” says Park. ‘Simple!’
Personality matters
‘People are not as superficial as we think. Your physical attractiveness can even be manipulated by your personality,” says Park.
She cites a study in which people were asked to rate the physical attractiveness of photos of people. Half of the photos had desirable personality traits, such as honesty, intelligence, humor and friendliness. The other half was associated with negative traits, including offensiveness, cruelty, rudeness and insult.
“Fortunately, people found the photos with the desired personality traits more attractive,” she says.
‘Remember the previous study where being surrounded by good-looking people increases your attractiveness? In that same study, researchers found that the handsome friends’ comments and behavior mattered.
‘Positive comments and friendly behavior from the handsome friends increased the attractiveness of profile owners on social media. We want to be with people who are kind, generous, trustworthy and supportive. There’s nothing sexier than someone who makes us feel good.’
She adds, “If you’re the kind of person that other people want to be around because of your great personality, that immediately increases your hotness.”
How to Win Friends and Influence Fungi: Collected Quirks of Science, Tech, Engineering, and Math from Nerd Nite by Chris Balakrishnan and Matt Wasowski, with illustrations by Kristen Orr, will be published February 20 in St Martin’s Press