Science

How to Be More Attractive, According to Science

January 10, 2019

Lights Off

You might not be perfect looking but these tips can help you become more attractive.

Beautiful people have it easier. They are more likely to get a job of their dreams… Or to receive more cash to invest in the business they run… Or to steal your boyfriend.

Attractive people just seem to be better at everything. Want to know how to become more attractive yourself?

What makes you attractive? And what appearances are you attracted to?

If you think the answer has something to do with chemistry, you may be looking at the wrong science. Your physical attractiveness is actually defined by mathematics.

What you find good-looking in someone, isn’t about their skin or lips. It’s about the right set of proportions of their face – the golden ratio.

A face we define as beautiful is roughly 1.6 times longer than it is wide. This same ratio applies, for example, to the distance between your eyes in relation to your face width. It also works for all the other measurements of your body.

So how many men and women out there are lucky enough to have those perfect looks? The golden ratio is based on the proportions of the average person. That’s why the majority of us are already considered attractive. I bet that’s not what you expected to hear. Let me explain.

Our brains prefer average appearances over extreme or unusual ones. That’s good news, right?

Now, here’s something you might have missed. Our faces aren’t perfectly symmetrical. But the closer to symmetry they are, the more beautiful they seem.

The first face has its right side mirrored so that it’s absolutely symmetrical. And the third face has a mirrored left side.

Strangely enough, the left side of the face is proven to be more expressive and is considered more pleasant in most people. Now you know which way to turn your head when you take your next selfie.

But attractiveness isn’t all about your appearance. You may not fit into the beauty standards of today, but there’s something you can do to break everyone’s hearts without a visit to the plastic surgeon.

1. Smile

Researchers from the University of Bern, Switzerland, looked into how emotional expressions influence our judgment of someone else’s attractiveness.

Turns out, a smiling face is more appealing to us than a neutral one; and the expression of happiness can even compensate relative unattractiveness. That’s because just looking at your smile can activate the reward centers in the other person’s brain, making you more approachable…. and more good-looking.

2. Display an expansive posture

If you’re looking to increase your chances at speed-dating, arm yourself with an open posture. Researchers studying human behavior at the University of California conducted a set of studies on speed-dating.

According to the paper they released, people tend to be more attracted to people displaying their bodies expansively. With your limbs widespread and a stretched-out torso, you’re more likely to get attention from the opposite sex. Just remember not to use this technique so much on public transport.

3. Get better sleep

The British Medical Journal published a paper on one experimental study of how sleep affects your health and attractiveness. This study featuring 23 adults proved that sleep-deprived people appear less healthy, and therefore less attractive than the same people after they got their beauty sleep. But you already knew that from your own experience, didn’t you?

No matter how you look, or what your character is like, remember that despite all the mathematical theories, beauty is an objective thing. Thin or curvy, fair or dark-skinned, tall or short – you’re beautiful just the way you are. The first step to becoming truly attractive is to believe in yourself. That’s a little tip from me to you.