Today we talked about what men and women find attractive in a potential romantic partner. While we know that many of us have our own personal preferences, is who we choose more of an art or a science? As eluded to by Victoria, there are scientific studies suggesting that our biology picks our love interests, not necessarily our thoughts and feelings toward someone.
Watch the Discovery Channel's Top 5 videos on Sex Appeal
Science of Sex Appeal Videos
Blog about a time that either you or someone you know was attracted to a person due to one of the variables talked about in the videos (scent, voice, face, dopamine, etc?) What variables do you find attractive and why?
I strongly believe that sex appeal and mutual attraction are influenced by our primary responses wired into our brain, and often times these responses are subconsciously acted out. The videos only confirmed my belief as they presented evidence to support the theory that facial symmetry, voice pitch, among other factors strongly influence our physical and sexual attraction. In high school, a close friend of mine began to establish a deeper friendship with a mutual friend of ours. Their friendship quickly escalated to something more as they discovered the wide range of common interests shared; it was quite obvious that she liked him from the start. As he talked to me about his status with our friend, I asked him what his plans concerning a romantic relationship were. He responded that he liked her very much, but he assured me that there was something about her that was "off" and wasn't quite sure if he would date her: her face. I did not consider her to be an ugly person, on the contrary, she had a nice physique due to her intense exercise routine. As I look back on that instance, I realized that her face, though not ugly, is a bit asymmetric. Therefore, I believe that the variables addressed in the videos, rather the lack thereof, prevented a further development of a romantic relationship between my friends.
ReplyDeleteA time i was attracted to a person due to one of the variables talked about in the videos today which were, sexy voices, sex v love, smell, faceial symetry, and skin. i found this guy to be attractive sey dep voice, healthy skin, and smelled good like manly smell, lus he was in shape too. my dopemine levels were saying oh sey and attractive mate like victoria had meaned. well he turned out to not be a warm caring man for animals when i saw that reaction he had with dogs and he just found them to be a nuecence made me feel he wouldnt be a good father or carefor his children someday or toher peoplr like he didnt for those puppies of mine (my babies). Feature I find to be attractive are someone with dark and a tan healthy skin tone. Also I like clean cut and respectable mature men. A nice jaw structure and bone structure is important. I want someone with pretty teeth, being both white and straight. These features I find to correlate with personal hygiene and grooming skills. I want someone who takes pride in how they look and present themselves to others. Clean cut men with groomed facial hair and their hair is short and kept up with, shows that the person takes pride in how they look and don’t want to look like some hooligan. Also for him to be stable and secure with himself. The man needs to like Britini said just have a job because that shows that they are determined and overcome the obstacles in their life and has good work ethic. The man needs to be strong in his faith or political ideology well at least share some key points in common with me. It is important to have seminaries with a person, no one wants to argue with a person. Similar interests presents conversation and commonalities with someone. A physical attraction and also a connection on a deeper level are important.
ReplyDeleteNot very long ago, my friend met a guy in one of her classes whom she ended up befriending. She’d tell me about him often and say how physically attractive she thought he was, how he had a good personality, how they shared many common interests, etc. I never met him but from what she told me, he seemed like an all-around great person, or at least for her. With all the good things she told me about him I assumed she’d developed a raging crush, but to my surprise she said she just didn’t see him like that for some reason. At one point she mentioned how he smelled kind of funny and I asked, “so he has bad body odor?” to which she replied, “no, just this distinct scent.” Suddenly it made more sense to me because I remembered hearing about how the natural scent of someone’s body chemistry can either subconsciously attract or repel us to them. One thing that was discussed in one of the videos that I personally find attractive in the opposite sex is their voice. Sometimes I see guys who I find quite good looking, but once they open their mouths it almost makes me want to cringe. I’m not saying that I prefer guys with extremely deep manly voices, but if they sound like they still haven’t hit puberty or something like that, then it is kind of a turn off. Once I met this rather nice guy, but he had a very deep, booming voice while at the same time being one of the most monotone I’d ever heard. It just sounded so horrible and annoying to me. I found it to be a huge turn off and any possible interest that I may have had diminished very quickly.
ReplyDeleteI believe that attraction is both an art and a science. The human brain is wired to respond positively to symmetry, voice inflection, etc, however everyone has slightly different versions of what their ideal partner should look like. For me, I am most attracted to men with deep voices, broad shoulders, strong jaws, and generally very masculine looking. My best friend however loves short, built men. One of the most interesting things I've noticed about my boyfriend is that, no matter how much he sweats, I cannot smell him. It's not that I'm attracted to his natural smell or that there's something wrong with my sense of smell, I just really can't smell him for some reason. I noticed it the first night we met while I was out two-stepping with my friends. Although that is definitely not the reason I eventually started dating him, the videos made me wonder if there is a genetically-linked explanation for this, such as if we are not very closely related I am subconsciously more attracted to him.
ReplyDeleteI would consider myself a person that takes pride in my apperence. Therefore my friends have attempted to play matchmaker and set me up with what you would consider pretty boy's. Don't misinterpret what I'm saying as that I don't appreciate my friends efforts or that I mind being set up with an attractive male because OH WOW they sure are nice to look at! LOL
ReplyDeleteWhen I was rooming with my bestfriend Michelle she had a friend named Lindsay that attempted to set me up with one of her friends.She always went on and on about him, saying how very attractive he was, and that his great job, and being fashionably inclined was just a bouns. Lindsay decided to throw a barbeque in order for us to meet. I was at her place before he got there so when he walked through the door I was like WOW she was not lying about his attractiveness. He was sitting on one side of the room as I sat on the other so not much was being said but then finally one by one everyone excused themselves till we were all left alone in the room. He came and sat on the same couch as me turn to me and began to speak, I begain to notice that he sounded a lot like my brother. It was like the same tone, pitch, and speech pattern and the more we sat there the less it mattered what he was saying and what he looked like. It was an immediate turn off and I was completely bummed thinking to myself; why couldn't you sit there and just let me stare at you. LOL
Therefore I conquer with the videos in stating that with the pitch of someones voice or the smell that repels a family member subconsciously because as soon as I heard the pitch or sound of his voice reminding me of my brothers it was over and none of the other attributes mattered.
One time this girl had such a unique voice that attracted me right away. I knew her from classes I had in high school but I never approached her. We had an assignment due and she was chosen to be my partner. Getting to hear her speak to me, I always thought she had such a unique voice. As we worked more and more, I began to develop a little crush. Every time she spoke to me, I enjoyed hearing her speak. She was attractive in looks as well. She kept good grooming. Many other guys found her attractive for the same reasons as I did. We had to meet up several times to complete the assignment that was given to us. We started becoming good friends. However, I did not know if she felt the same way that I did. I didn't want to ruin our friendship. As the semester ended, the crush began to fade. I do believe that having unique qualities makes a female more attractive than a girl who does not obtain those qualities.
ReplyDeleteThe variable that I find attractive is a woman's scent. I believe that a woman should smell good. This is because it makes you want to be near them.
In highschool I was attracted to this girl just by the sound of her voice and the way she smelled. We would always carry on conversations in class and i mean i could just sit there all day and talk to her. And she had this kind of scent that when she would walk by you and you could smell and i would just stop and turn my head and pretty much follow the scent. Some girls like this one i would talk to her scent would get your blood pumping in a way that really guys can only relate to this. And some times the voice and the smell can act like a drug in way that you are always wanting more. And along with the video when seeing the picture of the girl i also chose the one on the left just do to the fact that everything was alinned. The changes that were made to the picture were little changes, but these changes made a big change in the way people looked at them.
ReplyDeleteVoice, I believe is one of the biggest factors that I have seen attracting many women to men. There is this friend I have who is like an older brother to me, and he constantly attracts many women because of his voice. Usually last semester during breaks, he would whip out his guitar and start playing in public to try to snag tips to use for gas money, and boy was it a funny sight to see every time he played. Girls would flock toward him looking as if he was the most attractive man they’ve ever seen. I admit, he is good looking, not my type, but his raspy, rough, unique voice seems to catch a lot of female’s attention. I commented about his mostly female crowd one time. We began to discuss why at first they don’t notice him, but when he begins to sing, they crowd him. He recalled a time in high school when he was overshadowed all the time by his best friend who was considered a overwhelmingly good looking guy. The girls would be all over his friend, but whenever he would casually play and sing his guitar the girls would avert his attention towards him. I have to admit, his voice did attract me enough to want to talk to him because at first glance he was very intimidating due to his mad facial expression. I think it’s hilarious that girls drool over him because of his voice; I always had girls approach me and ask if he was single. Sadly, I had to let them down because he is in a loving relationship with his girlfriend. To be honest, voice is what initially attracted me to my boyfriend because it is very relaxing which is nice because he can calm me down with just talking.
ReplyDeleteI do think these key points these videos have brought up do matter when it comes to deciding to pursue you wanting a romantic relationship or wanting nothing to do with them at all. One of the things I've had personal experience with is voice. This guy I used to date I at first was somewhat attracted to him but didn't really think anything of it when I first saw him, but once I LISTENED to him I was already immediately attracted. His voice was so deep and sounded very masculine that it attracted me instantly to wanting to talk to him more because I saw that as a strong attractive feature in a man. Smell is also important. This same guy he had a certain smell he would ALWAYS smell like which I liked. Now it would be a different story how in the video it said that it reminded you of a family member that would be an immediate turn OFF. If that guy smelled like my dad I would in my mind be like okay this is a little strange. I think face structure is important too and can turn on or turn off someone. The examples the videos gave since they didn't do BIG changes to the faces they seemed to make a big difference overall in the end.
ReplyDeleteI think I have been attracted to all the variables at one point or another in my life. The ones that stood out the most to me though were the voice and the lust. The voice variable stood out mostly because I remember a bad experience with a woman that I met. Her voice was nice and pleasant and it was nice to have a conversation with her up to the point where we went to the movies. The tone of her laughter and her laughter itself was a nightmare. We were watching a comedy and every time she laughed it was like a hyena was in the theater. People were turning around and I couldn’t sink any deeper into my chair. They were awful high pitches and tones…disaster! The lust stood out for me because when I was much younger, like 15 years ago when I was 25, I was always looking for the hook up and if I did hook up and the sex was great I would think I was in love and the heartbreak afterwards was pretty bad. As I have gotten older, I stay away from hook up and get to know the person much better because I do want to fall in love. I have only felt genuine love for a woman once in my life (hindsight is 20/20).
ReplyDeleteA man’s voice is very important when it comes to attraction in my personal opinion. You don’t want him to sound too weak or immature. Typically I’d prefer a man with a slightly deeper voice, enough to demonstrate his masculinity and confidence. His voice has the potential to give you that safe and secure feeling, the sense that he can provide and support you, need be. If his voice were too high or even annoying in any way the interest and attraction would decrease indefinitely because you wouldn’t even want to hear him speak much about anything, therefore the communication would steadily fall off the grid and there would no longer be that spark or connection that you once thought you had. The voice isn’t the only factor of attraction of course but if you really think about it, it is actually a vital characteristic when choosing to pursue a relationship of any kind with a man. I would want to not only enjoy his company but also engage in interesting conversations without feeling like I’m talking to another female or irritating acquaintance. I’d like to listen with ease and be attentive to the conversation and just enjoy the sound of a strong, assuring, sexy, and manly voice.
ReplyDeleteWhile there is not one characteristic that makes someone attracted to someone else, but a combination of many different traits, I have to agree with many of my peers by saying voice is a really big contributing factor. There have been many times that my friends and/or I have found someone attractive based off the first impression of appearance and it wasn’t until later, after we heard them talk, that we came to a more accurate conclusion of how we felt about them. This wasn’t just based on what was talked about or their personality, but a lot of it had to due with their voice itself. There are many times when I have thought a guy was cute and once I heard their voice, I either was immediately more attracted to him or it was a turn off. Typically, girls look and listen for guys with lower voices, a voice that can make them melt. They come off as sexier, more manly, someone who is safe and can provide and all together more attractive in a woman’s eyes.
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ReplyDeleteSex appeal is sometimes the attraction some people don't recognize, It could be their scent their facial feature or even their voice. Sometimes it hard for us to recognize what attracts us to that person, but symmetry can play a big role in sex appeal . As the video explained most people choose the picture with the symmetric face. Acknowledging that both picture had the same person, to some people facial symmetry is a imperative. I actually experienced this situation with one of my friends in high school. She was telling me about some guy trying to hook up with her, they had been seeing each other for a month. She calls me late at night telling amazing her date went, how the guy had all the qualities she wanted, but their was a deal breaker, she did not like how the guys facial features lined up. When she told me that I started laughing, I could not believe what she was telling me. Now I realize symmetry is really important to some people.
There was this boy I had in my Anatomy & Physiology in my senior year of high school that I believe was my first real crush (yeah, that was kinda late, wasn’t it?). I sat in the row to the left of him and two rows behind him, so we were never paired together for any group projects, nor did we ever have a reason to chat. He was a baseball player, and I was the class marching band nerd. For whatever reason, I really started to like him. We spoke maybe a few times, and I even got him to sign my autograph book at the end of the year (when he becomes a famous doctor/baseball player, I am so framing that page). There was honestly no reason for me to even notice him, but I did.
ReplyDeleteThinking back, I remember really liking the sound of his voice. I don’t like listening to men who have high-pitched voices (if their faces don’t match), but I also get bothered by super-deep voices. His voice was just deep enough to be masculine, but high enough that I didn’t feel like Barry White was stalking me. Also, I remember thinking he had a nice face. Not “handsome” or “cute” (although it was), but “nice”. I think that has to do with it being very symmetrical.
I really should have tried harder and gotten him to notice me… Now I’m depressed.
I find smell to be a big attraction. If I like the scent of cologne a man is wearing it will draw me in. The smell of a person makes you want to cuddle up with a person so you can smell them. I love being hugged and snuggling up so smell is big for me. However it does not have to be the smell of cologne it could bath soap laundry soap and or fabric softener. As long as you smell good I am happy and want to be next to you. Not smelling good is a big turn off because I will not want to be intimate with you in anyway. I will not desire hugs or any cuddling of the sort. No intimacy can make or break a relationship especially if you are a cuddle type person. In all smell plays a big role in my relationship. I don’t want to give any examples because I cannot think of a class appropriate one.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the video, I found that I was also attracted to the face on the left. I didn’t even realize it, and couldn’t really point out why, but I was drawn more to the symmetrical face. When it comes to being attracted to a guy though, I’ve definitely been affected by scent and voice. The only boy that I have loved with everything I had is a prime example. Just being around him and smelling his cologne, attracted me to him even more. It was one of those smells that just made me feel comfortable after smelling it over and over, and it got to the point where if I caught a whiff of the same cologne while out in public, I would instantly become happy. And with his voice.. I could hear him talk all day and never get bored. A strong voice is important in a guy, and he definitely had one, which only further attracted me to him. But when it comes to guys, I’m one of those girls who are a sucker for pretty eyes and smiles. These are things that I instantly notice in a guy and it’s something that defines my initial attraction for someone. Another thing I look for is if they are taller than me, and if they have broad shoulders. I’m a girl that likes to feel secure while a guy is holding me. So, if they are taller and more broad than I am, it makes me feel safe.
ReplyDeleteI liked the video about cars. I dint’ know there was a research about it. I think all info we hear we “try it on” like when we go to a store to try on different clothing. I tried on new info, time consciously (I use to do it, but without a prolong thinking). I felt in the majority of females. I like “Masculine cars”. It must be wide in the front, low sitting if it’s a sport car. For tracks it also have to be something wider and … aggressive, but not high. Something like I have a Ford Explorer 2002. I love the body my car. I don’t’ even know why. I know for sure what I do not like. Cars with no muffler or doubled, or made it wider to make the noise. It’s a shocker, because it doesn’t fit into the model. And for some reason I don’t’ like vans.
ReplyDeleteAbout smell…
These days it’s hard to smell whatever, because everybody is using and abusing deodorants, EDT’s and so on. So, you pheromones, guys, are not really reaching us, unless you are exercising extensively, or dancing or first intimacy.
As far as what we talked about today in class it made me really think about it while I was watching the video. I would say that the thing that attacks me to a woman notice I said woman as I’m older and have been through to much in my life and I am very straight forward and know what I want out of a woman. I cant handle the oh my gosh blah blah blah stuff, so I will say that their life style and face expressions are very important for my first attraction such as a smile and eye color and shape. I feel that a smile with good teeth can go to the saying that a picture can say a thousand words I feel the same goes for smile and their teeth. I do feel that I have settled for something less than what I felt that I should be with because of my body when I was in great shape, which I’m not now ha-ha.
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ReplyDeleteI would also agree that a man's voice would be a major attraction and can have an impact on the level of attraction that a woman feels toward him. He can be the most charming, attractive man, but at the same time if a man approaches you and a woman finds a mans voice annoying or ugly, it can be a major turn off or distraction to some women. Most women will pay attention to this aspect because we tend to judge his masculinity, strength, confidence and power. A strong confident voice that projects and is easily heard by a woman can be attractive and most times men with deep voices tend to be more attractive as for a man who has a soft-spoken voice is perceived as weak and passive, sometimes even feminine but it just depends on what a woman likes in a man's voice but i mean i'm sure there would not be a long lasting relationship if you literally could not stand your partners voice.
ReplyDeletewrapping presents for Christmas. They were wearing cute dress outfits and happened to be doing this for their dance team. I picked out a gift for my dad as quickly as I could, so they could wrap it for me. I got my gift and the girl I wanted to wrap my present was there for me. We started to get our flirt on. I could not get over how good her face looked. I wanted to see her as soon as possible. I gave a decent tip towards their dance team and proceeded out the door. She ran after me in the parking lot to exchange numbers and talk a bit more. I was so happy that night because I knew I would see that lovely face again. Certain people are attracted to others and I was definitely attracted to this one :-)
ReplyDeleteI think it’s an art and a science, because yes we are driven by that primitive part in out brain to look for what is a healthy potential, but if the only thing you like is their appearance the relationship won’t last. For instance a friend of mine had a boyfriend that looked like he could be a model but they had very little in common eventually they parted ways and I asked what happened and she said “nothing, but I could only stare at him and say ‘ your so gorgeous’ so many times before it got boring.” So my point being that the science may steer us to the ones that are physically appealing but the art helps us weave through the ones that are intellectually appealing. To me the tone of a man’s voice doesn’t particularly matter, unless it’s higher than mine then we may run into some issues but it’s not a deal breaker, neither is an odd smell just put some body spray on and you’ll be fine.
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