Do you remember your first crush?
Maybe you're finding yourself very attracted to someone at the moment.
Attraction is something most of us experienced throughout our lives and crushes can be incredibly
powerful.
Maybe you're wondering if someone has a crush on you or how to attract that special someone.
If so, watch on for 8 psychological facts about crushes.
One; prolonged eye contact can increase attraction to your crush.
Kellerman, Laird, al 1989 decided to look at the effect eye contact can have on how
much we like someone.
They had strangers engage in mutual gaze, looking at each other in the eye and then
had the participants rate each other.
They found that this prolonged eye contact increased attraction and attachment to the
stranger.
So, if you want to appear more attractive to your crush, be sure to look them in the
eye.
Two; opposites do attract.
We've all heard the saying "opposites attract" but is there any truth to it.
Kromer, Hummel, Croy et al, 2016, looked into this saying.
They specifically looked at genetic blueprints known as HLA complexes.
They found that women were naturally more attracted to those with different HLA complexes
to themselves.
It would seem therefore that opposites do indeed attract and who you crush on, could
come down to different genetic blueprints.
Before we continue the rest of the video, be sure to subscribe to our channel for more
content as well and share this video with others.
With your help, we can reach more people and provide our support.
Three; children with older parents fancy older people when they become adults.
Do you know someone who always seemed to have a crush on someone older than themselves?
Someone who always seems to have an age gap in their relationships?
Some research has suggested this could be due to parental age.
One study found an association between a child's parents being older and them finding older
faces more attractive when they are adults.
So, if you find you're always crushing on someone older, it could be because of your
parents.
Four; those with symmetrical faces tend to be more attractive.
So, what is it that actually make someone attractive?
Why is it that some people have loads of admirers?
It seems to be that our brains are wired in a way that finds certain things more attractive.
One constant across a wide range of people seems to be that faces which are symmetrical
are rated as attractive.
Does your crush have a symmetrical face?
That could be why you find them attractive.
Five; sound and smell play a role in attraction.
It seems fairly obvious to say sight plays a role in attraction, we tend to attribute
our initial attraction to someone to how they look.
However, it isn't the only sense that matters.
It has also been found that both sound and smell also have a part to play in a crush
developing.
Specifically, it seems that a person's voice and their scent are important to that initial
attraction.
This makes sense, as along with how they look, these two factors are things you perceive
very quickly when meeting someone.
So, although you may not realize, it could be more than just your crushes looks that
you're attracted to.
Six; we're attracted to those of similar Heights to us.
It has been found in various studies that couples Heights are often positively correlated.
This means that taller individuals on average end up with taller partners.
But why is this?
Is it environmentally learned or is it genetic?
Tenesa et al, 2016, decided to look into this question.
Using advanced statistical techniques, they managed to find that choice mate height, meaning
that height of our partner was due, at least in part, to genetic factors.
So, if your crush is a similar height to you, this is probably due to genetics.
Seven; the color red makes woman more attractive to men.
Red is often associated with attraction and desire, but is there any other reasons for
this?
One study looked at the effects color had on heterosexual men's judgment on the attractiveness
of several women.
It found that red made men think women were more attractive.
They suggested this is due to social conditioning, because society associates red with passion,
so did these participants.
The study only looked at heterosexual attraction, and so, it's unclear whether the same effect
would be found in the same-sex attraction.
Eight; falling in love causes psychological changes.
Falling in love is a powerful thing which has a profound effect on us.
It's been found it has a lot of psychological changes on the body.
It releases chemicals which have the effect of making us feel good.
Our cheeks blush pink, our palms sweat and our heart race.
Have you ever noticed these changes when you talk to your crush?
Did you learn something new about crushes in this video?
Tell us below about your experiences of having a crush.
We hope you enjoyed it.
Be sure to subscribe for more psychological content.
Also, like the video, leave a comment and feel free to share, maybe even with your crush!