What Makes People Fall in Love

2016-07-25T20:21:00Z

We might not always be able to explain why we’re attracted to someone, but there's been a lot of research about why people fall in love.

While some explanations are attributed to social and cultural practices, such as a shared system of values and experiences, others, like the way we smell or our height, point to our biological nature as a reproductive species.

Here are some findings about attraction that might surprise you:

TI_Graphics_8 weird psychological reasons someone might fall in love with you

1. People tend to fall in love with other people who are like them. Shared values, life experiences, levels of attractiveness, and age all can make a major difference.

Sources: Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

2. If you want someone to fall in love with you, it might help to resemble their opposite-sex parent. That can mean hair and eye color, but also age. Children of young parents tend to seek out young partners more often.

Source: Evolution and Human Behavior

3. There's some evidence that scent can play a role in attraction. Ovulating women, for example, may prefer the scents of men with more testosterone. And men may prefer the scents of women at certain times in their menstrual cycles.

Sources: Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Psychological Science, Psychological Science

Also: Check out our review of a site that matches people based on how they smell after not showering.

4. If you keep an open posture, that can make you seem less closed off — and more inviting and attractive.

Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

5. Height can also play major role in attractiveness — especially for men — in both the short and long term.

Sources: Evolution and Human Behavior, Archives of Sexual Behavior

7. If you and your crush live close to one another, it's more likely to turn into something — because you can get to know one another through running into each other. At least, that's the case for college students in their dorms.

Source: American Psychologist

8. Smiling is another great way to seem attractive. Research suggests many people are just drawn to more positive partners.

Source: American Psychologist

8 psychological reasons someone might fall in love with you

1. People tend to fall in love with other people who are like them. Shared values, life experiences, levels of attractiveness, and age all can make a major difference.

2. If you want someone to fall in love with you, it might help to resemble their opposite-sex parent. That can mean hair and eye color, but also age. Children of young parents tend to seek out young partners more often.

3. There's some evidence that scent can play a role in attraction. Ovulating women, for example, may prefer the scents of men with more testosterone. And men may prefer the scents of women at certain times in their menstrual cycles.

4. If you keep an open posture, that can make you seem less closed off — and more inviting and attractive.

5. Height can also play major role in attractiveness — especially for men — in both the short and long term.

7. If you and your crush live close to one another, it's more likely to turn into something — because you can get to know one another through running into each other. At least, that's the case for college students in their dorms.

8. Smiling is another great way to seem attractive. Research suggests many people are just drawn to more positive partners.

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8 psychological reasons someone might fall in love with you

1. People tend to fall in love with other people who are like them. Shared values, life experiences, levels of attractiveness, and age all can make a major difference.

2. If you want someone to fall in love with you, it might help to resemble their opposite-sex parent. That can mean hair and eye color, but also age. Children of young parents tend to seek out young partners more often.

3. There's some evidence that scent can play a role in attraction. Ovulating women, for example, may prefer the scents of men with more testosterone. And men may prefer the scents of women at certain times in their menstrual cycles.

4. If you keep an open posture, that can make you seem less closed off — and more inviting and attractive.

5. Height can also play major role in attractiveness — especially for men — in both the short and long term.

6. Sharing thrilling or scary experiences looks like a great way to jump-start attraction. So maybe skip that coffee date for some skydiving?

7. If you and your crush live close to one another, it's more likely to turn into something — because you can get to know one another through running into each other. At least, that's the case for college students in their dorms.

8. Smiling is another great way to seem attractive. Research suggests many people are just drawn to more positive partners.

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