Last update: April 02, 2020
The strategies we use to win over a potential partner can be as original as our imagination allows. But what allows sexual attraction to be created immediately? Are there certain physical traits that ensure success in the moment of seduction?
The ability to sexually attract or generate an erotic interest in other people is a skill. But you don't need to have an angelic face and spectacular eyes. There are other elements and factors that are equally, or even more, valuable.
Elements of sexual attraction
The first impression is decisive
Although we can repeat countless times that "what matters is how we are inside", the eyes cannot fail to notice the physical side. The first impression always matters. Consider that once this first impression is formed, the person will tend to confirm it. And this can work in our favor if this first impression is good and, conversely, hinder us if it is bad.
Appearance is processed by the brain instantly, before we even realize it. Thus, in less than 2 seconds we have already given a quick judgment to the person in front of us. His dress, his complexion, his nose… Everything is cataloged and classified. Without saying a word, the other person has already told us a lot, or rather we have interpreted a lot.
As for the face, it only takes a tenth of a second to determine if it is attractive to us or not. Consequently, yes, there is love at first sight. At least physical love.
Hair and smell: key elements
Hair is one of the attributes we value the most. Specifically, women move between two poles. On the one hand, according to the research, it is deduced that they find a shiny and thick hair attractive. On the other, baldness is not as frowned upon as one might infer from some comments.
This because hair loss is directly related to high blood testosterone levels. In fact, many studies believe that this hormone is responsible for the sexual attraction we feel towards the other person.
The smell is the second determining factor. Unless we are fetishists in this sense, an unpleasant smell makes us all less willing to establish a physical relationship with the person in question. In any case, it is prefer not to risk and opt for perfumes or deodorants with fresh and pleasant aromas.
Beauty is not everything
There are people who, while not being beautiful in the eyes of most, nevertheless have "something" special that makes them irresistible. A "I don't know what" that works like a magnet: their way of speaking, their gaze, their laugh, their mood ... Even this being "interesting" is successful.
On the other hand, there are a few days a month when a woman turns out to be more attractive to men, i.e. during her ovulation period.
In this phase, in fact, they feel attracted by a set of sweet and pleasant aromas emanating from the woman. Pheromones lead men to feel physical attraction and within minutes their blood testosterone levels increase to over 100%.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Other physical factors that arouse sexual attraction
We unconsciously tend to be attracted to symmetrical faces. In fact, this anthropometric feature is considered the epitome of beauty. The color of the eyes is not so decisive, but the intensity of the limbal ring is, the band around the iris. The darker it is, the more attractive it is to us.
A good height and well-trained muscles also buy points in terms of sexual attraction. If we look at the first stages of human evolution, we can observe how the strength of Homo sapiens was the key element for the survival of the whole family.
And this heritage has relatively remained until today. Still, in fact, sturdier and taller men convey a greater sense of security and protection to women. This explanation allows us to understand why these characteristics fall into the variables that make us more attractive.
We are not that different from animals
We know that some of the elements that attract us most from a physical point of view are valued in the same way by other animal species as well. For example, also lionesses give weight to the "hair" of males. To be precise, they note the quantity, density and color. The more intense and darker it is, the more it indicates the presence of high testosterone levels in the blood, and the more the lionesses like it.
Female red-legged partridges prefer males whose colors are more intense. These shades are synonymous with a parasite-free immune system and proper nutrition. And then there are the horns, teeth or crests of males of various species, all elements that transmit protection to females and symbolize power.
Wrinkles are beautiful too
The characteristics of youth are not valued any more than their opposite. At least not as much as some advertisements, marketing, creams, cosmetics, various treatments based on the fight against age and the passage of time would have us believe.
A study conducted at the Universidad Autónoma of Madrid disproves this propaganda effect. The results suggest, in fact, that men are sexually attracted more to facial features that distinguish a female face from a male one, not so much from those of a young face.
This means that they value the absence of facial hair, plump lips and less thick eyebrows more than the absence of signs of aging or scars.
Love and attraction are not the same
Closely related to sexual attraction is falling in love. But other factors influence it, such as the circumstances and the vital moment in which the person finds himself, his receptivity, his affinities, his desires, his values ​​and shared interests. Everything matters.
Sexual attraction is physical and chemical. As you can see, the chemical side (substances and hormones) helps to trigger it, but if there is not a good first impression, there is a lot of ground to recover. There is no doubt that sexual tastes and preferences vary from person to person. However, a mixture of good impressions that generate pleasurable sensations in each of our senses helps trigger this sexual attraction.
