Science of Love

Had no date this Valentine’s? Check out the love facts based on SCIENCE! on how to secure one for next year.

Wear red. Lipstick, dress, shoes, a hat. A study testing men’s response to pictures of women under a variety of colour presentations shows that red is the winner. The pictures of women shown framed by or wearing red were rated significantly more attractive and sexually desirable by men than the exact same women shown with other colours. The scientists think there’s biological reasons behind this. Research has shown that nonhuman male primates are particularly attracted to females displaying red. Female baboons and chimpanzees, for example, redden conspicuously when nearing ovulation, sending a clear sexual signal designed to attract males. The red effect extends only to males and only to perceptions of attractiveness.

J.R fancied Sue Ellen's good looks. She was attracted
to his wealth. Luckily we know it's all fiction!

People lie! For a long time it has been a well known “fact” that when it comes to romantic attraction men primarily are motivated by good looks and women by earning power. However, an in-depth study of romantic attraction shows that in reality men and women were equally inspired by physical attraction and equally inspired by earning power or ambition. In other words, we are only interested in good looks and money. Off to the gym you go!

Gay men go for the macho look. A study done at Harvard University shows that, well, ehem, men are pretty simple. The findings suggest that regardless of sexual orientation, men's brains are wired for attraction to sexually dimorphic faces - those with facial features that are most synonymous with their gender. Meaning gay men are most attracted to the most masculine-faced men, while straight men prefer the most feminine-faced women. Women's preferences are more complex than men's, with ovulation, contraceptive use, self-perceived attractiveness, and sex drive all affect face preference. In this particular study, straight women preferred more masculine-faced men than lesbian women, while lesbians preferred slightly more masculine female faces than straight women or men.

Victoria forgave David for playing away from home
with another woman. Would she react differently if he
was caught with another man? 

Play hard to get. According to a new psychological  study women are more attracted to men whose feelings are unclear. It concluded that men on dating sites who kept women guessing about just how interested they really were were more likely to have the women interested in them. Psychologists say in the case of 'attraction uncertainty,' people find themselves thinking about someone. But rather than recognize it's because of the uncertainty, they assume it is because they must be attracted to the person.The authors of the study say they believe the results would be the same in men.

If you cheat, choose wisely. A new study has shown that men are more than twice as likely to continue dating a girlfriend who has cheated on them with another woman than one who has cheated with another man. Women show the opposite pattern. They are more likely to continue dating a man who has had a heterosexual affair than one who has had a homosexual affair. This is not happening because women are all bigots, it’s all down to biology. "A robust jealousy mechanism is activated in men and women by different types of cues - those that threaten paternity in men and those that threaten abandonment in women," says Jaime C. Confer, the study's lead author.

Good luck. And lots of love.