Beyond looks: Voices, scents, and motion matter in attraction
Attraction isn’t just about looks—voices, scents, and motion also play key roles, study finds.
Why it matters
- Attraction involves multiple sensory cues beyond just facial features.
- Personal preferences play a significant role, especially in same-sex judgments.
- Challenges traditional views focused solely on facial attractiveness.
By the numbers
- 61 people provided sensory stimuli (faces, voices, motion, scent).
- 71 people rated attractiveness across these modalities.
- Multimodal stimuli (e.g., videos with audio) were rated most attractive.
The big picture
- Attraction is complex and influenced by a mix of shared traits and personal preferences.
- Findings extend beyond romantic contexts to broader social interactions.
What they're saying
- Personal anecdotes highlight the role of smell and mannerisms in attraction.
- Some humor around self-perceived attractiveness based on the study.
- Comments reflect a general acceptance of the study’s findings.
Caveats
- Study limited to young adults in a lab setting; may not generalize to other groups or real-world scenarios.
- Focused on isolated impressions, not ongoing interactions or behavioral outcomes.
What’s next
- Future research could explore dynamic impressions over time and specific components of motion and scent.