< Return to Video

The science of attraction

  • 0:07 - 0:09
    We like to think of romantic feelings
  • 0:09 - 0:13
    as spontaneous and indescribable
    things that come from the heart.
  • 0:13 - 0:15
    But it's actually your brain
  • 0:15 - 0:19
    running a complex series of calculations
    within a matter of seconds
  • 0:19 - 0:21
    that's responsible
    for determining attraction.
  • 0:22 - 0:24
    Doesn't sound quite as poetic, does it?
  • 0:24 - 0:27
    But just because the calculations
    are happening in your brain
  • 0:27 - 0:30
    doesn't mean those warm,
    fuzzy feelings are all in your head.
  • 0:30 - 0:33
    In fact, all five
    of your senses play a role,
  • 0:33 - 0:36
    each able to vote for,
    or veto, a budding attraction.
  • 0:37 - 0:39
    The eyes are the first
    components in attraction.
  • 0:39 - 0:43
    Many visual beauty standards vary
    between cultures and eras,
  • 0:43 - 0:46
    and signs of youth,
    fertility and good health,
  • 0:46 - 0:47
    such as long lustrous hair,
  • 0:47 - 0:50
    or smooth, scar-free skin,
  • 0:50 - 0:51
    are almost always in demand
  • 0:51 - 0:54
    because they're associated
    with reproductive fitness.
  • 0:54 - 0:56
    And when the eyes spot
    something they like,
  • 0:56 - 0:59
    our instinct is to move closer
  • 0:59 - 1:01
    so the other senses can investigate.
  • 1:01 - 1:03
    The nose's contribution to romance
  • 1:03 - 1:06
    is more than noticing perfume or cologne.
  • 1:06 - 1:08
    It's able to pick up
    on natural chemical signals
  • 1:08 - 1:10
    known as pheromones.
  • 1:10 - 1:11
    These not only convey
  • 1:11 - 1:15
    important physical or genetic information
    about their source
  • 1:15 - 1:20
    but are able to activate a physiological
    or behavioral response in the recipient.
  • 1:20 - 1:22
    In one study, a group of women
  • 1:22 - 1:24
    at different points
    in their ovulation cycles
  • 1:24 - 1:27
    wore the same T-shirts for three nights.
  • 1:27 - 1:29
    After male volunteers
    were randomly assigned
  • 1:29 - 1:33
    to smell either one of the worn shirts,
    or a new unworn one,
  • 1:33 - 1:37
    saliva samples showed
    an increase in testosterone
  • 1:37 - 1:41
    in those who had smelled a shirt worn
    by an ovulating woman.
  • 1:41 - 1:42
    Such a testosterone boost
  • 1:42 - 1:45
    may give a man the nudge to pursue a woman
  • 1:45 - 1:47
    he might not have otherwise noticed.
  • 1:47 - 1:49
    A woman's nose is particularly attuned
  • 1:49 - 1:53
    to MHC molecules,
    which are used to fight disease.
  • 1:53 - 1:56
    In this case, opposites attract.
  • 1:56 - 2:00
    When a study asked women to smell T-shirts
    that had been worn by different men,
  • 2:00 - 2:05
    they preferred the odors of those
    whose MHC molecules differed from theirs.
  • 2:05 - 2:06
    This makes sense.
  • 2:06 - 2:09
    Genes that result in a greater
    variety of immunities
  • 2:09 - 2:12
    may give offspring
    a major survival advantage.
  • 2:13 - 2:15
    Our ears also determine attraction.
  • 2:15 - 2:19
    Men prefer females
    with high-pitched, breathy voices,
  • 2:19 - 2:23
    and wide formant spacing,
    correlated with smaller body size.
  • 2:23 - 2:27
    While women prefer low-pitched voices
    with a narrow formant spacing
  • 2:27 - 2:29
    that suggest a larger body size.
  • 2:30 - 2:31
    And not surprisingly,
  • 2:31 - 2:34
    touch turns out to be crucial for romance.
  • 2:34 - 2:37
    In this experiment,
    not realizing the study had begun,
  • 2:37 - 2:41
    participants were asked
    to briefly hold the coffee,
  • 2:41 - 2:43
    either hot or iced.
  • 2:43 - 2:46
    Later, the participants read a story
    about a hypothetical person,
  • 2:46 - 2:48
    and were asked to rate their personality.
  • 2:48 - 2:51
    Those who had held the hot cup of coffee
  • 2:51 - 2:54
    perceived the person
    in the story as happier,
  • 2:54 - 2:58
    more social, more generous
    and better-natured
  • 2:58 - 3:00
    than those who had held
    the cup of iced coffee,
  • 3:00 - 3:04
    who rated the person as cold,
    stoic, and unaffectionate.
  • 3:05 - 3:08
    If a potential mate has managed
    to pass all these tests,
  • 3:08 - 3:09
    there's still one more:
  • 3:09 - 3:12
    the infamous first kiss,
  • 3:12 - 3:16
    a rich and complex exchange
    of tactile and chemical cues,
  • 3:17 - 3:18
    such as the smell of one's breath,
  • 3:18 - 3:20
    and the taste of their mouth.
  • 3:20 - 3:24
    This magical moment is so critical
    that a majority of men and women
  • 3:24 - 3:26
    have reported losing
    their attraction to someone
  • 3:26 - 3:28
    after a bad first kiss.
  • 3:29 - 3:32
    Once attraction is confirmed,
    your bloodstream is flooded
  • 3:32 - 3:33
    with norepinephrine,
  • 3:33 - 3:36
    activating your fight or flight system.
  • 3:36 - 3:37
    Your heart beats faster,
  • 3:37 - 3:39
    your pupils dilate,
  • 3:39 - 3:42
    and your body releases glucose
    for additional energy,
  • 3:42 - 3:45
    not because you're in danger
    but because your body is telling you
  • 3:45 - 3:47
    that something important is happening.
  • 3:47 - 3:48
    To help you focus,
  • 3:48 - 3:50
    norepinephrine creates
    a sort of tunnel vision,
  • 3:50 - 3:53
    blocking out surrounding distractions,
  • 3:53 - 3:55
    possibly even warping your sense of time,
  • 3:55 - 3:57
    and enhancing your memory.
  • 3:57 - 4:00
    This might explain why people
    never forget their first kiss.
  • 4:01 - 4:03
    The idea of so much of our attraction
  • 4:03 - 4:06
    being influenced by chemicals
    and evolutionary biology
  • 4:06 - 4:09
    may seem cold and scientific
    rather than romantic,
  • 4:09 - 4:11
    but the next time
    you see someone you like,
  • 4:11 - 4:15
    try to appreciate how your entire body
    is playing matchmaker
  • 4:15 - 4:18
    to decide if that beautiful
    stranger is right for you.
Title:
The science of attraction
Speaker:
Dawn Maslar
Description:

more » « less
Video Language:
English
Team:
closed TED
Project:
TED-Ed
Duration:
04:34
Krystian Aparta commented on English subtitles for The science of attraction
Krystian Aparta edited English subtitles for The science of attraction
Jessica Ruby edited English subtitles for The science of attraction
Jessica Ruby edited English subtitles for The science of attraction
Jessica Ruby approved English subtitles for The science of attraction
Jessica Ruby accepted English subtitles for The science of attraction
Jennifer Cody edited English subtitles for The science of attraction
Jennifer Cody edited English subtitles for The science of attraction

English subtitles

Revisions Compare revisions