Based on my lectures about attraction in my social psychology class, I’ve learned that there are plenty of subtle things you can do to make yourself appear more attractive to someone.
1. Wear red.
According to a study done by Elliot and colleagues, people liked the people in red shirts or pictures of people surrounded by a red border. Even though the pictures were identical, people still showed a strong preference towards the people in red.
2. Get people to nod in front of you.
Another study that was conducted by Wells & Petty, people reported higher degrees of liking someone they had spoken with after they had nodded in the conversation. As nodding increased, so did their report of liking the person. People tend to mimic behaviors unconsciously, so if you casually nod in conversation, perhaps you will get your partner to nod too. This, in turn, will make them like you more.
3. Subtle stalking helps.
No, I am not at all recommending that you stalk the person you have a crush on. However, casually running into someone more frequently could increase his or her positive feelings towards you. So maybe next time you’re figuring out your route to class, take a more trafficked route and keep your eye out for your crush; it could make a difference.
4. Similar people work best together.
Yes, the common clichés is that “opposites attract,” but this isn’t the case. With long-term relationships, similarity is best.
5. Flattery can beat sexiness.
We like people who like us. This is even strong enough to override our attraction based on physical appearance. However, even one negative comment can decrease liking of another person.
6. Take your date to scary movies or amusement parks.
According "Social Psychology" by Pearson, the misattribution of arousal is “the process whereby people make mistaken inferences about what is causing them to feel the way they do.” In other words, if you take your date to see a scary movie, they could subconsciously interpret their bodily reactions (i.e. palms sweating and heart racing) as signs that they really like the person they’re on a date with.
So, keeping these tips in mind, go out and find yourself that boy or girl you’ve been thinking about constantly. And a special thanks to Tulane University’s psychology professor, Dr. Carrie Wyland, for being a great Intro to Social Psych teacher who taught me these dating tips.
