Have you ever found yourself attracted to someone who initially didn’t float your boat?
A recent study at the University of Texas explores the science underlying a change of heart and how perceptions of attractiveness change over time. Students were asked to rate the romantic appeal of their opposite-sex classmates. At the start of the semester the students pretty much agreed on who in their class was most desirable. When they were asked again three months later, after a semester in a small classroom setting, their judgments varied widely on who was hot and who was not.
As the students got to know each other, perceptions of “hotness” shifted. According to researchers, this gradual change in feeling occurs often.
Here is a snapshot of some of the results of one survey where 33 percent of the men and 43 percent of the women said they had fallen in love with someone they initially did not find attractive. Main explanations for this change of heart included:
“Great conversations”
“Common interests”
“Came to appreciate his/her sense of humor”
Indeed, looks aren’t everything. Audrey Hepburn said it best:
“Make-up can only make you look pretty on the outside but it doesn’t help if you’re ugly on the inside. Unless you eat the make-up.”
So much for love at first sight.
I wish you all the best,
Dr. Samantha Boardman
