the-BA : A smile is the key to success

By Danny Oldham

It has generally been thought that physical attraction is the determining factor in instant impressions. Dr Ben Jones, from the University of Aberdeen told the BA Festival of Science that this is not necessarily true.

Dr Jones and his colleagues have discovered that the extent to which we consider 'beautiful' people to be attractive depends on the extent to which they are attracted to us.

People are more attracted to others who appear willing to reciprocate this attraction, either by making eye contact, smiling or even by simply stating that they 'really like you'.

Adding something as simple as a smile may increase exponentially how attractive somebody finds us.

Eye contact is also key. People find someone much more attractive if they feel they have their undivided attention.

Dr Jones explained that, in previous studies, psychologists asked people to rate others' attractiveness using only still images or bland recordings of voices reading the alphabet.

But reality isn't like that. Nobody ever introduces themselves by reciting the alphabet.

This research focused on real life situations.

When we meet someone we are constantly moving, be it through strong body language or subtle eye movements.

This research shows that attractiveness is not as straightforward as simply preferring flawless skin or symmetric features.

Dr Jones plans to take the research forward by investigating differences in how people combine information about others' physical beauty with information about how attracted they are to them.

He has already done some work on this topic, and has shown that anxious people combine them in different ways from those who are not anxious.
Read more in the Scotsman or BBC Online.