The Science Behind Chemistry: What Really Turns People On?

Interest is one of the most fascinating aspects of interpersonal communication and, at the same time, one of the least understood and most elusive. This is because when two people meet and find themselves at ease with each other it is said that the two have ‘chemistry’. So what is this chemistry and what plays a role in it? What people often point to- romance and physical attraction are only part of the story; biological, psychological, and social factors also play a role in attraction. Let’s move to the scientific aspect of chemistry and find out what makes two people attracted to each other.

The Instinctual Causes of Attraction

Basically, it is possible to say that attraction is a biological phenomenon. It comes from evolutionary processes that we have as survival and reproduction. It is believed that our fore parents had to look for partners in order to reproduce and the attributes that are appealing to us today are...

Our fore parents had to search for good partners for reproduction and many of the features that are sexually attractive today are related with the ability to reproduce.

    1. Pheromones and Scent

However, one of the primeval aspects of the process is the human ability to detect and respond to the partner’s smell. Pheromones, chemical messengers produced by the body, are an important but often unnoticed factor in sexual desire. A study has established that people are naturally inclined to be with partners who have different MHC genes than they do. This variation increases the chances that offspring will be made with a more powerful immune system. In a nutshell, we are, genetically speaking, searching for a partner who will, in a way, help our offspring have the best possible start in life. They are chemical substances that are secreted by sweat and other fluids, and help one to detect this genetic fitness.

    2. Facial features and Physical Characteristics.

Physical attraction is one of the biggest factors that define beauty and people argue that symmetry of the face is important. There is a widely held notion that facial symmetry makes people look more attractive than those with asymmetrical faces because symmetry indicates that the person is healthy and genetically correct. The self is not only symmetrical, but gloss, crystal clear skin, bright eyes, and a good hair are other aspects of the physical appearance that show health and attractiveness that are useful in the sense of reproduction. This is because while men are usually attracted to women with characteristics of fertility such

    3. The Role of Hormones

Hormones have a critical part to play in attraction. The hormones that control sexual desires in men are testosterone while in women it is estrogen hormones. Testosterone is a hormone associated with aggression and authority, features that every woman would love to have. On the other hand, estrogen levels can affect a woman’s attractiveness, and a woman is most likely to be attractive to men during the period of ovulation.

Factors That Affect Psychological Attraction

Where biology is the base, psychology builds on it and creates more levels of attraction. What we are drawn to is a combination of our personal perception, childhood, and deep-seated impulses.

    1. Familiarity and Mere Exposure Effect.

Familiarity is one of the strongest psychological determinants of attraction. This theory has been stated as the mere exposure effect; the hypothesis is that the more one is exposed to an individual the more one will be attracted to the individual. Everyone knows that people like to be around people who look like their family or friends. there is no cause to believe that a stranger is any more reliable than our friend for instance.

    2. Attachment Styles

First attachment experiences with caregivers determine the way of interaction with a partner in an intimate relationship. Experts claim that individuals have certain attachment patterns in relationships, which are secure, anxious, or avoidant. This is because people with safe attachment styles are likely to be in healthy and long term relationships. The way we attach can determine who we are more likely to be drawn to as our partners, and sometimes we end up with people who reinforce our attachment style, even if it is unhealthy.

    3. Reciprocity and Validation

This paper also argues that another psychological factor that plays a big role in attraction is reciprocity. People are usually more attracted to those who seem to pay attention to them because this makes them feel important. It helps one to want to like the other person back because when a person knows someone has an interest in them, they are more likely to have an interest in that person. This also has a link with the theory of social proofing which postulates people are more likely to be interested in something they know others are interested in because the other people increase the value of the object of interest in the social ranking system.

Cultural and Social Factor that Affect Attraction

Attraction is not only the biological or psychological process but may be related to the society and culture that an individual is in. This means that outside world has a very big influence in how we are able to comprehend beauty and attractiveness and the type of people we wish to be with.

    1. Cultural Standards of Beauty

As with every culture, and every period in history, beauty is also subjective since it varies with culture and time. There is a difference in the perception of beauty in one culture and the other. For example, there are some cultures that embrace individuals with curves because they are wealthy and healthy whilst there are those that prefer the skinny body type because they are healthy. These cultural norms influence the things that we find appealing without our knowledge, and despite the fact that we are the ones who are selecting our partners. One has to also realize that beauty and attractiveness is not only defined by the books one reads, the movies watched or the websites visited.

    2. Technology on Attraction

So, while the modern world has offered dating applications and social networks, the type of attraction that people can have has also changed. Tinder and Bumble are only a couple of examples of how people choose their partners by looking at their pictures, thus depriving themselves of many facets of the process. Even though this may seem quite basic, these platforms also provide people with a means to communicate with others they would not have an opportunity to come across. Chemistry in the digital age may begin with a picture, but it can be nurtured with text and voice messages.

    3. Sexual Attraction and Media Consumption.

The modern world is full of exhibitions and nudity and this may change one’s perception to attraction and intimacy. Adult content, including websites like sex tube, can shape expectations and desires in romantic and sexual relationships. One the one hand, it is claimed that consumers’ perception of real life intimacy can be affected by watching such content, on the other hand, it may help users to understand their likes and dislikes in real life intimate situations. In either case, media both explicit and non-explicit influences our perception of attraction and relationships.

Conclusion

Chemistry may seem like an enchanting process with the help of which a couple can make the world go round, but in fact, it has a lot to do with biology, psychology, and social pressure. Pheromones, hormones, values, cultural norms, and other factors make up that inexplicable attraction one experiences towards another individual. If you are searching for love in the world or on the internet, the knowledge of these forces is useful for navigating the difficult process of attraction and creating a stable relationship.