When it comes to finding people attractive, it doesn’t all come down to looks a study has found.
The mini review, published in the journals Frontiers in Psychology, found that how someone sounds and smells is also important when finding someone attractive.
Researchers from the University of Wroclaw in Poland examined over 30 years of literature to find an overview of studies that have looked into the role of voice and scent.
Love and sex news: in pictures
Love and sex news: in pictures
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When it came to voice, some people guess gender and age on voice alone. Other studies showed that people determined whether someone was dominant or cooperative through the voice as well as estimating their emotional state and even their body size.
Other studies showed that people can guess similar things through scent alone or through a combination of sight and smell.
“Recently, most reviews have focused on visual attractiveness, for example, face or body attractiveness,” Agata Gryoecka, the lead author of the study said. “However, literature about other sense and their role in social relations has grown rapidly and should not be neglected.
“{Perceiving others through all three channels [eyes, nose and ears] gives a more reliable and broader variety of information about them,” she summarised.
Groyecka said she hoped the review will inspire further research into the role of audition and olfaction in other social relationships such as friendships.
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