The science of attraction

Hello, I'm Callum Robertson and this is Entertainment.
　　Today we're talking about love. Love is one of the strongest emotions there is
　　and that's usually how we think of it, as an emotion. Love is the topic of many
　　many songs, poems, plays, films, paintings, greetings cards, t-shirts. As a
　　famous song says, love is all around us.
　　But, is there more to love than emotion? Have you ever wondered why we are
　　we attracted to some people and not to others? Here's psychologist Dr. Glenn
　　Wilson. What does he think? – Is there a science to love?
　　Dr. Glenn Wilson
　　There certainly is, there are some rules in the sense of scientific rules. One is the 'similarity
　　principle' that other things being equal we like people who are rather similar to ourselves.
　　Callum:  Yes, he does think there are some scientific rules to love and attraction. What is
　　one of the rules he mentions? Listen again.
　　Dr. Glenn Wilson
　　There are some rules in the sense of scientific rules. One is the 'similarity principle' that other
　　things being equal we like people who are rather similar to ourselves.
　　Callum:  Dr. Wilson talks of the 'similarity principle'. The idea that we like people who
　　are similar to ourselves. He goes on to explain more, what particular feature
　　does he say we look for similarity in?
　　Dr. Glenn Wilson
　　Generally speaking we choose the eye colour that is similar to ourselves but we would also go
　　for an eye colour that matches our opposite sex parent more than our same sex parent as
　　though we are using the opposite sex parent as a kind of a blueprint for what it is that will
　　attract us.
　　Callum:  So, apparently eye colour is important too. We choose people with similar eye
　　colours or even people whose eyes are similar to those of our opposite sex
　　parent's. So, in other words, for a woman that's eyes which are similar to her
　　father's and for a man similar to his mother's.
　　That's one of the subconscious rules of attraction. Subconscious – it's not
　　something we think about when we see someone, we don't think – ah ah she's
　　got eyes like mine, I think I love her!
　　So what are some of the other subconscious rules of attraction? Here's Doctor
　　Glenn Wilson again with Chris Evans from BBC Radio. What is the principle
　　that he mentions?
　　Dr. Glenn Wilson
　　There are some principles, symmetry, for example, that is having one of everything down the
　　middle and two of everything down the side, is very important, and if the two sides match
　　each other perfectly, if the mirror images would fold over on top perfectly then that person is
　　more likely to be attractive because it implies a healthy development.
　　Callum:  In  that part of the interview he mentioned the principle of symmetry – if the
　　left hand and right hand side of the face are symmetrical, if they are like a
　　mirror image then that makes that person more attractive. Buy why is that?
　　Listen again.
　　Dr. Glenn Wilson
　　that person is more likely to be attractive because it implies a healthy development.
　　Callum:  Having symmetrical features implies a healthy development, a healthy
　　development. This is one of the sub-conscious things which makes us find
　　people attractive. And finding someone who looks healthy is important because
　　subconsciously we are looking for a partner who can produce strong and
　　healthy offspring. Offspring is another word for children and as with animals in
　　the wild our instincts are to mate, to mate, to produce off spring.
　　Something that is often said is that opposites attract. It's certainly true for
　　magnets, but what about people? In the next section from the interview with Dr.
　　Wilson he talks about pheromones and the immune system. Pheromones are
　　chemicals which humans and animals produce. These chemicals can't be smelt,
　　but they are detected by others and can affect the way they behave. The
　　immune system is part of the body's natural defences. It's the system that fights
　　off diseases.