Sex appeal linked to smell, history

Human sex appeal comes in four distinct categories, ranging from smell to personal histories, a top U.S. woman's magazine editor says.

Appearing on CBS' "The Early Show," Cosmopolitan Editor in Chief Kate White said sex appeal can be broken down into the major attraction types: instant attraction; the power of scent; slow-burn love; and opposites attract.

White said instant attraction is based around early life crushes and appreciating similar backgrounds.

"When you find yourself attracted to preppy guys with blue eyes or Johnny Depp because he was your crush, it really has to do with those early crushes," she said.

A person's scent can attract others on an instinctual level, said White, while slow-burn love represents the romantic fruition of a long friendship.

"Slow-burn love is when all of a sudden you find yourself attracted -- maybe after many years -- to a guy who you were friends with," she said.

White said opposites attract because people often seek out in potential romantic interests, characteristics they lack themselves.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International

Citation: Sex appeal linked to smell, history (2007, April 26) retrieved 25 April 2024 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2007-04-sex-appeal-linked-history.html
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