The Power of Attraction and Intimate Relationships Defined Jaime Hernandez National University Webster dictionary describes attraction as "a force acting mutually between to particles of matter, tending to draw them together, and resisting their separation" (Merriam Webber , 2013). Some scientists and psychologists have attempted to understand attraction and predict it as if there was a clear science to attraction. Truth be told, attraction can be one, or many different pieces that are instrumental to the attractions that one feels toward another.Some attributes people require are conscience decisions or can even be requirements on a subliminal level. Some factors of attraction may include physical attractiveness, proximity and intimacy and intimate relationships.
Assassin, Feint and Markus describe physical attractiveness as a way of one being drawn in (Assassin, Feint, & Markus, 2008). There are five elements of attractiveness also known as the Golden Rule. These five factors include facial features, Voice, Kissing, Smell and Financial Stability. Sexual attraction can be directly influenced by human scents.For instance when a woman is ovulating he produce pheromones known as coupling.
When a man smells a woman's coupling a surge of testosterone is released. Interesting enough this increase of testosterone is actually repulsive in UN-ovulating women. This is a raw example of one's ability to attractiveness to the opposite sex on a level not controlled on a cognizant level. Secondly, voice tones and the tone one carries plays a huge role in finding the opposite sex more attractive.
As women, their voice naturally raise in pitch during ovulation because of the increase of estrogen.Male subjects find this more attractive ND on an unconscious level find women with higher pitches are more fertile. Often before we hear or smell someone we lay eyes on them. There has been a common understanding in symmetry and its ability to determine one's attractiveness. Symmetry can even be broken down to the width, and length known as the "golden ration". Female faces have also been known to have a glow-like appearance during ovulation.
So, once the body reacts to the smell, voice and appearance of a potential love interest, it is no wonder that kissing would be the next factor in deciding one's hysterical attractiveness level.World renowned Dry. Laura Barman who specializes in love and sex, explains that kissing is a foresight into the type of lover, friend, provider and partner a love interest can be. Dry. Barman states in a recent study that 66% of women state that women would dump a man after a first bad kiss (Barman, 2009).
Lastly Dry, Barman breaks down the dynamic of one's financial stability and how that plays a role into attractiveness. Dry. Barman explains this as an evolutionary process. In our early days women could not hunt and provide for their babies so they relied on he men to sustain both food and security.The mate or man that was able to provide the lager hunt would then in turn be able to provide more sustenance to their offspring.
Another link to attraction would be the Proximity Effect. Authors, Assassin, Feint and Markus describes the Proximity Effect as the single best predictor of attractiveness. This thought is the belief that social interactions are still amongst the deciding factors of when we are looking to find a partner in life. Assassin, Feint and Markus state that we as a society still date individuals that are within close proximity o ourselves (Assassin, Feint, & Markus, 2008).Upon closer observation of the word proximity, when one in lose proximity it is usually for a reason.
Proximity generally produces liking. Which is known as the Mere Exposure Effect. Mere Exposure Effect is the theory that people tend to like those who mirror our own attributes. Social psychologist Robert Cajon explains that the mere exposure effect has strong evolutionary advantages as well. Mere exposure effect is links familiarity to safety.
Cajon further explains that for the mere exposure effect to take place, an individual goes not even need to be aware to prior exposures for this effect to take place (Cajon, 1998).Once we understand physical attractiveness, the proximity and mere proximity effect we must then look at how those theories and their effects on close relationships and intimate relationships. According to Assassin, Feint and Markus intimate relationships involve three basic components; feelings of attachment, affection and love; fulfillment of psychological needs; and the interdependence between partners, and the meaningful influence one has on the other. According to psychologist, Elaine Hatfield there are two basic types of love, compassionate love and passionate love.Hatfield describes compassionate love and the way it develops out of feelings of mutual understanding, respect, and trust. While passionate love would be characterized as having intense emotional feelings, sexual attractiveness, and even anxiety.
Hatfield declares that passionate love is transitory and generally only lasts for six to thirty months (Cherry, 2013). Psychologist Robber Sternberg proposes a triangular theory of love that describes three components of love, such as intimacy, assign and commitment which can be broken up into eight subtypes.Passionate love is aromatic, with a high level of arousal and an intense attraction, consequently it also comes with a fear of rejection. Intimacy would describe feeling of like and closeness.
While commitment would present in a reflection or conscious effort or decision to belong to a partner, with a partner (Assassin, Feint, & Markus, 2008). In summation attachments are crucial to human existence, and as social creatures we often have a need or desire to pair up with a life partner.Even in our review of our errs and that we interpret as having it all, we tend to rate people and their close relationships. As a society we tend to think that a married couple married over thirty years means that they have some secrets or have mastered an ultimate level of life. Love and intimacy go hand and hand. Love is all things attractiveness, emotional security, mutual acceptance and belonging and even anxiety and heart ache.
Intimate relationships may have begun similar to those that short term relationships may have started out as.
