--- description: Good looks help, there’s no denying. We make up our mind about people in 100 milliseconds and decide whether they’re hot in 13 milliseconds. Beautiful... title: 10 Ways Science Can Make Anyone Sexier image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1626a01cc26417ab/69876023cd684848d5097083/science-beauty.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Ideas](/section/ideas/) ## Ideas Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Psychology](/tag/psychology/) ## Psychology Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 10 Ways Science Can Make Anyone Sexier by [Eric Barker](/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 13, 2014 4:13 AM CUT  Working on finding the perfect molecular structure Working on finding the perfect molecular structureGetty Images by [Eric Barker](/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 13, 2014 4:13 AM CUT Good looks help, there’s no denying. We make up our mind about people in [100 milliseconds](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-long-does-it-take-us-to-make-up-our-mind-57590 "undefined") and decide whether they’re hot in [13 milliseconds](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-long-does-it-take-to-decide-if-a-person-i "undefined"). Beautiful people are [more successful](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-beautiful-people-more-successful-why "undefined"). We’re more likely to [forgive](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-we-more-inclined-to-forgive-mates-that-ar "undefined") attractive people. Cute folks are [less likely to be convicted of a crime](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-attractive-people-less-likely-to-be-convi "undefined") and more likely to get a shorter sentence. Have people’s opinions toward appearance changed over the years? Yes, _we_ [_value attractiveness more than ever_](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-has-what-we-look-for-in-a-mate-changed-ov "undefined")_._ So what can you do to make sure you’re looking good during that [critical first impression](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-first-impressions-really-that-big-a-deal "undefined")? 1. Beauty sleep? Yeah, [it’s real](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-there-really-such-thing-as-beauty-sleep "undefined"). Get some. 2. Red [clothes](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/5-things-your-clothes-are-saying-about-you "undefined"). [Men](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-color-should-men-wear-to-be-more-attract "undefined"), [women](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-color-should-a-woman-wear-on-a-date "undefined"), whatever. [Wear red](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-red-clothes-mean-sex "undefined"). 3. Glasses make you look [smarter but less attractive](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-glasses-really-make-you-look-smarter-but-l "undefined"). 4. Your [left side](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/which-side-of-your-face-is-your-best-side "undefined") is your best side. Here are tips for making yourself [more attractive in photos](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-simple-tricks-can-make-you-look-more-att "undefined"). 5. [Happiness is attractive in women but not in men. Pride is attractive in men but not in women.](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-happiness-a-turn-off "undefined") The fundamentals of [what we find attractive](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-our-tastes-in-the-opposite-sex-mature-as-w "undefined") do not change [as we age](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-the-elderly-pick-mates-differently-than-yo "undefined"). 6. A strong sense of [meaning in life](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-a-strong-sense-of-meaning-in-life-make-y "undefined") makes people more attractive. [Here](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-do-we-find-meaning-in-life "undefined")‘s how to work on that. 7. Eat right. More servings of fruits and vegetables [made people more attractive](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/will-eating-healthier-make-you-sexier "undefined"). 8. Tattoos are interesting. One tattoo isn’t very telling. Multiple tattoos and highly visible tattoos are highly correlated with [deviant behavior](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-there-a-connection-between-highly-visible "undefined"). Students [like college professors with tattoos more](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-do-students-think-of-college-professors "undefined") than those without ink. People with tattoos and body piercings [have sex at younger ages, have sex more often, have more oral sex, and are far less likely to be religious](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-tattoos-mean-sex "undefined"). 9. Eye contact can [make people fall in love with you](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-staring-into-someones-eyes-make-them-fall "undefined"). You can tell which couples are in love by [how long they stare into each others eyes](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-can-you-tell-if-two-people-are-in-love "undefined"). 10. Is none of this helping? Here’s a trick that doesn’t ask you to change anything about yourself: _bring along a friend who has your basic physical characteristics (similar coloring, body type, facial features), but is slightly less attractive than you._ It [works](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-there-a-way-to-make-yourself-more-attracti "undefined"). **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/09/10-ways-science-can-make-anyone-sexier/ "undefined")**_._** **Join over 125,000 readers.** Get a free weekly update via email [here](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD "undefined"). Related posts: [10 ways science can make \*men\* sexier](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/10-ways-science-can-make-men-sexier "undefined") [10 ways science can make \*women\* sexier](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/10-ways-science-can-make-women-sexier "undefined") [10 ways science explains why James Bond is so irresistible to women](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/10-ways-science-explains-why-james-bond-is-so "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3491373/10-ways-science-can-make-anyone-sexier/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3491373/10-ways-science-can-make-anyone-sexier/"},"headline":"10 Ways Science Can Make Anyone Sexier","datePublished":"2014-10-13T04:13:04.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T07:57:43.065Z","description":"Good looks help, there’s no denying. We make up our mind about people in 100 milliseconds and decide whether they’re hot in 13 milliseconds. 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