Want to seem more attractive to the opposite sex? Drink one — exactly one — very large glass of wine.
That’s what a recent study by a group of researchers at the University of Bristol’s School of Psychology, published in Science Daily, suggests.
The researchers asked 40 heterosexual men and women, divided equally between both genders, to complete an attractiveness-rating exercise. The volunteers were then shown two images of a person, one taken while the subject was sober, one after the subject had consumed 250 ml of wine (equivalent to a very large glass), and one after 500 ml of wine (two-thirds of a bottle) had been consumed.
The photos of those who drank 250 ml wine were rated as more attractive, followed by images of sober subjects. The photos of those who had drank 500 ml were considered least attractive.
The researchers attributed this to the increased facial flushing that comes with consuming low amounts of alcohol, along with additional muscle relaxation and subtle smiles that portray a heightened positive mood.
Peter and Ellie - It Happened One Night, 1934Columbia Pictures/Getty ImagesScarlett and Rhett - Gone With The Wind, 1939Silver Screen Collection/Archive Photos/Getty ImagesWalter Burns and Hildy Johnson - His Girl Friday, 1940Columbia Pictures/Getty ImagesRich Blaine and Isla Lund - Casablanca, 1942Popperfoto/Getty ImagesRicky and Lucy - I Love Lucy, 1951Archive Photos/Getty ImagesDon Lockwood and Kathy Seldon- Singin' in the Rain, 1952Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Getty ImagesTony and Maria - West Side Story, 1961United Artists/Getty ImagesHolly Golightly and Paul - Breakfast at Tiffany's, 1961Movie Poster Image Art/Getty ImagesBonnie and Clyde - Bonnie and Clyde, 1967Fotos International/Getty ImagesKatie and Hubbell - The Way We Were, 1973Columbia/Getty ImagesDanny Zuko and Sandy Olsen - Grease, 1978Paramount Pictures/Fotos International/Getty ImagesHan Solo and Leia Organa - The Empire Strikes Back, 1980LucasfilmSam and Diane - Cheers, 1982NBC/Getty ImagesFrances 'Baby' Houseman and Johnny Castle - Dirty Dancing, 1987Vestron/Getty ImagesWesley and Princess Buttercup - The Princess Bride, 198720th Century Fox Harry Burns and Sally Albright - When Harry Met Sally, 1989Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesVivian and Edward - Pretty Woman, 1990Buena Vista/Getty ImagesBeauty and the Beast - Beauty and the Beast, 1991DisneyCory and Topanga - Boy Meets World, 1993SGranitz—WireImage/Getty ImagesJenny Curran and Forrest Gump - Forrest Gump, 1994Paramount PicturesRoss and Rachel - Friends, 1994NBC/Getty ImagesDoug and Carol - E.R., 1994NBC/Getty ImagesJack and Rose - Titanic, 199720th Century Fox/Getty ImagesBuffy and Angel - Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1997Getty ImagesCarrie and Big - Sex and the City, 1998HBO/Getty ImagesPatrick Verona and Kat Stratford - 10 Things I Hate About You, 1999Buena Vista/Getty ImagesNoah and Allie - The Notebook, 2004New Line CinemaJack and Ennis - Brokeback Mountain, 2005Focus FilmsTom and Summer - (500) Days of Summer, 2009Fox SearchlightCarl and Ellie - Up, 2009Pixar/Disney