Just A Guy Thing

How long does it take to fall in love at first sight? Scientists say it’s exactly 8.2 seconds – if you’re a man.

According to a recently released study, the longer a man gazes at a woman when they meet for the first time, the more interested he is. If that initial look lasts four seconds, it’s likely he’s not impressed. But if the guy stares for at least 8.2 seconds, he could already be in love, researchers say.

The finding does not apply to women, though. They look at men for the same length of time, regardless of whether or not they find the man attractive.

In the study, published in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior, researchers used hidden cameras to track the eye movements of 115 students as they spoke to a variety of actors and actresses. After each conversation they were asked to rate their partner’s attractiveness.

Actresses who were considered beautiful were gazed upon for an average of 8.2 seconds. Those considered less attractive only got 4.5 seconds of attention. When it came to women looking at actors, however, the length of the gaze did not vary according to the partner’s attractiveness.

Scientists speculate that men use eye contact to find fertile mates. In contrast, women are more wary of getting unwanted attention from the male because of the risks of unwanted pregnancy.

So perhaps instead of love at first site, we should now think of it as lust at first sight.

photo credit: thivierr