Scared to ask your crush out because you fear crippling rejection? Are you standing at the bar with a drink a friend brought and trying to figure out if they like you or not? Don’t worry we got you fam! 

One of the stages of liking someone is going through the ‘do they love me? Do they not?’ phase. But what if I told you there was a way to figure out if they like you without having to actually ask? Well, my friend, all those secrets are locked within the beautiful mystery that is our body.

PUPIL DILATION

One of the well-known signals that indicate attraction, dilation occurs when your pupils grow larger in size. Research from the University of Chicago revealed that pupils will dilate if someone is looking at someone they like. However, pupils also dilate in dark rooms to adjust your vision to the dim lights. So the next time you make eye contact with that special someone, check whether their pupils dilate (and how dark the room is).

LAUGHING

Put your hands up if you have laughed at a joke that your date made even if it wasn’t funny. We've all done it. We may do it because it makes us look like we can have fun or to give someone an ego boost but, physically, why does it happen? Humans are social creatures who have the innate need to make the people we like or love happy. Laughter increases the flow of oxygen to the brain and heart which can relieve discomfort and generate social support. Hence the term ‘laughter is the best medicine’.

HEART RATE

When you glance, or meet someone who is attractive, the adrenal gland secretes adrenaline and epinephrine which increases your heart rate. Don’t grab their wrist and measure their pulse... maybe the next you kiss them, gently feel their pulse on their neck.

TONE

We all have our favourite musicians and often their voice is what makes us fall in love with them. While our partners may not sing like Frank Sinatra or Beyoncé when they are drunk at 3 AM, women who have a higher voice and men who have deeper voices are considered more attractive. Why? For females, a higher pitched voice tends to sound younger and therefore healthier and fertile. Similarly, for men, a deeper voice creates the perception that they are grounded and stronger.

SCENT

Ever walked past someone in the quad and fallen in love with their scent? A study was conducted where men slept in shirts for several nights and women were asked to rank the shirts in order of preference. Women prefer the scent of men with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes that were different to their own. MHC genes are found in cells to help the immune system identify foreign substances in the body and they can be detected by our nose. For reproduction purposes, having a range of MHC genes is beneficial since children will possess a stronger immune system which is why people smell more attractive.