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From smell to sweat to blood… the secrets of magnetic sexual attraction

WHAT are you looking for in a partner? Attractiveness, shared life goals and a GSOH …

Well, it turns out you can forget about loving the same music, compatible zodiac signs and all of the above.

From matching blood types to sweat patterns to gossiping about the same people, we reveal the amazing, invisible forces behind this magnetic sexual attraction.

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From matching blood types to sweat patterns to gossiping about the same people, we reveal the amazing, invisible forces behind this magnetic sexual attraction.Photo credit: Getty

Scientists have discovered that there is much more to sexual chemistry than initially meets the eye.

From matching blood types to sweat patterns to gossiping about the same people, Tanith Carey reveals some of the amazing, invisible forces behind this magnetic sexual attraction.

YOU HAVE THE SAME BLOOD GROUP

A Chinese study of nearly a million participants found that people with the same blood type were more likely to enter into a relationship and start a family

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A Chinese study of nearly a million participants found that people with the same blood type were more likely to enter into a relationship and start a familyPhoto credit: PA

When it comes to choosing a partner, you are a bigger vampire than you think.

There are eight main blood groups in humans.

A Chinese study of nearly a million participants found that the likelihood of entering into a relationship and starting a family was increased when the person was of the same type.

According to researchers at the Tsinghua Institute of Economics, the probability of people with the variable 0 Negative becoming ill is 18 percent higher than statistically expected, while the probability is 15 percent higher for people with the variable AB.

The scientists who led the study say they aren’t yet sure why this is the case, but they point out that people with the same blood type are more likely to have similar personality traits, such as anxiety and drive, and also suffer from conditions such as attention deficit disorder. This could help bring couples together.

They gossip about the same people

When you gossip about the same people you don't like, you find each other attractive.

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When you gossip about the same people you don’t like, you find each other attractive.Photo credit: Getty

Do you know someone who dislikes the same person as much as you do?

Gossiping about them will help you find each other attractive.

According to a study in the Journal Of Personal Relationships, researchers found that expressing negative opinions about others behind their backs is actually more tempting than liking that person over and over again.

But scientists found that most couples did not realize that this shared dislike brought them closer together.

According to psychologist Jennifer Bosson, the lead author of the study: “The exchange of negative attitudes is attractive because it makes people who have just met feel more connected to the group and increases their self-esteem.”

YOU SWEAT THE SAME

Researchers found that couples who had romantic interest in each other sweated at similar rates

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Researchers found that couples who had romantic interest in each other sweated at similar ratesPhoto credit: Getty

That doesn’t sound like the most exciting way to pick someone up.

But scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel have found that if you sweat as much as your potential crush in the first two minutes of meeting someone, you’re more likely to be attracted to each other.

Using skin sensors, researchers measured the sweat patterns of people who met at a speed dating event.

They found that couples who were romantically interested in each other sweated at similar levels – a sign that they are biologically “in tune,” according to the study in the journal Scientific Reports.

Study author Shir Atzil said: “Connecting with a partner depends on how well we can synchronize our bodies.

“The study showed that within two minutes of a date, physiological synchronicity predicts romantic interest.”

YOU HAVE THE RIGHT SIZE

Researchers found that there is an ideal ratio for size differences: a man should be 1.09 times taller than his partner

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Researchers found that there is an ideal ratio for size differences: a man should be 1.09 times taller than his partnerPhoto credit: Getty

When it comes to romance, your height – and even your leg length – is also a factor in finding a suitable partner.

Overall, men are generally attracted to shorter women and women are attracted to taller men.

But according to a study by the University of Wroclaw in Poland, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, it is even more specific.

Researchers have found that there is even an ideal ratio: a man should be 1.09 times taller than his partner.

So a 1.68 m tall woman would most likely be attracted to a 1.85 m tall man – which is roughly the relative height of Victoria and David Beckham.

And it’s not about how tall you are next to each other. It also depends on how long your legs are.

According to another study in the journal Evolution and Human Behaviour from 2008, both men and women prefer partners with legs that are five percent longer than average.

Scientists believe this is because it is a subconscious signal that the partner’s body has developed well during puberty – and would therefore be healthier, fitter parents.

YOUR CERVICES GET A VOICE

If the sperm came from men who had similar genes to women – which would result in less healthy babies – the mucus was thicker and had a harder time swimming through the cervix.

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If the sperm came from men who had similar genes to women – which would result in less healthy babies – the mucus was thicker and had a harder time swimming through the cervix.Photo credit: Getty

Do you try to figure out if a man would be a good father by watching how he handles babies?

It seems that your cervix – the ring-shaped muscle at the base of your uterus and the top of your vagina – also has a say. When you have sex, your cervix produces mucus that sperm swim in to reach your egg and make a baby.

But a study in the journal Proceedings Of the Royal Society B found that women’s cervixes produce thinner mucus – which is easier to swim through – when the sperm comes from a man who is a better genetic match.

To find out, researchers watched sperm from eight men swim through the mucus of different women during intercourse. They found that the sperm of the men who had better immune genes – and would father a healthier child – were able to swim more easily.

If the sperm came from men with similar genes – who would produce less healthy babies – the mucus was thicker and more difficult to swim through.

You have a hoarse voice

Scientists found that men lowered the pitch of their voice more when talking to women they liked

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Scientists found that men lowered the pitch of their voice more when talking to women they likedPhoto credit: Getty

It’s not just what you say to a potential partner that attracts them to you, but also the way you address them.

Scientists recorded chats between 30 men and women between the ages of 20 and 40 at a speed dating event.

The results of an analysis of their conversations, published in Frontiers In Psychology, showed that men lowered their voices more when speaking to women they liked. The reason for this is probably because a deeper voice is associated with size and dominance.

The women also spoke in deeper, hoarse voices, possibly indicating “sexual interest and intimacy,” said lead author Katarzyna Pisanski of the University of Sussex.

THEY LIKE THE SMELL OF THE OTHER

Not only the sweat draws you to your partner, but also his unique smell

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Not only the sweat draws you to your partner, but also his unique smellPhoto credit: Getty

YOU probably love the smell of your partner, but have you ever wondered why?

It is not only the sweat that attracts you to your partner, but also his unique smell.

In a study entitled “Sweaty T-Shirt Experiment,” published in the journal Proceedings Of the Royal Society B, 49 women were given T-shirts that a group of men had worn for two days.

None of the men were allowed to use deodorant or aftershave to mask their true body odor.

Next, the women were asked to rate how “sexy” they thought the T-shirts smelled.

It turned out that women were significantly more likely to prefer the scent of shirts worn by men with a set of immune system genes that differed more from their own.

According to the researchers, choosing partners with different sets of genes increases the chance that one parent’s DNA will compensate for faulty genes in the other, resulting in a healthier baby.