These 7 Everyday Habits Control Who You Become Attracted To, According To Psychology

You do a million little things every day from the moment you wake up to the second you go to bed. Even though you don't realize it, everything you do (or don't do) has an impact on who you are and what you will be, but it also has a hand in who you're attracted to.

You might think the teeny tiny things that make up your life are insignificant, but you're wrong. Of those things, did you ever really think that your Internet consumption could have anything to do with what men or women you think are hot? It may sound a little suspect, but it's true.

These 7 everyday habits control who you become attracted to:

1. Spending time online

woman with the habit of going online that controls who she becomes attracted to Perfect Wave / Shutterstock

We already know the media has a major say in how we view the world, so once we get online, with all that media jumping in our faces, there's no place like the Internet when it comes to manipulating what we find attractive. A study done at St. Andrews University found that women who spend a lot of time on the Internet find masculine men more attractive, and men find feminine and thin ladies to be the best-looking.

In contrast, those who don't have Internet access found the exact opposite to be attractive: women preferred feminine-looking dudes, and guys were all about women who were more masculine in appearance. According to the study, Internet "surfing" women found Russell Crowe, in all his masculinity, to be an "ideal."

2. Skipping meals (especially lunch)

woman skipping lunch as habit that controls who she becomes attracted to Nicoleta Ionescu / Shutterstock

It's going to sound weird, but a 2006 study found that when men were hungry, their taste (no pun intended) in women changed. It's with those empty bellies that guys found heavier women to be more attractive.

Researchers think this has to do with "resource scarcity," which means that women who weigh more are basically advertising that they know where to go to get that stomach full and happy again.

3. Taking (or stopping) the pill

woman with the habit of taking the pill that controls who she becomes attarcted to fizkes / Shutterstock

Ladies, we're naturally attracted to men whose MHC genes are very different from our own, but when we take the Pill, those hormones mess up our perspective and smelling efficiency (how we sniff out our match.)

Studies have even found that some women are so affected by the Pill that when they go off of it, their attraction to their current mate could come to an end, causing the relationship to fizzle. Women are also attracted to different men than usual when they're ovulating.

4. Thinking about commitment

woman considering relationships as habit that controls who she becomes attracted to La Famiglia / Shutterstock

A study found that when men are looking for just a fling or a short-term relationship, they're more attracted to women with feminine faces.

Although what's considered "feminine" can be subjective, it does go to show that men’s attraction hinders what they want out of a relationship. We knew that looks have a lot to do with attraction, but leave it to dudes to have their attraction to women altered by, well, their libido's needs.

5. Fearing loneliness

woman with the everyday habit of lowering her standards Antonio Guillem / Shutterstock

People are just so scared to be alone! A study done by the University of Toronto found that when push comes to shove and it looks like we just might be lonely forever, we lower our standards of whom we find attractive.

While back in our heyday, we might have gone for the best-looking one in the crowd, if things start looking sparse, our attraction to less-than-par individuals kicks into gear.

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6. Smelling certain scent combos (like lavender and pumpkin pie)

woman with the everyday habits smelling lavender Dean Drobot / Shutterstock

Although foods that produce pheromones have yet to be discovered, one study done at the Smell and Taste Research Foundation in Chicago found a 40 percent "increase in penile blood flow when lavender and pumpkin pie were smelled together."

What this means for men is that if they didn't think you were attractive before, one whiff of that combo and they’re going to be second-guessing their initial lack of response to you.

7. Surrounding yourself with the same people

woman with the everyday habits of keeping the same circle of friends Dean Drobot / Shutterstock

Not to get all Silence of the Lambs on you, but "we begin by coveting what we see every day," and studies agree. Keeping the same people within our proximity, ie. sitting next to the same person in class every day, forces us into being attracted to people whom we wouldn't normally fall for.

Honestly, it's kinda easy to get yourself all hot and bothered about someone we can never quite shake out of our daily lives.

Amanda Chatel has been a wellness and relationship journalist for over a decade. Her work has been featured in Glamour, Shape, Self, and other outlets.