Interview – Harvard/MIT Lecturer Olivia Fox Cabane teaches you how to be more charismatic
ivia Fox Cabane is the author of The Charisma Myth. She's lectured on the subject at Harvard, Stanford, Yale, MIT, Google and the United Nations. I spoke with her about how charisma works, the science behind it and how anyone can become more influential. For brevity’s sake I’m only going to post edited highlights here. Subscribers to my free weekly newsletter get access to extended interviews. Join here. ——————————————— How does charisma work? Eric: In The Charisma Myth you break down charisma into presence, power,…
4 minutes
Who is feeling loved today?
onomists Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers have an interesting piece over at Bloomberg breaking down who feels loved using Gallup data from 136 countries. Are you a middle-aged, cohabitating, female American? Then you might be feeling pretty warm and fuzzy right now: On a typical day, about 70 percent of people worldwide reported a love-filled day. In the U.S., 81 percent felt love, as did 81 percent of Canadians and 79 percent of Italians. Germany and the U.K. were less…
2 minutes
7 Science-Based Tips To Make You Sexier On Valentine’s Day
Definitely stare deep in their eyes Oliver Burkeman’s Help! How to be slightly happier and get a bit more done pointed me to evidence that staring into each other's eyes really does increase attraction: In two studies, subjects induced to exchange mutual unbroken gaze for 2 min with a stranger of the opposite sex reported increased feelings of passionate love for each other. 2) Still early in the relationship? Talk about travel, not movies. Via Quirkology: How We Discover the Big…
4 minutes
Will eating healthier make you sexier?
ting 3.3 servings or more of fruits and vegetables made research subjects notably more attractive. Via LA Times: On average, a difference of about 2.9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day was enough for the students to discriminate on the basis of healthy appearance, with more servings associated with looking healthier. Similarly, about 3.3 servings a day was enough for them to discriminate on the basis of attractiveness — with more servings associated with better looks. (A caveat: One…
1 min read
Do clever pick-up lines really work?
men prefer innocuous opening lines vs direct or clever lines. Men prefer women to be direct. Via Scott Barry Kaufman: In the '80s, Chris Kleinke and colleagues analyzed the effectiveness of 100 pick-up lines across a number of different settings, including bars, supermarkets, restaurants, laundromats, and beaches. They found three main categories of openers: direct gambits, which are honest and get right to the point (e.g, "I'm sort of shy, but I'd like to get to know you"), innocuous gambits, which hide a person's true…
1 min read
10 Things Your Hair Says About You, According To Research
ientific research has shown that: We can't be sure if blondes have more fun but they do make more money, raise more money and gentlemen do prefer them. Being well-groomed is correlated with better grades. Good grooming is associated with higher wages for men but not women. And if you're ugly and underpaid, guys, definitely shave. Women who remove their pubic hair have better sexual function. A number of factors go in to whether a girl is attracted to men…
1 min read
The Simple Thing That Can Dramatically Improve Your Life
end more time outdoors. Nature has a myriad of incredible positive effects that have demonstrated by research: Being out in nature reduces stress. Nature walks or even looking at pictures of nature improves memory. Flowers increase romantic feelings. Nature can even make you a better person. Can't be bothered to step outside? Even a potted plant has been shown to improve attention span and increase creativity in an office environment. You might be inclined to discount this. I know that…
1 min read
How To Feel Attractive
rious how to feel attractive? Have a drink. Or just think you're having a drink: This research examines the role of alcohol consumption on self-perceived attractiveness. Study 1, carried out in a barroom (N= 19), showed that the more alcoholic drinks customers consumed, the more attractive they thought they were. In Study 2, 94 non-student participants in a bogus taste-test study were given either an alcoholic beverage (target BAL [blood alcohol level]= 0.10 g/100 ml) or a non-alcoholic beverage, with…
1 min read
