Is love at first sight really determined within the first two minutes?

Finding true love may actually be due to how well your body synch’s up with your partner, according to researchers from Jerusalem.

A recent study shows that mutual romantic interest and sexual attraction during a first date may not be left up to fate, but rather up to the couple’s bodies being in tune with each other, according to a recent study published in Scientific Reports. 

“We found that successful dates are characterized by increased electrodermal synchrony in the first two minutes,” researchers stated in the published study. 

Dr. Shir Atzil of the Department of Psychology at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem led the study and said in a news release sent to Fox News, “Connecting with a partner depends on how well we can synchronize our bodies. We specialize in studying parent-infant bonding – and we had already seen the same thing there.” 

The authors said in the published study that first dates resulting in a mutual romantic interest were characterized by increased electrodermal synchrony (a measure of changes in the resistance of skin to an electrical current based on sweat gland activity stimulated by the sympathetic nervous system) and attunement of behavior.  

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The researchers looked at 46 heterosexual dates during a 5-minute speed-date experiment. They recorded the naturally occurring patterns of electrodermal activity using a wristband.  

The team also recorded the speed dates on video and performed a video analysis that looked at the behavioral movements of each person during the date that included motions such as nodding, shifting legs, and arm movements. The researchers then calculated the couple’s co-regulation during the date.  

After the first date, the couple assessed their romantic interest and sexual attraction to each other, according to the report. The authors said that when a man and a woman are highly synchronous and attuned during a date, their mutual romantic and sexual interest was also high.  

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The study authors said that the findings provide evidence that sexual and romantic attraction in humans involves social adjustment of the sympathetic nervous system and motor behaviors.  

The researchers also said the findings suggest that individuals “who are better at adapting their physiology and behavior to their partner during the date, are more likely to attract a partner.” 

Although synchrony predicted attraction for both genders, the degree of synchrony did affect men and women differently.  According to the study, women were more sexually attracted to men who showed a high level of synchrony, referred to in the release as “super-synchronizers”. These men were highly desirable to female partners, the release said.  

Atzil said in the release, “Our research demonstrates that behavioral and physiological synchrony can be a useful mechanism to attract a romantic partner. However, we still don’t know whether synchrony raises attraction or does the feeling of attraction generate the motivation to synchronize?”  

 

According to the news release, Atzil is planning to investigate that question.