the laws of science and attraction explained

Wouldn't the world be easier to live in if Cupid really flew around shooting arrows into unsuspecting individuals? You'd only have to step into someone’s line of sight to fall in love. Instead, running the Comrades can feel like a stroll in the park compared with finding The One. We know there's more to attraction than good looks (though it doesn't hurt); there's that little thing called chemistry, but what most of us don't know is what causes it and what we can do to make ourselves more attractive to – and attracted by – other people.

Anthropologist Dr David Givens, author of Love Signals, says that "spark" felt between two people really does come from a chemical reaction, a surge of activity in the pleasure centre of the brain. "It's the same feeling we get when we eat chocolate or ride a rollercoaster; it's a rush of adrenaline," he says.

But what causes that rush? When it comes to chocolate, figuring out whether you prefer Top Deck or Bourneville is a simple matter of taste, but in the search for a partner, it's not always clear why one man lights your fire while his best friend couldn't muster a smoulder even if you were lying naked on a bed of kindling and he was brandishing a box of Blitz and a match.

Dr Elna Rudolph, WH sexpert and clinical head of the Intercare Centre for Sexual Health, explains: "You learn about your world through your senses. If something – or someone – is to your 'taste', you steer towards it. If it's not, you steer away." But, as she points out, if you are besotted, you may ignore those all-important sensory warning signs.

According to researchers and psychologists bent on unravelling the scientific rules of attraction, chemistry occurs when a collection of “encrypted biological signals” are working together to electrify all five senses and ignite the spark between two people. Says Durban-based dating specialist Fiona Dorse, “It’s harder to find a partner these days because we’re living in a modern world, but we still have ancient instincts.” So while this chemical chicanery might sound as romantic as a dog sniffing another’s behind, it might be worth your while to find out exactly how to tap into the sexy side of your senses.