There’s only so much you can do to look more attractive. And most of it costs a lot of cash and takes a lot of time. I’ve spent a lot of money since my teenage years trying to look better, from clothes, makeup, and hair dye, to tanning booths, gym memberships, and teeth whitening strips.
And you can also do the internal work of boosting your confidence through affirmations and self-love and self-care because it’s proven that people want a partner with confidence. Who wants to be with someone who doesn’t even like themselves? All of that helps, but what if there was another, better, more fulfilling way to become more attractive to potential partners? According to a study by Petsies, there is! And it’s all about the kind of pet you have.
During the study, about 1,000 people were shown photos of potential partners, holding various sizes and varieties of pets. What they found is that certain kinds of pets made people seem more attractive to those looking at the photos.
Petsies
Surely, pets can’t make someone look more attractive simply by holding them, but they can psychologically trick people into thinking they’re more attractive because they associate the cuteness of the pet with their owner. Plus, having a pet shows that you can take care of not only yourself but also another living being, which can be very appealing to a potential partner.
The findings varied slightly by gender. For females, the pet that made them look the most attractive to participants was a medium-sized dog, with women perceived as about 7% more attractive in pictures holding one! Unfortunately, cats and kittens were ranked with the least attractiveness increase for women (wait, so this might explain a lot about cat ladies and their tendency to be alone).
When it came to men, those holding puppies were seen as most attractive, with small dogs coming in second and large dogs coming in last. They were perceived as 30% more attractive by women if they had a puppy in their arms. I mean, who doesn’t love a little dog (and an attractive man)?
This is likely why people on dating apps use pets in their pictures all the time without realizing there’s a science behind it. People love pets, just make sure you don’t swipe right on the guy holding up the fish.
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In collaboration with PetSmart, researchers surveyed over 1,000 single pet owners about how their pets help them find potential partners. The results revealed that 35% of women and 26% of men reported being more attracted to someone who owned a pet, confirming the findings of the Petsies study.
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On the other hand, 75% of the women and 54% of the men said they would not date someone who did not like pets. It seems to be a huge red flag to most people, and it’s a question you might want to consider asking on your next first date to save yourself some trouble.
This survey might be the best thing that you read all week because you now know that just carrying around your pet will make you instantly hotter. Instead of straightening my hair this week, I might just borrow my friend’s medium-sized dog and see how things go.
Of course, you could always adopt your own pet to take care of and grow attached to, but for science, borrow someone else’s pup and test it out. You might get some great results!
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