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Here's lookin' at you kid!
Ditch your bashful ways if you want to get his or her attention
Looking directly at someone makes you more attractive to them, say scientists analysing responses to images of faces looking directly at the camera or just slightly to the left or the right.
Add a smile and you have a winning combination, according to the study which was published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.
Study author, Dr Conway from the University of Aberdeen said: "When asked to think of examples of attractive facial characteristics, most people think of physical traits such as healthy looking skin, symmetrical features or a strong jaw.
"Here we show that gaze direction can also be important for attraction. Faces that were looking directly at the viewer were judged more attractive than faces with averted gaze. This effect was particularly pronounced if the face was smiling and the opposite sex to the viewer.
"This shows that people prefer faces that appear to 'like' them and that attraction is not simply about physical beauty. It is possible that our brains are wired this way to allow us to invest our time in attracting members of the opposite sex who seem the most receptive to our interest in them."
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