It has also been found cross-culturally, across 10 world regions, that low levels of agreeableness and conscientiousness are related to higher levels of sexual promiscuity and relationship infidelity, so there may be reproductive benefits to those on the low end of these traits.Research shows we don’t really fall in love with a person — we fall in love with how we feel when we’re with them.This is best demonstrated by the concept of emotional contagion: we’re bad at telling what made us feel a certain way, but good about making associations.

The research shows women like men who make them laugh, and men like women who laugh at their jokes.

Via Mating Intelligence Unleashed: The Role of the Mind in Sex, Dating, and Love: When women are looking for a short-term fling, however, it may be a different story.

One study conducted on college students found that women favored men for a short-term fling if they found the men attractive regardless of the content of their pickup lines.

This can be taken to extremes: having someone try to kill you can actually make you more attracted to them.

Via The Heart of Social Psychology: A Backstage View of a Passionate Science: Those in the high-fear condition did show, for example, significantly more desire to kiss my confederate (one of the key questions) and wrote more romantic and sexual content into their stories.