Speed Dating Studies (And What They Mean For Your Dates)

3. Can strangers influence our judgments?

In high school you may have fallen for that person who everyone thought was the hottest of the hot. Like a domino effect, people fall for the one who’s in high demand. When we’re older and wiser, do we still let complete strangers influence who we’re attracted to?

Speed date case study: Forty women and 40 men watched videos of eight three-minute long dates between a woman and a man. Subjects rated the chemistry of the couple in the video. They also rated how interested they’d be in dating the person in the video.

Finding in a flash: Women’s interest in the man in the video increased if the woman in the video appeared interested. If the woman in the video appeared uninterested, the subject’s interest in meeting the man in the video decreased.

When strangers like someone, it signals that person may be a good choice for us as well. Attraction to people that others also like is called “mate choice copying,” which is a way of narrowing down our search for love, making it more efficient.

Relationship takeaway: If your sister keeps bugging you to go on a blind date with the guy from her office that everyone likes so much, it just might be worth your while to give it a shot.

MORE: Is your mate hotter than you? You might just think so!

Actual study: Humans Show Mate Copying After Observing Real Mate Choices