We are all attracted to mystery, difference and symmetry.
Everyone has a different image of their ideal partner: some like them small, some tall, some thin, some fat. Nevertheless, there are certain factors that none of us can resist.
One type of person we all find attractive – no matter our gender – is someone different from ourselves.
We find people who’re different from us mysterious and novel, which in turn makes them more desirable. This desire for the strange and new is actually hard-wired into our brains: novelty can cause increased levels of dopamine to be released, which, as we’ve seen, leads to the feelings of romantic love.