Sunshine Might Help Love Bloom, Study Suggests
French women seemed more responsive to flirting on bright days than on cloudy ones.
People looking for a date might want to wait for better weather. Flirting is most effective when the sun is shining, according to new research conducted in France.
The study involved an "attractive" 20-year-old man who approached women aged 18 to 25 walking alone in the street and asked them for their phone number. These advances were made on both sunny and cloudy days when the temperature was about the same.
Women were more receptive to being approached and flirted with -- and more likely to give their phone number -- on sunny days (about 22 percent) than on cloudy days (about 14 percent), according to the results of the study.
The findings suggest that flirting is more likely to have a positive result on bright days, said expert.
It's the first study to examine how weather may influence courtship or dating behavior. But the association between weather and flirting success noted in the study does not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.
Previous research has found that other environmental factors -- such as romantic music, pleasant smells and certain colors -- make people more likely to flirt or exchange phone numbers.
Other studies have also found that the weather can affect certain social behaviors. For example, sunshine makes people more likely to help strangers, answer a survey or leave bigger tips in restaurants, the researchers noted.
Source: U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services
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