If you haven’t noticed over the past 80-odd years of cinema, shifty rascals tend to burrow their way into our hearts and more often than not, we find ourselves secretly rooting for them to emerge victorious from whatever sticky situation they find themselves in.
Case in point: Reflect back on your life and pick out a handful of people that you were strongly attracted to. Now, eliminate all of the ones that had made questionable life decisions or had dubious morals. How many remain? None? Exactly, because we as humans crave that sense of mischief.
We’ve broken down the super scientific reasons why certain characteristics of scoundrels evoke a stronger sense of attraction than their pure-hearted counterparts. Science doesn’t lie, people. Wake up.
A Bold Choice Of Jewellery
Take a look at Exhibit A, for instance. Spot that on his left hand? Not only is that a hefty ring, it’s a token of his complete lack of regard for taste or subtlety. That degree of indifference boosts your attractiveness level by an entire 12 points, according to a study conducted by Galactic City University in 2012.
Smouldering Side-Eye
An essential in every scoundrel’s arsenal, the perfected side-eye is every bit enticing as it is alarming. What are they planning? Are they going to rob you? The uncertainty is half the draw.
Exhibit B showcases a textbook side-eye which is scientifically proven to evoke feelings of lust (and in extreme cases, love) towards the individual shooting his or her gaze your way. Don’t be scared by the smoulder, lean into it.
A Sense Of Danger
Similarly to getting in cars with notoriously bad drivers, being around a strong personality with an even stronger firearm usually gives us the sense that we could die at any minute. If there’s one thing that us humans find attractive, it’s the adrenaline rush from near-death situations. Oh sure, we might not admit it to anyone (let alone ourselves), but deep down we dig it.
Exhibit C shows a confidently held firearm which has the ability to inflict genuine pain and/or death. Being in the vicinity of said firearm increases our likelihood of dying, therefore our attraction to the person holding the firearm also increases (as cited by various reputable establishments, obvi).
A Strong Power Stance
This little number isn’t exclusively an attractive feature of no-good beatniks as no one I’ve encountered has been able to pass up somebody with a nice, sturdy power stance. Exhibit D shows the brazen act of dominance being used not once, but twice.
Not only does this double hand-to-hip pose assert dominance, it outlines your trim waistline. Two birds with one stone, really. Oddly attracted? Science ftw once again.
That Deceptive Charm
Morally void people are often masters of trickery and it’s in their nature to have to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes, often with an innocent yet knowing glance in your direction. Swoon.
Don’t let their devilish charm fool you though, they’re just another scoundrel in a thinly veiled disguise.
A Nice Set Of Wheels
This isn’t so much carefully crafted science as it is cut-and-dry common sense – if ya boy or girl is in their mid-thirties and they don’t own a set of wheels, they’re not a scoundrel nor desirable.
We don’t want no scrubs, ladies and gentlemen.
