British scientists came to such conclusion. According to their opinion, the longer a man stares at a woman during the first meeting, the more he is interested in her. If visual contact lasts less than 5 seconds, it is unlikely that a man is interested in a woman enough for formation of a serious relationship. But if he stares at her at least for 10.2 seconds, a strong feeling may arise.

Researchers analyzed hidden video camera recordings, captured in student quarters. Specially hired “decoy-ducks” were sent to make acquaintances of casual passersby, and all stages of communication were thoroughly recorded by video cameras.

Then involuntary participants of the experiment were invited in the laboratory and asked to evaluate attractiveness за people, with whom they had communicated. Then these impressions were compared to the duration of visual contacts. It turned out that men looked into eyes of women, whom they liked, at least for 10.2 seconds, but if a woman was not attractive in their opinion, they stared at her for less than 5.5 seconds.

However, this regularity is true only for the stronger sex. Women can look at a man for a long time without any particular sympathy to this man; they do it because of various reasons: politeness, banal curiosity or indigenously female habit of gazing around.

Researchers believe that men’s habit to fix their look on a woman, whom they like, is instinctive and based on a primitive tactics of choosing a healthy partner, who is capable of giving birth to healthy children.