14 surprising psychological reasons someone might fall in love with you

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Love is many things: butterflies and giggles, happiness and comfort, commitment and best friendship.

But love, alas, is not easy to find.

How and why do two people click? We dug into years of psychological research to find some answers. And in the process, we busted some myths and learned that certain clichés turn out to be actually true.

This is an update of an article written by Drake Baer for Tech Insider.

If you care about the environment

It's easy being green – but only if you're seeking something serious.

A 2016 study found that men and women who make eco-friendly purchases are perceived as more desirable for long-term relationships, while those who make luxury purchases are perceived as more physically attractive and more desirable for short-term relationships.

If you play hard to get

A 2014 study found that men in a speed-dating experiment wanted a woman more when she played hard-to-get by acting disinterested in the men's questions. But these findings only applied in certain situations.

Specifically, the men had to feel "committed" to the woman, which in this study meant that they'd chosen her as their partner, instead of being assigned to her.

It's also worth noting that, even though the men wanted the woman more when she played hard to get, they liked her less. Alas, love is complicated.

If you display the right facial expression

Happiness is generally attractive on women — but not so much on men.

In 2011, researchers conducted experiments on more than 1,000 people, showing them photographs of members of the opposite sex and asking them how attractive the people in the photos were.

Results showed that men rated women most attractive when they looked happy and least attractive when they displayed pride. Women, on the other hand, rated men most attractive when they displayed pride and least attractive when they looked happy.

Interestingly, shame was pretty attractive in both men and women.