Love At First Sight? The Weird Truth About Sex Appeal

It's right up there with crop circles, Bigfoot, and the Loch Ness Monster. That's right, sex appeal is one of the biggest mysteries of the universe.

And, for the most part, movies tend to only confuse us all the more. In 500 Days of Summer, Tom's instantly attracted to Summer because she's singing The Smiths' "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out." In The Little Mermaid, Ariel first sees Eric when he's playing with his sheepdog and she falls in love immediately. But, in real life, what causes us to fall for one person over all the rest?

Well, thanks to a recent article on Bustle, we now know about Discovery Channel’s “The Science of Sex Appeal," a documentary which seeks to answer this very question. From the relationship between symmetry and attractiveness to why it's important for women to ask questions when on a date, the documentary boasts a number of incredibly surprising facts about sex appeal. For instance, did you know that men's bodies actually repel women for much of their menstrual cycle? Men produce a stinky hormone called androstenone that clusters at their body hair. It smells like musky pee — not the most appealing scent — but during women's most fertile days of the month, that pee-smell is actually very appealing. Who knew?

Check out the full range, unless, of course, you'd rather just try singing The Smiths or playing with a sheepdog. (Bustle)