We like to think of romantic feelings as spontaneous and indescribable things that come from the heart.
我们倾向于将浪漫当成是一种来自于内心内心，自发而又而难以言述的行为。
But it's actually your brain running a complex series of calculations within a matter of seconds that's responsible for determining attraction.
但是实际上是你的大脑，在瞬间做出的一系列复杂运算决定了一个人对你的吸引力。
Doesn't sound quite as poetic, does it?
听起来一点也没有诗意对吧？
But just because the calculations are happening in your brain doesn't mean those warm, fuzzy feelings are all in your head.
然而，虽然所有的运算都是由大脑完成的，那些温暖而朦胧的感觉并不仅仅存在于脑海中。
In fact, all five of your senses play a role, each able to vote for, or veto, a budding attraction.
实际上，你的五种感觉都参与其中，各自趋同或者否决了正在萌芽中的吸引力。
The eyes are the first components in attraction.
眼睛是吸引力的第一个裁判。
Many visual beauty standards vary between cultures and eras, and signs of youth, fertility and good health,
不同的文化和时代，对视觉美的标准都有所不同而作为年轻、活力、健康的标志，
such as long lustrous hair, or smooth, scar-free skin, are almost always in demand because they're associated with reproductive fitness.
比如富有光泽的长发或者光滑无疤的皮肤永远很受欢迎，因为它们也代表着良好的繁殖能力。
And when the eyes spot something they like, our instinct is to move closer so the other senses can investigate.
当眼睛注意到他们喜爱的事物，我们的本能让我们越靠越近，这时其他的感觉也参与其中。
The nose's contribution to romance is more than noticing perfume or cologne.
鼻子对于浪漫的贡献绝不仅仅是分辨香水或古龙水。
It's able to pick up on natural chemical signals known as pheromones.
它能够辨别一种被称作“费洛蒙“的天然的化学信号。
These not only convey important physical or genetic information about their source
它们不仅传递着气味发出者重要的生理或基因信息，
but are able to activate a physiological or behavioral response in the recipient.
而且能够激发接收者的心理或行为上的反应。
In one study, a group of women at different points in their ovulation cycles wore the same T-shirts for three nights.
在一个研究中，一组处于不同月经周期的女性连续三个晚上穿着同样的T恤。
After male volunteers were randomly assigned to smell either one of the worn shirts,
之后，男性志愿者被随机抽取去闻一件穿过的T恤，
or a new unworn one, saliva samples showed an increase in testosterone in those who had smelled a shirt worn by an ovulating woman.
或者一件新的没穿过的。唾液样本显示，那些闻过排卵期女性穿过的T恤的男性，睾丸素分泌有明显的增加。
Such a testosterone boost may give a man the nudge to pursue a woman he might not have otherwise noticed.
睾丸素分泌的增加可能会促使这个男人去追求这个平时他可能就会忽略的女性。
A woman's nose is particularly attuned to MHC molecules, which are used to fight disease.
女性的鼻子对一种名为MHC分子的化学物质尤为敏感。这种物质是用来对抗疾病的。
In this case, opposites attract.
因此，异性相吸。
When a study asked women to smell T-shirts that had been worn by different men,
另一个研究要求女性来闻不同男性穿过的T恤
they preferred the odors of those whose MHC molecules differed from theirs. This makes sense.
她们更倾向于和她们自己的MHC分子不同的气味。这是说得通的。
Genes that result in a greater variety of immunities may give offspring a major survival advantage.
基因造成的免疫力的巨大差异可能会给后代以重要的生存优势。

Our ears also determine attraction.
我们的耳朵同样决定着吸引力。
Men prefer females with high-pitched, breathy voices, and wide formant spacing, correlated with smaller body size.
男人更喜欢女性拥有音调较高、带有呼吸声、共振间隔较长的声音，因为它让人联想到小巧玲珑。
While women prefer low-pitched voices with a narrow formant spacing that suggest a larger body size.
而女性则更喜欢音调低沉、共振间隔较短的男性声音，因为它让人联想到高大威猛。
And not surprisingly, touch turns out to be crucial for romance.
意料之中，触觉对浪漫有着决定性的作用。
In this experiment, not realizing the study had begun, participants were asked to briefly hold the coffee, either hot or iced.
在一个实验中，被告知实验开始前参与者被要求短暂地拿着一杯咖啡，热的或者是冷的。
Later, the participants read a story about a hypothetical person, and were asked to rate their personality.
然后，参与者被要求阅读一个假想的人的故事并且评价他的个性。
Those who had held the hot cup of coffee perceived the person in the story as happier,
拿着热咖啡的人认为故事里的人快乐、
more social, more generous and better-natured than those who had held the cup of iced coffee,
具有社会性、慷慨、天性善良，而拿了冷咖啡的人
who rated the person as cold, stoic, and unaffectionate.
则认为这个人冷酷、恬淡无欲、没有感情
If a potential mate has managed to pass all these tests, there's still one more:
即便一个潜在的伴侣已经成功通过以上所有的测试，这里还有最后一关：
the infamous first kiss, a rich and complex exchange of tactile and chemical cues,
初吻，初吻是一次内涵丰富而寓意复杂的触觉和化学信息的交换，
such as the smell of one's breath, and the taste of their mouth.
比如口气和嘴唇的触感。
This magical moment is so critical that a majority of men and women have reported losing their attraction to someone after a bad first kiss.
这个神奇的时刻如此关键，以至于大部分的男性和女性均表示，曾因为一个糟糕的初吻而丧失了对对方的吸引力。
Once attraction is confirmed, your bloodstream is flooded with norepinephrine, activating your fight or flight system.
一旦吸引力被确认，你的血液和肾上腺素一起沸腾，激发你的“战斗或逃跑”系统。
Your heart beats faster, your pupils dilate, and your body releases glucose for additional energy,
你的心跳加速，你的瞳孔扩大，你的身体也释放出葡萄糖来提供更多的能量，
not because you're in danger but because your body is telling you that something important is happening.
这不是因为你面临着危险，而是你的身体在告诉你这件事十分重要。
To help you focus, norepinephrine creates a sort of tunnel vision, blocking out surrounding distractions,
为了帮助你专心肾上腺素，创造出一种管状视力防止注意力涣散，
possibly even warping your sense of time, and enhancing your memory.
甚至有可能弯曲你的时间观念并提升记忆力。
This might explain why people never forget their first kiss.
这也许能够解释为什么人们对初吻念念不忘。
The idea of so much of our attraction being influenced by chemicals and evolutionary biology may seem cold and scientific rather than romantic,
我们的大部分吸引力被化学和进化生物学深深影响这个观点，也许看上去冷酷又理性，一点也不浪漫
but the next time you see someone you like, try to appreciate how your entire body is playing matchmaker
但是下次你见到一个喜欢的人的时候，试试让你的整个身体都参与配对过程，
to decide if that beautiful stranger is right for you.
来决定这个美丽的陌生人是否是那个对的人。