Why it’s better to flirt in sunny weather

Source: Best Health magazine, Summer 2013; Image: Thinkstock

‘Il fait du soleil… je t’aime.’

Translation: ‘It’s sunny out… I like you.’ Only in France would they research the best flirting weather. While countless studies have determined that sunshine has a positive effect on mood, French researchers took it further to determine the effect of pleasant weather on flirting.

For the study, which was published online earl­ier this year in the journal Social Influence, an attractive 20-year-old man was asked to approach women between the ages of 18 and 25 who were walking alone outdoors, and flirt with them by asking for their phone number.

The study was conducted on both sunny and cloudy days between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. when the temperature was between 18 and 22°C.

More often, women were receptive to being approached and flirted with on nice days: When the sun was out, 22 percent of the women provided their phone number, compared to just 14 percent on the cloudy days.

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2013 issue of Best Health. Subscribe today to get the full Best Health experience’and never miss an issue!