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111Can third-party observers detect attraction?6IntroductionHumans swiftly produce and infer emotional states through facial or bodilyexpressions in everyday life. Even though some emotional states might beeasier to recognize than others (e.g., happiness Camras & Allison, 1985),humans can efficiently communicate their emotional state using nonverbalcues even in as little as 3 s (Melzer, Shafir, & Tsachor, 2019). A crucialemotional state regarding mate choice, yet commonly misinterpreted, is attraction (e.g., Farris, Treat, Viken, & McFall, 2008; Haselton & Buss, 2000)).Observing and decoding subtle nonverbal cues, such as blushing or a faintsmile, might facilitate answering whether a person would be interested inseeing another again; however, such nonverbal cues can be accurately detected as efficiently as other emotions has not yet been examined. In thepresent study, we investigated whether third-party observers could detectattraction between strangers during a speed-date using thin video slices.Attraction is a powerful emotion. It can guide our behaviour duringsocial interactions, pulling us towards people we find attractive or interesting (Montoya & Horton, 2020). Like other emotions (e.g., anger orfear), attraction influences others’ behavior (e.g., Ekman, 1992; Montoyaet al., 2018; Russell, 2003). Notably, the experience of attraction is linkedto heightened arousal, which previous research has demonstrated by measuring these psychophysiological processes via heart rate and electrodermalconductance (Foster, Witcher, Campbell, & Green, 1998; Prochazkova et al.,2022). These physiological processes can act as somatic markers (Damasio,1996) and are used in efficiently interpreting an ambiguous situation, such asa first romantic encounter. Interestingly, previous research has shown thatpeople on a speed date can indicate whether they would like to meet theirpartner again only after 3 s of looking at their partner, and their judgmentremains (mostly) consistent throughout the speed date (Prochazkova et al.,2022). Thus, these findings illustrate that attraction can emerge quickly,linked to specific physiological processes, and guide behaviour during socialinteractions.Humans might often hide their feelings or convey the opposite to steersocial interactions in the desired direction (Kret, 2015). However, despiteour best efforts to control our emotional expressions, there are specific cuesover which we have no control (Grammer, Kruck, Juette, & Fink, 2000;Prochazkova & Kret, 2017). For example, upon viewing someone that interests us, our pupils might dilate, and a distinctive blush might appear onour face (Eibl-Eiblsfeldt, 1989; Keltner & Buswell, 1997). Indeed, nonverbalcues primarily communicate attraction (Givens, 1978). The vast repertoireof expressions encapsulating attraction and how they are expressed haveprompted the term “courtship dance” (Birdwhistell, 1970). Multiple signals reflecting attraction have been catalogued, even if the senders mightnot always be aware of producing them (Grammer, Kruck, & Magnusson,Iliana Samara 17x24.indd 111 08-04-2024 16:36