Women with blue eyes are the most sought after by men on online dating sites, while women tend to look for men with darker eyes. This was discovered by researchers from Lenstore, a famous website for contact lenses classified among the 100 fastest-growing companies in Britain in recent years. Their study showed that by digitally altering people’s eye colors in photographs, they can see that attraction between genders primarily changes based on eye color. Eyes, in their various colors, are the first and quickest key to feeling inclined toward another person, while other factors may be important but come later.
The reason for attraction due to eye color is explained by the connection to human ancestry, as noted in an article published on Sunday by the Femail magazine affiliated with the British Daily Mail, which consulted experts, including psychologist Dr. Alexander Lapa, a 49-year-old active at the Ocean Recovery Center for addiction treatment. He stated that dark eye color has historically been seen as the most attractive.
Dr. Lapa explained that our human ancestor, Homo Sapiens, who appeared around 350,000 years ago and descended from the last extinct ancestor, lived close to the equator in what is now central Africa. This means they were constantly exposed to high UV radiation, which, according to the laws of natural selection, meant that those with more melanin, resulting in darker eye colors, were more likely to live longer, thus increasing the chances of reaching adulthood and reproducing, thereby passing on the darker traits to their offspring, which reinforced these traits in the gene pool.
Eye colors that are lighter tend to be influenced by cultural factors that shape collective consciousness about what is considered attractive. For instance, blond hair and blue eyes are highly valued and often highlighted in media and social networks, as noted by the expert.
Ness Cooper, a British sexual and relationship expert, mentioned that we are usually attracted to individuals with physical traits similar to our parents or even ourselves, which includes eye color. Although research on this topic remains limited, she believes we might prefer eye colors resembling those of our caregivers from when we were younger due to the bonding that occurs through hormonal releases in childhood, rather than a direct connection to genetic family.
Chris Pleines, an expert in gender relations and active on the Datingscout platform, shared a similar perspective, suggesting that we often feel drawn to those who resemble us or remind us of our loved ones. He explained that the hormones responsible for attraction are activated when someone else evokes similarities with people we love, with eyes being the most expressive facial feature that allows us to discern if someone is attracted to us or how they feel.
Notably, Arab poets have recognized men's attraction to women with blue eyes long before British experts and dating platforms, despite the rarity of blue-eyed women in their times. One such poet is the Umayyad poet Omar ibn Abi Rabi'a, who died in 711 AD. He expressed this attraction in one of his poems:
"The blue-eyed woman enchanted me... Indeed, magic is found in blue eyes."
Another poet, the Syrian "Bedouin of the Mountain," also described his love for a blue-eyed woman compared to the sky, saying:
"In your eyes, there are heavens caressed... By the fairest and purest light."
Late poet Nizar Qabbani considered blue eyes a safe harbor, expressing:
"In the harbor of your blue eyes… I run like a child on the rocks,
I inhale the scent of the sea… and return like a weary bird
In the harbor of your blue eyes… the stones speak at night
In the closed book of your eyes… who hid thousands of poems?"
