This is how you make someone fall in love with you

Ahh love, that sweet, butterflies-in-the-stomach feeling.

We've been taught that falling in love is a matter of chance; but what if it's simply a set of optimal circumstances which, when put together, cause you to have the warm and fuzzies towards another human?

Okay, so there's no way to manufacture love, but maybe there are ways to increase the chances of someone you're interested in falling for you.

1. 36 questions.

Right, this one has been all around the internet: In an essay for the New York Times, Mandy Len Catron cites a study by psychologist Arthur Aron which explores if intimacy between strangers can be accelerated by asking a specific series of personal questions. She takes it one step further and claims that these questions could pave the way to love.

No harm in trying!

2. Live close to one another.

Apparently, having the girl (or guy) next door really does help. In the 1950s, 431 people who applied for marriage licences were interviewed; those who lived nearest to each other when they first started courting made up 54 per cent of the married couples. Now this study doesn’t take into account the fact that not all married people love each other, but it is fairly logical - if you live close together, you get to see more of one another.

3. Stare at each other. A lot.

According to Harvard psychologist Zick Rubin, couples who are deeply in love look at each other 75 per cent of the time while talking. In regular conversation, this happens between 30 to 60 per cent of the time.

Eye contact builds intimacy, and over time that feeling of intimacy gets associated with the person giving all the eye contact.

4. Be confident.

People who are confident tend to be more open to intimacy than those who are not. Being emotionally intimate increases the likelihood of developing lasting romantic feelings towards someone.

5. Similar Attracts.

The old adage 'opposites attract' may not be the gospel truth. Superficial aspects of your character, like your movie genre preferences or extracurricular activities, need not match. However, sharing values and beliefs instantly bring people together.

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