The past two years have been rough on everyone, with some having it harder than others. Our social skills may have suffered a bit due to constant lockdowns, as well as our self-care routine. There are many habits we have developed during this time that have taken a toll on our overall attractiveness. And while it’s true that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, it won’t hurt to take a look at these five things that make you less attractive in 2022.

1. Not Wearing Face Masks

This pandemic has really messed with our minds. Prior to COVID-19, it was the opposite. People wearing face masks were seen as less attractive because it was associated with illness and disease. But now most people feel reassured and more positive towards those whose faces are covered up. Man or woman, you’d look so much hotter covering the lower half of your face. And it’s not just any mask, specifically the disposable blue medical face mask. So not only are you protecting yourself from the virus, but you are more likely to turn heads while walking down the street!

2. Lack of Sleep

Some of us know all too well the effects of getting little to no sleep. Eye bags, dark eye circles and crankiness are just some of the things we must deal with. If you notice that people avoid you when you don’t get your beauty rest, then take solace in knowing that it’s not your imagination. They do this because they think you look less attractive and that you might be sick, possibly with something contagious. The reason for this is that perceived sleepiness triggers our self-preservation mechanisms; we don’t want to hang out with sluggish folks because they may be unhealthy. Crazy how the human mind works, right?

3. Being Clean-shaven

Turns out that the amount of beard a man is sporting could make him or break him. Whether he prefers to be clean-shaven or like he’s been stranded in the middle of nowhere for months. Men and women disagree on many things, but they both rank the clean-shaven look as the least attractive. Studies say that for women, the most attractive type of beard is a happy medium – not too much and not too little – somewhere in the heavy stubble area. Men on the other hand, preferred fuller beards.

4. Smelling Similar to You

Did you know that we’re hardwired to be repulsed by people who smell similar to us? This is especially true if we’re pursuing potential romantic partners. One explanation for this is that because of evolution, we’re designed to avoid mating with someone with an identical genetic lineage as us. And if the other person smells too much like us, they’ll subconsciously remind us of our close family members. So long story short, we avoid people with similar scents as us because we don’t want to accidentally get it going with a distant relative.

5. Confidence

We’ve been told time and time again that confidence is the key to everything, even getting the guy or gal of your dreams. But no amount of confidence matters if there isn’t a little humility injected in there as well. According to one study, many people found humility to be more attractive than outright confidence. And it wasn’t just arrogance; the test subjects routinely preferred humility over any level of confidence. They saw it as a sign that their partner would treat them well and be a lot more accommodating in the relationship. It seems that those dating magazines have been lying to us all this time!