What Makes a Guy Sexy Besides Looks?

How he sounds, how he smells, how he moves and how easy he is to be around. Looks get her attention. Voice and posture matter early, scent matters up close, and ease decides whether she wants to stay. You can work on every one of them.

Psychology Today says tone, pitch and rhythm shape the emotional connection people feel when listening to you, and that they can signal warmth and trustworthiness. The article cites a review in Frontiers in Psychology, which describes attraction as a multisensory experience, and research on adolescents showing that girls begin to prefer lower-pitched male voices as they grow interested in dating.

You can't change your pitch much, but you can change your speed and your sentences:

• Slow your speech a little.
• Stop apologizing for every sentence.
• Stop ending thoughts with "if that makes sense." It usually does.

Bad: "Uh, I mean, I don't know, I guess we could go there if you want, totally fine either way." Better: "I like that place. Let's do Friday."

The same Psychology Today piece says body odor carries cues that people use to judge traits like health and compatibility, and that smelling pleasant can boost your own confidence. It also says visual and vocal cues matter more early on, while smell matters in close contact, which is exactly when it counts.

Ed Latimore calls good hygiene non-negotiable. So use a deodorant that works, wash your clothes, and don't overdo cologne. You don't need to smell like a tropical candle, but you shouldn't smell like your office chair.

One Sentinel Assam article on what attracts women says men who get positive attention glance at women briefly more often and take up space with their arms and legs. It also says psychologists find women prefer a poised walk: upright, with some sway in the upper body. It names no studies, so treat it as a rule of thumb.

Practice it:

• Make eye contact, hold it, then look away on purpose instead of darting.
• Keep your arms open and your shoulders relaxed.
• Walk like you're going somewhere you like.

Regain's list of attractive traits also includes a great smile and a confident swagger.

You don't need a better jawline. You need clothes and grooming that look chosen.

• Wear clothes that fit the body you have now, not the one you hope to have in eight months.
• Pick one or two colors that work together.
• Get a haircut that looks intentional.
• Trim the beard or shave clean, and fix eyebrows that are out of control.
• Ed Latimore says to dress for your body type and skin tone. Regain lists clean-cut hair, clean teeth and a light beard as things that can make a man look more attractive.

A plain fitted T-shirt, dark jeans, clean shoes and a decent haircut beat a statement outfit that fits badly every time.

Sexy isn't loud. Women in relationships with funny partners rate them as more creative, intelligent and popular, according to a Sentinel Assam article on what attracts women, and it says humor takes confidence. It also doesn't cite named studies, so treat it as people's reported experience, not a measurement.

What that looks like in conversation:

• Listen without looking like you're waiting for your turn.
• Ask "How'd you get into that?" instead of stopping at "What do you do?"
• Give clean compliments: "That color looks great on you." Then move on.
• Make small decisions without panic. "I've got this" is more attractive than "whatever you want."

Don't pick up a hobby for status. Do things you actually like and get better at them. A man who climbs twice a week and has a couple of close friends has more to talk about than one who scrolls all night, and he reads as someone who has a life, not someone looking for a rescue.

The men who read as sexy aren't doing anything extreme. They sound clear, smell clean, move like they're comfortable, look put together and make the other person feel at ease. Start with whichever of the five you've ignored longest.