Shadowing Practice: 6 Psychological Things That make You Less Attractive - Learn English Speaking with Video
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So, what do you like in a person?
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Many of us would initially respond with things like, someone tall, or I like green eyes.
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Well, what about those times you look at people you've liked in the past and thought to yourself, but they don't all look alike.
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Or you've encountered someone who seems to be your ideal in every single way on paper, but you meet them and wonder, who are you?
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The answer to that mystery is that attraction is based on three things.
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You consider them approachable, believe in positive factoids about them, and if they make you feel good.
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If the trifecta is incomplete, this could lead to not being attracted to the person, no matter how
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Hollywood -asked that smile is.
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Here are six psychological things that make you less attractive.
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Number one, being sleep -deprived.
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No matter how much caffeine you swill, sleep deprivation takes a toll on everything.
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This could ruin the first impression meeting with someone.
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When you first meet someone, you have a limited amount of information to decide your next steps.
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Should you get closer or should you back away slowly?
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As humans, we rely on sight initially to give us that quick initial assessment.
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So if you show up looking like a haggard potato, your selfie or Instagram buddy potential isn't the only thing that's less than stellar.
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Other attraction factors like the appearance of health and trustworthiness also take a hit.
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Number two, body smell.
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That bio is one thing, and there are plenty of products and methods to avoid it.
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But ever think about a similar body odor?
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This goes deep and comes from your DNA.
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We have something called a major histocompatibility complex, or MHC.
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They're a group of genes that do coating to help out the immune system, and they influence body odor.
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So bathing yourself in cologne doesn't change anything studies have found
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that women were more attracted to men with dissimilar MHCs to their own
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this is hypothesized to encourage gene variability thus a stronger immune system number three excessive focus on appearance hey
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we're all into looking good and feeling good you do you
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and love yourself for it just don't let it go overboard sure initial encounters are are strongly influenced by physical attractiveness, but that's fleeting.
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No matter how much of a hottie they appear to be, if all they care about is their self -image, that becomes a repulsing factor.
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It's true that in the end, we need substance.
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And if all we're getting is air, we're outie.
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Number four, not being humble.
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When you get a win, do you crow that it was all you, that you're just legendary and single -handedly did it all?
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or do you credit those who helped you like friends teachers family
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and maybe even
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that one cashier who would stay five minutes late every shift just to make sure
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you could get some food at the end of the night
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humility also known as a modest view of oneself was found to help not only start
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but maintain romantic relationships with humble partners being scored as more attractive than and arrogant ones.
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So although we like to contribute for the good of the cause, we still wanna be acknowledged for our part,
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whether it be a project or a partnership.
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If that recognition is usurped, where it's only their name on the credit reel, we tend to feel cheated, betrayed, or used.
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Number five, overly smiley or too proud.
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Related to the previous point, this is all about how you hold yourself or appear in pictures.
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If you look pompous, puffed out, and arrogant, or over -smiley, it gives the same vibe as not being humble.
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This type of nonverbal expression implies that perhaps that smile can't be trusted, and that pride may override the well -being of anyone other than themselves.
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And number six, contractive body language.
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Turtles are cute, but it's because they're turtles.
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You're a human.
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Don't try to turtle yourself.
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It was found in a study between several universities
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that people become more attractive when their posture and bodily display are more expansive.
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Like open arms and a non -hunched back.
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It singles welcome.
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The opposite of that, contractual body language, like crossing your arms and legs and hunching over, decreases desirability.
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This is conveying a message of, don't come close, I'm closing myself off from you.
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So if you want to welcome people in, go ahead and put your body into it.
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We used to think attraction equals physical beauty, but we know now that attraction is a complex thing involving the whole person,
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inside and out, flaws and all.
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Which of these things have you noticed in yourself or others?
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Have you tried changing anything and how did it work out?
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We'd love to see you get into some good conversation below.
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And if we could humbly ask for a like, that would be super appreciated it.
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Thanks for watching, and catch you next time!
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “6 Psychological Things That make You Less Attractive”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: attraction, turtle, humble, attractive. This video has 64 sentences and 839 words to shadow. The speech runs for 5:00. The speaker talks at a natural 168 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 84% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| attraction noun | /əˈtɹækʃn̩/ | The tendency to attract. |
| humble adjective | /ˈhʌmbəl/ | Not pretentious or magnificent; unpretending; unassuming. |
| turtle noun | /ˈtɝtl̩/ | Any land, aquatic, or semi-aquatic reptile of the order Testudines, characterised by a protective shell enclosing its body. See also tortoise. |
| gene noun | /d͡ʒiːn/ | A theoretical unit of heredity of living organisms which may take several values and (in principle) predetermines a precise trait of an organism's form… |
| encounter verb | /ɪnˈkaʊntɚ/ | To meet (someone) or find (something), especially unexpectedly. |
| attract verb | /əˈtɹækt/ | To pull toward without touching. |
| immune adjective | /ɪˈmjuːn/ | Exempt; not subject to. |
| arrogant adjective | /ˈæɹəɡənt/ | Having excessive pride in oneself, often with contempt or disrespect for others. |
| partnership noun | /ˈpɑɹtnɚʃɪp/ | The state of being associated with a partner. |
| recognition noun | /ˌɹɛkəɡˈnɪʃ(ə)n/ | The act of recognizing or the condition of being recognized (matching a current observation with a memory of a prior observation of the same entity). |
| strongly adverb | /ˈstɹɔŋli/ | In a strong or powerful manner. |
| assessment noun | /əˈsɛsmənt/ | The act of assessing or an amount (of tax, levy or duty etc) assessed. |
| encourage verb | /ɪnˈkʌɹ.ɪd͡ʒ/ | To mentally support; to motivate, give courage, hope or spirit. |
| mystery noun | /ˈmɪs.t(ə.)ɹi/ | Something secret or unexplainable; an unknown. |
| bath noun | /bɑːθ/ | A tub or pool which is used for bathing: bathtub. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| back away verb | To move in a direction opposite to that which one is facing, keeping one's attention on the thing in front being avoided. | |
| go ahead verb | /ˌɡoʊ əˈhɛd/ | To proceed with; to begin. |
| help out verb | To provide assistance. | |
| show up verb | To appear, arrive, or attend, especially suddenly or erratically. | |
| work out verb | /ˌwɝk ˈaʊt/ | To calculate. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Should you get closer or should you back away slowly?
- It's true that in the end, we need substance.
- Which of these things have you noticed in yourself or others?
- Have you tried changing anything and how did it work out?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is based · being attracted · is hypothesized |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | you've liked · you've encountered · have found |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | someone who seems · those who helped |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | we're getting · is conveying |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 19 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, we're, they're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: bath /bɑːθ/, hypothesize /haɪˈpɑ.θəˌsaɪz/, trustworthiness /ˈtɹʌst.wɜɹ.ði.nɛs/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: attraction /əˈtɹækʃn̩/, partnership /ˈpɑɹtnɚʃɪp/, recognition /ˌɹɛkəɡˈnɪʃ(ə)n/, impression /ɪmˈpɹɛʃn̩/, cashier /kaˈʃɪə/
- Long words — get the stress right: recognition /ˌɹɛkəɡˈnɪʃ(ə)n/, psychological /ˌsaɪ.kəˈlɑː.d͡ʒɪ.kl̩/, legendary /ˈlɛd͡ʒ.ənˌdɛɹ.i/, humility /hjuːˈmɪlɪti/, approachable /əˈpɹəʊ.t͡ʃə.bəl/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like attraction, humble, turtle.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.