Best New Year's resolutions for finding love

Love rules the world – or so they say. It seems that some people have terrible luck when it comes to attracting people. The good news is that while people get stuck in a behavioral rut, you can work to explore habits to better attract and engage people. These are the best New Year's resolutions to find love.

Smile

This might sound super cheesy, but it could actually help you get more dates. According to a study, researchers found that those whose resting faces appeared happy were rated as healthier. Alex Jones, a facial perception expert, wrote in The Conversation:

“We found that faces with a smile look healthier than with a neutral expression, and that it doesn't matter whether the faces are male or female. We also found that this effect increased with facial age: while younger adults look healthier when smiling, older adults look much healthier.

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A smile was a more important cue than the apparent age of the face, and recent research has shown that a happy expression is even more important than cues such as obesity or skin color. Scientific proof that a smile really is the best accessory.”

Be friendly

Kindness, compassion and empathy are essential to building deep connections with other people. In fact, this trait has been key to our survival as a species. Humans' ability to form long-term social bonds contributed significantly to our development and success as a group. Kindness doesn't have to be a grand gesture. You can often show kindness to others simply by paying attention to those around you and treating others with respect. Do small things like opening doors for others or greeting people with a smile.

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According to Jones, a smile essentially sends a message to others that you will live a longer, healthier life through optimism and happiness.

Set realistic goals

Instead of aiming for marriage, how about setting smaller, more achievable goals, such as: E.g. arrange two dates per week or start a conversation with five people this month? As you overcome these stepping stones, the bigger goals will seem more attainable.

Get out of your comfort zone

Swipe right on someone you might not otherwise consider. Just because someone is short, bald, or a little out of shape doesn't mean they aren't worth your time. If nothing else happens, this will get you out of the house and into dating mode. Additionally, your self-confidence is likely to be boosted.

RELATED: Are You Sabotaging Your Love Life By Committing This Common Dating Sin?

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Give second chances

Did the first date not go so well? Do not worry. Writing someone off after a single date could be a big reason you're still single. David Vermeulen, founder of elite dating app The Inner Circle, told INSIDER: “Some people feel really uncomfortable when they see someone for the first time. You have to sell yourself in a certain way. Some people are really good at it, some people aren’t, but at the same time they’re obviously a nice person.”

Vermeulen says that unless the first date was a complete disaster, you should give someone a second chance at romance.