If you’ve ever wondered why you’re naturally drawn to certain people – an expert has now revealed that it comes down to the way they laugh.

Dr. Connie Wang, who touts herself the ‘small talk doc,’ recently opened up about what makes a ‘popular‘ person popular – and she said it’s not about their good looks or connections.

Instead, Dr. Wang claimed that someone’s ability to laugh and connect through humor with another person is what makes them really likable.

The doctor explained the theory originally stemmed from NASA observing relationships between astronauts after finding that some were getting into arguments and were falling into depression whilst in the program.

‘What they did is go through the old interview tapes and [found that] the people that went on to become the most successful astronaut all did this one thing differently than the ones that didn’t,’ she explained.

Dr. Wang said it came down to the way the astronauts laughed.

‘Basically, laughter is one of the most, if not the most, direct form of communication between two people,’ she declared.

‘Because it’s so involuntary, it’s natural, and us humans are programmed to see this as a sign to wanna connect with one another,’ she explained.

‘What they found it’s not just your presence of laughter, but it’s your intensity of laughter that makes the difference.’

Dr. Wang went on to clarify that it doesn’t mean whoever ‘laughed the hardest’ was the most popular, but they believed that whoever was able to match the interviewer’s level of laughing had the highest emotional intelligence.

She pointed out if someone doesn’t match the same level of joviality when conversing, it makes people feel uncomfortable and sometimes a little rejected.

‘It doesn’t mean you’re supposed to fake [it] because we can clock that too, but it means if you’re able to see someone else’s energy and tone and either match it or mirror it, or just acknowledge it, this will help you connect with other people and feel a lot closer to them,’ Dr. Wang said.

‘How to tell if someone is popular/likable in one second – the NASA astronaut test,’ she wrote on the clip. ‘That explains why popular people are so effortlessly likable.’

Dr. Wang added in the caption: ‘This was a super cool story from a book called Supercommunicators by Charles Duhigg – turns out likable, emotionally intelligent people LAUGH differently! What does your laugh say about you?

‘Are you matching someone else’s level and in tune with their mood/energy level?

‘This message isn’t intended to say be fake just to match people, but to show how cool the art of communication and emotional intelligence is and how amazing genuine humans can be when we focus on empathy and connection.’

Previously, Professor Joseph Fuller, co-founder of the Managing the Future of Work initiative, spoke with CNBC Make It about what sets high achievers apart from their other, less successful counterparts.

The Harvard Business School professor discussed the reasons why one trait can help anyone reach their full potential earlier than expected: being opened minded about new opportunities.

‘[People who are open minded are] not wedded to some predetermined career path that they set when they were a student or starting their first job,’ said Fuller.

‘They’re open to unexpected opportunities and embrace change instead of fearing it.’

According to Fuller, setting career goals and timelines for achieving them can be dangerous if one becomes closed off to an unexpected route or path.