Neuroscience
Looking for a date for Valentine's day? Christopher Bale and colleagues have just published a study in Personality and Individual Differences on what 142 female and 63 male undergraduates thought of 40 chat up lines as featured in mini stories about a man attempting to woo a woman.
It was thumbs down to jokes, empty compliments and sexual references ("Well hey there, I may not be Fred Flintstone, but I bet I can make your Bed Rock!") and thumbs up to lines revealing helpfulness, generosity, athleticism, culture ("It's a fine instrument wouldn't you say? A Steinway concert grand if I'm not mistaken", he said pointing to a nearby piano) and wealth ("Hi, my name's William, I'm one of the owners here, would you like to dance?").
The student participants gave their verdicts by saying how likely the woman was to continue the conversation.
Surprisingly perhaps, the male and female participants tended to agree on which lines were likely to be successful. The poor ratings for jokey chat up lines were unexpected but the researchers said that could be due to their failing to give different categories to wit - "spontaneous jokes that fit the context exactly, are genuinely funny, and require intelligence", and humour - "the pre-planned jokes and one-liners which were ineffective and do not demonstrate intelligence".
Link to abstract.
Link to Christopher Bale talking about the work (last five minutes or so of the recording).
Post written by Christian Jarrett (@psych_writer) for the BPS Research Digest.
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Neuroscience
Happy Valentine's Day!
Looking for a date for Valentine's day? Christopher Bale and colleagues have just published a study in Personality and Individual Differences on what 142 female and 63 male undergraduates thought of 40 chat up lines as featured in mini stories about a man attempting to woo a woman.It was thumbs down to jokes, empty compliments and sexual references ("Well hey there, I may not be Fred Flintstone, but I bet I can make your Bed Rock!") and thumbs up to lines revealing helpfulness, generosity, athleticism, culture ("It's a fine instrument wouldn't you say? A Steinway concert grand if I'm not mistaken", he said pointing to a nearby piano) and wealth ("Hi, my name's William, I'm one of the owners here, would you like to dance?").
The student participants gave their verdicts by saying how likely the woman was to continue the conversation.
Surprisingly perhaps, the male and female participants tended to agree on which lines were likely to be successful. The poor ratings for jokey chat up lines were unexpected but the researchers said that could be due to their failing to give different categories to wit - "spontaneous jokes that fit the context exactly, are genuinely funny, and require intelligence", and humour - "the pre-planned jokes and one-liners which were ineffective and do not demonstrate intelligence".
Link to abstract.
Link to Christopher Bale talking about the work (last five minutes or so of the recording).
Post written by Christian Jarrett (@psych_writer) for the BPS Research Digest.
- The Digest Guide To ... Human Attraction
10 years of the Research DigestDress like the person you want to date. If there's someone in your class or workplace who you'd like to get to know better, try making yourself resemble them in some way. Obviously you don't want to take this...
- Witty People Considered Particularly Suitable For A Fling
What is humour for? Of all the explanations, among the better supported is the idea that it acts as a mating signal. Research with heterosexuals suggests that men, in particular, use humour to show-off their intelligence and good genes to women. A similar...
- Evidence-based Tips For Valentine's
Need to woo a partner in time for Valentine's? Follow these simple, evidence-based instructions for boosting your irresistibility ... (Feb 2012 update: see what happens if you take these tips too literally). When asking a lady for a dance or...
- Valentine's Tips Based On Recent Psychology Research
Use chat-up lines that reveal your helpfulness, generosity, athleticism, and culture. Avoid jokes, empty compliments and sexual references. If you're male and planning to ask a girl out for a Valentine's date tomorrow night - try touching them...
- You Hunky Smile Magnet
It seems beauty isn’t all in the eye of the beholder after all. Researchers have shown women rate a man as more attractive after they’ve seen another woman smiling at him. By contrast, being a jealous bunch, male observers rate a man as less attractive...