What women are looking for in pick-up lines.

Photo: flickr/maximeguilbotEver wonder whether certain pick-up lines work better than others? Should you go for the classic "Do you come here often?" or a simple "Do you have the time?" Here, researchers tested different types of pick-up lines (flippant, direct, or innocuous; see examples below) to determine which type women preferred. It turns out that women looking for a long-term relationship preferred direct or innocuous lines, whereas women looking to hook up preferred attractive men, regardless of the pick-up line. The authors hypothesize that women looking for long-term partners (a "good dad") view flippant pick-up lines as signs of low trustworthiness and intelligence, while short-term relationship seekers only care about "good genes" for their offspring. But in our opinion, anyone who uses the line "Do you have any raisins? No? Well then, how about a date?" probably doesn't have great genes either (or at least not those that influence sense of humor).An Evolutionary Perspective on Effective vs. Ineffective Pick-up Lines "This experiment examined women's impressions of men using various “pick-up” lines. Seventy women imagined being approached by a man using a flippant and flirtatious “pick-up” line, a direct complimentary line, or an innocuous line that masks his interest. His attractiveness varied too. They then considered him for long-term or short-term relationships. Matching a “good dad” hypothesis, they favored him for a long-term relationship if he used a direct or innocuous line instead of the flippant line, because the latter conveyed lower trustworthiness and intelligence. Matching a “good genes” hypothesis, they favored him for a short-term relationship if he was attractive instead of unattractive, regardless of his pick-up line, presumably because attractiveness signals heritable fitness. Limitations and theoretical implications are discussed." Bonus excerpt from the main text: "We pilot tested 30 different pick-up lines, 15 flippant ones selected from various internet sites, and 15 non-flippant lines selected from the prior research. Twenty-nine female university students (M age = 21.5 years, SD = 3.18) rated each on funniness and ease of response, each on 1 (not at all) to 5 (very much) scales. The nine selected lines, provided below, all scored highest (between 3--4) on ease of response, and the three flippant lines all scored highest (above 3) on funniness: Flippant lines 1. Do you have any raisins? No? Well then, how about a date? 2. Can I get a picture of you so I can show Santa what I want for Christmas? 3. Shall we talk or continue flirting from a distance? Direct lines 1. I saw you across the room and knew I had to meet you. What's your name? 2. Hi, I saw you and thought, ‘I'm gonna kick myself all night if I don't at least come over and say Hi.' So … Hi. What's your name? 3. I feel a little embarrassed about this … but I'd like to meet you. What's your name? Innocuous lines 1. What do you think of the band? 2. You look really familiar. Have we taken a class together? 3.Do you have the time?" Related content: NCBI ROFL: An evolutionary explanation for baldness?NCBI ROFL: An evolutionary analysis of tattooed ladies.NCBI ROFL: Wham, bam, thank you ma'am: an evolutionary perspective.