Women should forget shy smiles and small talk if they want to chat up a man, according to research.
By Alastair Jamieson - Telegraph
Men favour a direct, no-nonsense approach when being chatted up by women, scientists found.
A study at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania found men had trouble 'reading' hints, even if they are accompanied by flirty body language, according to a report in the Daily Mail.
The researchers asked a group of women for their top chat-up lines and put the most common suggestions to men and women to ascertain how they worked in practice.
Men found direct approaches such as invitations to dinner or the cinema most appealing, followed by exchanges of phone numbers or straightforward questions such as 'What are you up to tonight?'.
Women preferred lines that were designed to identify common interests, the report found.
The least successful tactics were smiles or lines such as 'Have I seen you here before?' There were even less successful than humorous lines such as 'Your shirt matches my bedspread'.
Psychologist Dr Joel Wade said: "The direct indication of a possible dates as well as the hint of a possible date gives the man a clear signal – instead of sending mixed non-verbal signals that the man must decipher."
An earlier study found that talking about the weather was a successful way for men to approach women, while the worst tactics were corny chat-up lines.