A lot of would-be flirters get hung up on the opening line. They're so worried that what they say is going to be perceived badly that they are never quite able to muster the nerve to make the approach.

 

Or worse, they do make the approach, but they're so nervous and insecure about what they're saying that they get shot down immediately.

 

Well, there's good news for the tongue-tied and lovelorn: When it comes to the early stages of flirting, what you say doesn't really matter.

 

According to a study at UCLA, up to 93 per cent of communication messages are determined by nonverbal cues. That's right, only seven per cent of what you say hangs on the actual words you use, while 38 per cent is vocal (your pitch, rhythm, volume, etc) and a whopping 55 per cent is your body language (facial expressions, posture, confidence, etc.)

 

Which means you'll be far better served by a look of confidence than a witty pickup line.

 

The most important thing to remember when approaching someone new is that while an inappropriate line can put you out of the running, everything else is pretty much benign. In other words, you won't ruin your chances by being boring. At least not right off the bat.

 

A recent UK study of effective pickup lines conducted by Psychologist Christopher Bale found that, "Openings involving jokes, empty compliments and sexual references received poor ratings."

 

And another UK study found that the best opening lines were lighthearted, open-ended questions (rather than yes or no questions) such as "What's your favorite kind of pizza?" or "If you were going as a TV character to a costume party, who would you be?"

 

 

It's difficult, sometimes, for shy people to look directly into another person's eyes, but looking away can actually make you appear less attractive to another person.

 

A recent UK study found that participants found photos of people who are smiling and looking directly at you to be the most attractive, and the very same faces were found to be less attractive when looking away or off to the side.

 

Another study found that direct eye contact between strangers made them more likely to feel attraction, as well as making them bond more quickly.

 

The best places to see eye to eye? A dark party or bar or a candle-lit restaurant. The low lighting causes our pupils to dilate, the very same thing that happens when we feel attraction.

 

 

This one doesn't really work if you're a woman but for men, it works like gangbusters.

 

Better still, it's a skill pretty much anybody can learn in an afternoon.

 

Why juggling? Women are oddly compelled by men who can juggle. Even if you're the biggest geek on the planet, you'll suddenly seem a lot more interesting if you can keep five beer bottles simultaneously airborne.

 

Juggling Gurus Ryan and Phil began juggling at age 12 for fun and discovered by accident that juggling opened a lot of doors with women.

 

Ryan says, "Women really love juggling."