title: An evolutionary perspective on effective vs. ineffective pick-up lines.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: State University of New York-New Paltz, Psychology Department, 600 Hawk Drive, New Paltz, NY 12561, USA. senkoc@newpaltz.edu
authors.forename: Corwin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Senko
authors.forename: Viviana
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Fyffe
mesh_terms: D003468:Cultural Evolution; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012919:Social Behavior; D012938:Social Perception; D014705:Verbal Behavior; D055815:Young Adult