A lot of books and websites featuring pick-up tips for straight men extoll the virtues of having a so-called "wingman." According to the Urban Dictionary, a wingman is "a guy you bring along with you on singles' outings (like to bars) that helps you out with the women." Proper wingman protocol appears to be the subject of great debate and that’s not something I’m going to get into here—so, instead, let’s just address the question of whether having a wingman can actually help when it comes to getting a date.

For the answer, check out the video below from our friends over at ASAP Science. They took a look at the research and summarized what they found. As you’ll see, men aren’t the only ones who rely on wingmen—women do, too. So, perhaps they should be called “wingpersons” instead. But most interesting of all is that humans apparently aren’t the only species to utilize wingman techniques. Other creatures do as well, and sometimes to great effect.