If cute/flippant pick-up lines are perceived as so undesirable by women, why do so many men insist on using them? We can’t say for sure, but some researchers have suggested that this may be a strategy some men use to advertise their sexual interest or to zero in on women who are sexually available [2]. As you can see in the tables above, there was not 100% agreement on whether any of the lines were good or bad. In fact, there was a small but significant number of women who actually liked the cute/flippant lines. Thus, although men who use these lines will probably have a pretty low hit rate overall, guys may still end up getting lucky if they use them enough.

So what’s the take-home message from all of this? If you’re really interested in meeting someone, a simple “hello” is likely to open far more doors than some sexual innuendo.

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[1] Kleinke, C., Meeker, F., & Staneski, R. (1986). Preference for opening lines: Comparing ratings by men and women. Sex Roles, 15, 585-600. doi: 10.1007/bf00288216

[2] Bale, C., Morrison, R., & Caryl, P. (2006). Chat-up lines as male sexual displays. Personality and Individual Differences, 40, 655-664. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2005.07.016

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