Research reveals the strange pick-up lines that apparently work

If you’re starting your chats on Tinder using classic pickup lines, chances are you’re already in trouble. If you don’t block someone after they open with “Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?”, then you need to seriously review your life choices.

And yet a recent study has come out which might say the complete contrary. While a new study of students from the University of Electronic Science and Technology didn’t find that amping up the cheese-factor worked, they did come up with some weird one-liners that we can’t quite believe would work on anyone.

Metaphorical language works

This is the major pull-out from the study, which might be obvious from the face the study is literally titled Women prefer men who use metaphorical language when paying compliments in a romantic context. But what does that mean to us plebs of the dating world?

If you’re a guy who’s just matched with a babe on Tinder, don’t tell her she’s a babe. Pick out something you like about her, but it’s not as simple as telling her you like it. You’re going to have to think back to Year 12 English and get those metaphors pumping. Thankfully, this study has some handy examples. They found that compliments like “Your eyes are morning dew”, and “Your smile is a naughty goblin” was favourable among the women of the study. WTF?

Compliment appearance, not possessions

This seems simple enough. Before you get carried away thinking of the most descriptive metaphors you possibly can, remember to focus on physical attributes rather than the things they own.

Need an example? I would say complimenting a girl on the car that’s in the background of her photo isn’t going to get you lucky any time soon. Or, to borrow some examples from the study, you shouldn’t use literal expressions like “Your door is very strong". Instead, you should be saying “Your roof is a lover’s shoulder” or “Your garden is the sea of flowers”. I hope you’re taking notes.

It’s simple, really

We hope this study has taught you what you already know, or what you should know. Despite the colourful language, the study does show how you can stand out from the pack of other Tinder matches. Use a metaphor (but maybe don’t get too flowery) and compliment physical appearance (but don’t be inappropriate, srlsy). I’d also like to add in my advice, which is for the love of God stop using the cheesy conventional chat-up lines like “Excuse me, but I think I dropped something. My jaw!”