The Future of Seduction

In The Paradox of Choice, the psychologist Barry Schwartz argues that infinite choice – whether of mutual funds, breakfast cereals or lovers – is exhausting to the human psyche and leads to greater dissatisfaction. When presented with too many choices, we are not only stunned, like a kid in the proverbial candy shop, but also less satisfied with th

In one study of singles on the pull in a bar, researchers observed 109 distinct ‘attraction tactics’, including offering to buy someone a drink, sucking seductively on a straw, puffing out one’s chest, and maintaining eye contact.

With a googol of profiles to get through, 75 per cent of men say they swipe on the basis of only the first photo.

Natural rewards, including orgasm, contain a built-in satiety at consummation relying, inter alia, on endogenous opioids. But when we’re stuck in the dopaminergic excitement of seeking, Kringelbach explained, there is no signal telling us when to stop.

In communities around the world in which there is a surplus, or perceived surplus, of women, men pursue a mating strategy geared towards multiple casual relationships.

In a study of the most successful words for men to put on an online profile, ‘physically fit’ upped response rate by a whopping 96 per cent;10 in another, the number-one word for men to use on a profile was – wait for it – ‘6ft’.

One study showed 44 per cent of millennials were on Tinder for ego-boosting procrastination – more than were looking for either hook-ups or relationships.

One study showed that half of Tinder users had not gone on a single date with a match made on the app.

The average person in medieval times is thought to have laid eyes on fewer than 100 people in the course of a lifetime. An attractive young woman can rack up that many matches in minutes.