In France there's a psychologist, Professor Nicolas Gueguen, who roams the North-West, asking young women for their telephone numbers—or at least his research assistants and experimental confederates do.
This isn't just to boost the national stereotype, but all in the name of science.
The results they've reported over the years confirm some things we think we already know and a few new insights. His experiments often involve approaching random strangers (usually women) in the street and asking them for something (usually their phone number). So far he's found that:
1) Men getting out of expensive versus cheap cars are more likely to get the numbers of passing women.
2) A fire-fighter's uniform makes women more likely to divulge the digits.
3) A touch on the forearm makes a man more likely to get a woman's number (it also works on men, see 10 Psychological Effects of Nonsexual Touch).
4) And, on a slightly different tack, why loud music in bars increases alcohol consumption.
Category(s):Relationships & Marriage
Source material from PsyBlog
