The most common first date tactics

Moran found that men tended to opt for Rachel’s tactic: deep conversation. Women, on the other hand, opted for telling jokes as their preferred tactic.

Interestingly, men and women had different ideas about which tactics would be most successful. Men believed that “flirting, holding hands, complementing, and actually drinking alcohol” would be the best way to ensure first date success. Women, however, believed that being polite and listening was the best tactic.

As Moran noted: “These results suggest although men and women engage in similar behaviours, they ultimately perceive the behaviours to have different outcomes.”

After comparing the results to Dating Around, however, Moran couldn’t find any sign that certain tactics were more likely to lead to a second date. So, he concluded that heterosexual couples should be a little more aware of what the other person is likely to perceive as a strong dating tactic.

“I would advise men to engage in more etiquette-style behaviours because women might perceive them as better daters when they do so,” he suggested. “That is, men should try and do better to listen, be polite on the date and be kind, and try to have important conversations.” Similarly, women could try upping their flirting game if they feel comfortable doing so.

Ultimately, Moran hopes that by studying which tactics are common and which are most likely to engage the other person, his research can help us all feel a little less stressed on our next first dates – and that certainly sounds like a noble cause to us.

Need some new first date moves? A new study reveals the most common (and most successful) tactics