By
Reuters - "Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day?", asked Shakespeare.
Now, women of the world have replied: "No, just tell me I have
beautiful lips".
A new survey of online flirting by dating website Badoo.com
has found that the best Internet chat-up line for men to use is: "You
have beautiful lips". "We have found the Holy Grail of flirting," said
Badoo Director of Marketing Lloyd Price.
The site, which boasts
87 million registered users worldwide, analysed the success rates of
opening lines from nearly 200,000 online flirtations in 11 languages
over the course of one month to come up with a "Compliment Success
Index". Site users were invited to use one of 12 different chat-up
lines. Each complimented an aspect of a woman's body or appearance.
Researchers measured the success rate of each line in two ways: first,
their success at prompting any response at all; second, their success at
launching a longer conversation -- one going back and forth at least
four times.
Complimenting a woman's lips was the most successful
overall, but other lines worked best in particular countries. American,
French, Italian or Brazilian women were more responsive to "You dress
beautifully". Brits preferred praise for their legs, Spaniards responded
to compliments about their hair, while Germans and Canadians preferred
skin praise. Dutch and Portuguese women liked: "You have beautiful
ears".
Jo Hemmings, a British behavioural psychologist said women
responded best to compliments about their lips because it's a bold
approach that seems more personal.
"What many women want is for
men to take the initiative and not be wishy-washy," Hemmings said in a
statement accompanying the survey. "A lot of men on dating sites send a
sort of generic message and women recognise something that hasn't been
customised for them."
David Givens, American author of the book,
"Love Signals: A Practical Field Guide to the Body Language of
Courtship" said the results made sense because women focus a lot of
attention on their lips.
"From adolescence onwards, they
cosmetically adorn their lips, applying lipstick and colours. They have
been doing so since ancient Egypt."