Whether or not it’s found a home in your phone’s collection of apps, you’ve probably heard of Tinder and its infamous choosing system (Hint: to the left, to the left!). But dating app Hinge, which connects users with their friends’ friends, has found the most popular opening lines we use on each other to score that date.
Business Insider reports that the dating app’s analysts and copywriters wrote 100 ice-breakers and presented some to users to see what really tickled their fancy for a month-long study. “Every day, the Hinge team is asked if we know the secret to starting a great conversation that will actually lead somewhere,” Karen Fein, Hinge’s vice president of marketing, told Business Insider. “Frankly, we didn’t! Since it’s our mission to help users move beyond the swipe, to connect over something interesting and to ultimately meet up — we decided to find out.”
Which kind of lines do men and women respond the best to?
The data showed that men are 98% more likely than women to react the best to assertive and invitational lines, while women are 40% more likely to respond to food-related opening lines (a PSL opener, anyone?).
Who is more patient?
Hinge found that not responding back to a guy’s text within 6 hours makes him 25% less likely to respond back to you. Girls seem to have a higher tolerance for late messages, because chances only drop by 5%.
Which lines are favored by which age group?
Young people ages 18-23 are fans of “novelty” lines, such as “Pain reliever personality: Advil, Tylenol, or complaining?” Ages 24-28 prefer a little more maturity in that all-important ice breaker, so asking about their lifestyle and activities is a sure way to their heart. For ages 29-34, just asking something personal is the quickest way to find out about them and is probably more telling than their dating profile. If you’re 35 or older, you are most likely to respond to convos centered around… pop culture!
Which city cares for which opening lines?
As per the map, LA seems to care the most about lines having to do with their favorite celeb, while San Fran responds well to lines that remind them of their childhood. On the east coast, Boston seems to only have patience for lines that get right to the chase, while Washington DC-ers care the most about food, specifically cheese…
And, finally, what are the best lines to get anyone’s attention?
“Hey, what’s up?” definitely doesn’t make the list, as people found “Hi” or “Hey” to be the least-attention grabbing, while the quirky get-to-know-you game “2 Truths and a Lie” was popular among users.
But remember—Flashing an awesome smile along with any line (that isn’t too cliché) will gain you extra points in anyone’s book.