I’ve been reading a lot lately about pick-up artists and some of their techniques for meeting women.

Do any of their tactics actually work? They all seem kind of douchey to me. — A.S., New York

Some pick-up artist stuff works, some is bullshit, some is borderline date-rapey. But there are effective techniques worth learning. As an exotic dancer, I use a lot of pick-up techniques to increase my tips in the club.

My favorite book on the subject is Superflirt by Tracey Cox. It’s easy to read, and after using it I was able to increase attraction with a number of techniques. More importantly, I was able to read the body language of my “targets.”

Reading body language in a conscientious way was the most important skill I ever learned. You learn to tell who’s... Read More