Ever fancied the boy next door? Thought so.

I’ve only ever lived next to one eyed pensioners and post-prison lags, so my personal experience is a definite “no chance”. I understand however that falling for the local lad is a somewhat common occurrence and it seems psychological research backs this up. Apparently ‘proximity’ is a key factor in attraction. Or, put simply, we are more likely to get together with people around us. Well, who’d have thought it eh? Errmm, pretty much anyone with a brain I’m sure!

Pointing out that people who live close to each other are more likely to get together than those who live 300 miles apart doesn’t sound like a scientific breakthrough to me, more like a bloody obvious fact!

However, despite this nonsense I have uncovered one theory of relationships that isn’t quite so ‘plain as the nose on your face’. That is, that people who have a shared experience of heightened emotion often bond together and feel closer to each other afterwards – fear being the most effective of these emotions.

Now, I don’t think this means you should jump out at your date from behind a tree with an axe. I suspect that although it may well be effective in scaring your date out of their onion, it might be a smidge too much, and a prison sentence is certainly going to put the kibosh on that proximity factor!

But perhaps organising a date with an element of controlled danger would work; paintballing, abseiling or even bungee jumping might be good options. As well as creating the right ‘scary’ atmosphere it will also ensure you’re remembered for organising something a little more unusual than ‘dinner and a movie’. Marvellous.

Using these psychological teachings could also work on people other than just new partners. If you’ve got a secret hankering for an existing friend that has never really developed quite the way you wanted it to, then using a few of these tricks could nudge your relationship that bit further towards ‘wayhey’ time. So rather than heading to the pub as always, you could arrange emotion provoking trips and spend more time being physically closer to them. Again, I feel I should point out that this doesn’t mean setting up camp in their front yard. Stalking, no matter how ‘flattering’ you think it might be, is nowt but weird to others. Perhaps just arrange to see them more regularly and put yourself into their world – similar hobbies, similar friends, similar interests etc.

Using the smarts to upscale your relationship from flirting to something more solid is clearly a good option. But don’t forget, with all of these things there is a fine line between slightly manipulating a situation to fall in your favour, and forcing it. Whatever you try the best thing you can really do is be yourself and let nature take its course – that is unless you are a complete bum-stain of a human being and in that situation I recommend you use every trick in the book, it might be your only chance!

http://www.flirtomatic.com/DirtyToy91

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