SSS 2010-06-21（在线收听）

Have you been having some trouble getting some digits lately when you ask a girl out? Maybe you should check what music is playing. That’s what French psychologists found. They published their research in the journal Psychology of Music.

First the researchers found a guy who was rated average looking by a group of women. Then that average Antoine talked about a couple of food products with 87 different women, aged 18 to 20. But before the conversation, half the women heard this romantic French tune: Je L’aime a Mourir.

The other half heard this song that most in France agree is neutral: L’heure du Thé, or Tea Time.

After talking, Antoine pulled each one aside and asked for her phone number. Only 28 percent of the women who heard the tea song gave out their info. But 52 percent of the women who listened to the love song said yes. So maybe, guys, you should wait for a romantic tune before making your move.

Unfortunately, they didn’t test the alternate: what type of music is more likely to get a guy to say yes?

Thanks for the minute for Scientific American’s 60-Second Science. I’m Cynthia Graber.