Rules of the Game (38 page)
Authors: Neil Strauss
You stop talking, and she tries to continue the conversation, usually with the word “So⦔
She mirrors your movementsâstroking her hair after you stroke yours, sipping her drink after you sip yours, even making a face after you make one at her.
Like sending out a sonar signal and waiting for it to return to determine a distance, you can send out signals to test her interest. To do this, make a small action and notice how she responds. For example, playfully (and lightly) punch her in the shoulder. If she punches or hits you back, these are good signs; if she stiffens or recoils slightly, these are not so good.
Be forewarned that some women will be very touchy-feely as soon as they meet you because they seek the validation of guys chasing them, enjoy the power it gives them over men, or are showing off for someone else in the room. With these women, don't consider anything a genuine display of interest unless you know you've earned or deserved it. Until then, tell them with a smile that you charge twenty dollars a touch, and they're racking up quite a bill.
We've discussed calibrating to determine your course of action. But there's another type of calibration that's more fun and powerful. It includes elements of cold reading, determines which disqualifiers are appropriate if any, and helps build rapport.
Like using X-ray glasses, this advanced form of calibration allows you to explore her innermost thoughts, needs, and desires. To train yourself to do this, as you're talking to her, ask yourself:
What type of personality does she have?
Does she have high or low self-esteem?
Is she sexually open or reserved?
What does she do for work?
Is she currently in a relationship?
Is she an oldest, youngest, middle, or only child?
Is she closer to her mother or her father?
Is she primarily athletic, emotional, or intellectual?
What qualities is she attracted to in men?
What are her needs?
Where is she in life and what is she looking for?
