On a night out while looking for love, there is nothing like having the support of a friend.
Known sometimes as a wingman or wingwoman, the term originates from fighter jet pilots,
where the wingman's job is to support and protect the leading pilot.
This same dynamic is applied when a friend needs support approaching potential partners.
But what is the science behind this strategy - and do wingmen actually work?
First things first - you look better in a group than you do on your own.
One study had participants evaluate pictures of 300 people and found that faces were significantly
more attractive when they were shown in a group photo compared to the same faces shown
on their own.
Another good tactic a squad can use is that of a Wild turkey.
Wild Turkeys attract mates in a “coalition” where one turkey is “dominant” and the
other turkey’s are “helpers”.
These helper turkey’s wear less colourful plumage - making the dominant one look like
a better catch.
And this strategy almost doubles the reproductive success compared to those turkeys who ride
solo.
Even male fireflies work together to attract ladies!
Fireflies use bioluminescent flashes to signal a mate.
And when male fireflies synchronize their flashes, females responded 82% of the time,
compared to 3% of the time with asynchronous flashes.
So maybe it’s time for your squad to think of a co-ordinated dance?
Especially if you’re the wingman to a lance-tailed manakin.
Males of this species team up in pairs, performing intricate dances - including leaping over
one another.
But within the group there is an alpha and a beta - and the beta never gets lucky.
So why be a wingman?
A study that tracked and analyzed DNA of 457 birds found that beta birds, after learning
from the Alpha’s, had a better chance of becoming an alpha the following year.
These strategies are often used among males - but what about females?
Across cultures, human women tend to be more selective or choosy than men when it comes
to partnerships though significant variation does exists among sexes.
After all, females expend more resources in pregnancy, making it important that they choose
a partner more selectively.
When asked to describe their courtship strategies, interestingly, women were actually more likely
to use cooperative techniques than men, but these techniques were used to avoid partners
where there was no romantic interest.
Again this certainly varies from person to person, and these studies also only focused
on heterosexual behaviour.
How far will your squad go for you?
Are they willing to lie?
It turns out the closer relationship you have with someone the more likely you are to lie
to make them look good.
This is why going out with your best friends to the bar can help boost your image.
Looking for love or a fling while in the company of friends is fun and often effective.
Just remember that finding romance doesn’t need to be a strategic game where you have
to “trick” someone - if you just be yourself you are more likely to find someone who likes
you for you.
Special thanks to audible for supporting this episode to give you a free 30 day trial at
audible.com/asap.
This week we wanted to recommend the book “The Invention of Nature”’ by Andrea
Wulf, which is a fascinating investigation of the relationship between environments around
the world and their connectedness with humanity!
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