Grinding Your Way to Mrs. Right
May 31, 2007 by Greg · 2 Comments
It’s Thursday and in most big cities, it’s dance club night. If you’re like me and suffer from acute employment, you are going out. While out, you may find yourself grinding away at the pelvis of strange, yet attractive, women. The good news is, according to a recent survey, this is an acceptable way to introduce yourself. Read more
Online Vocal Training
May 31, 2007 by Greg · 3 Comments
Happy Brainstorming has an introductory tutorial on vocal training. Starting out with an example about the impact speech plays on social interaction, it continues exploring various techniques. The article includes exercises as well as demonstrations of engaging speech. Read more
gandhi’s got game
May 30, 2007 by Cash · 2 Comments
“Congruence” defined:
If You’re an Ass Then Change
May 30, 2007 by Greg · 3 Comments
An article published last week by Live Science argues that not only can your personality change, but it probably should. As an advocate of personal growth I subscribe to this belief whole heartedly. However, researcher Carol Dweck goes further by illustrating cases in which personality changes display isolated performance advancements. Read more
quick quiz: what are the differences between men and women?
May 24, 2007 by Cash · 5 Comments
Test your knowledge with 8 simple, true / false questions. No cheating, unlike 46% of you do on your girlfriends :-).
More Sex in Greece
May 24, 2007 by Greg · 5 Comments
A recent survey compared sexual frequency and nationality. The Greeks came out on top with Brazilians tagging in at a close second. The frequency however is not representative of birth rate. While the Greeks engaged in weekly sex, the Brazilians had almost twice the babies. Read more
poll: have you ever cheated on your significant other?
May 21, 2007 by Cash · 3 Comments
When I’m in a committed relationship, I take fidelity very seriously and am proud of the fact that I have never strayed. Right now however, I’m enjoying the freedom and fun that comes with more casual dating, which takes ‘cheating’ out of the equation.
How about you Urban Monarch readers?
I Think I Shouldn’t Flirt With a Robot
May 17, 2007 by Greg · 8 Comments
As much as I like to cry out the agony of going to work, if I had the choice, I would still write computer programs. It’s a field I’m excited by. Discover’s new preview article on artificial intelligence further cements this for me. Focusing on programs created to simulate human conversation, they let two of them talk to each other and recorded the output. Some of it reminds me of conversations I have with girls in the bar. Read more
Uses For Saved Text Messages
May 17, 2007 by Greg · 7 Comments
Cash is a sentimental guy. He saves all sorts of text messages that remind him of the good times for when he is old, gray, and in a sad state. While this is more of a recent fascination for me, I’ve been subscribing to saving text messages for a few alternative reasons. Read more
30 second socializer: how to enter a room
“You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”
It’s an age old cliche, but it still holds true, perhaps nowhere more so than in a club/bar situation. Why? As you step into a room, you become a suddenly dynamic element in a previously static environment. This translates into one thing; people noticing you. If your goal is to meet women, their immediate reaction to your arrival can mean smooth sailing, or disaster.
Skip The Gym, Get The Facial
May 15, 2007 by Greg · 5 Comments
A new study performed by the University of Western Australia finds that faces are more valuable than bodies for overall atractiveness. The participants, though severely limited in sample size, were asked to view photos varying in shot content from facial portraits to full body shots.
They found that faces account for more of the variation among ratings than do bodies; in other words, faces are more important. For women rating men, 52 per cent of the attractiveness score was made up by the face rating, while for bodies it was 24 per cent. The trend was similar when men rated women, with 47 per cent of a woman’s overall attractiveness accounted for by her face, and 32 per cent by her body (Animal Behaviour, DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2006.07.012). Read more
poll: the text message break up
May 14, 2007 by Cash · 6 Comments
I’ve never agreed with the idea of breaking up with someone via text message, but as they become more ‘legitimized’ as a means of communicating, maybe my viewpoint is old school.
What do you think?
Is it ever okay to break up via text message?One Thing I’m Paranoid About: The Paradox of Choice
May 10, 2007 by Greg · 5 Comments
Sometimes, late at night, I worry endlessly about the paradox of choice. Cash spends his nights tossing and turning thinking about, among other things, the scientologists’ private navy (which he informs me is called Sea Org and is really a good candidate for things to be paranoid about.) I personally am more worried about what happens if I open the doors to all possibilities.
The paradox of choice is a component of decision theory, an area of human social studies that examines how we come to decisions. Decision theory generally concerns itself with how to make the best decisions, so the paradox of choice enters (and is named thusly so) because, statistically, the more choices you have, the harder it becomes to make an optimal decision. Read more
How to Buy a Girl a Drink (Heineken)
May 10, 2007 by Greg · 5 Comments
Some of us might beleive that buying drinks for girls is for the average frustrated chumps. However, Heinekin, albeit a biased source, advises on how to properly utilize this technique with their latest advertisement. Read more
the 30 second socializer: confidence in three steps
May 9, 2007 by Cash · 3 Comments
One of the most difficult elements when improving your social skills is building confidence. It can be easy to rattle off some pre-rehearsed line or story; it can be far trickier to believe you’re worthy of a beautiful girl’s attention in the first place. Self image and self confidence, or what some might call ‘inner game’ are paramount to your success with women, and life in general.
Over the last year or so, in the process of improving my own social skill set I’ve discovered three simple things that can help boost your confidence, and they’re easier than you think.
How We Crush
May 3, 2007 by Greg · 2 Comments
The New Yorker is currently featuring a selection of four short quips from humor writer Paul Simms. The fictional love affairs, lasting anywhere from 17 seconds to a life long 45 minutes, detail the relatable nature to which we quickly decide whom to fall in love with. Subtle crushes evolve, twist and turn, til the love evaporates. Read more
Start a Harem
May 2, 2007 by Greg · 3 Comments
I have a few friends that are proponents of multiple long term relationships (or MLTRs if you want an acronym). They actively pursue and engage in relationships with multiple partners. This is not adultery, as all parties are typically aware of their mates activities and intentions. In a sense, they are pursuing the modern day harem. Read more
Stare at Women
May 1, 2007 by Greg · 2 Comments
Recently researcher Jeremy Bailenson conducted a virtual reality experiment to judge what impact facial contact had on influence. After conducting experiments to modify and simulate attention, he found the stare down to have the most effect on women. Read more
saddle ranch: i am at a loss for words
April 27, 2007 by Cash · 3 Comments
Last night Greg and I met up with long time UM friend, easy on the eyes model and queen of comments Raquel. She was joined by two lovely out of town guests who were visiting from Los Angeles. We were talking about their favorite LA experiences and one thing kept coming up: “Saddle Ranch”. I remember Saddle Ranch being mentioned in The Game as a favored spot for meeting women. Given this fact, I always envisioned it as a “country western themed bar” with a small dancefloor.
Nothing on earth, and I do mean on EARTH could have prepared me then for Read more
neil strauss’ satchel of seduction
In his best selling book “The Game”, Neil Strauss unveils a lot of intriguing tools intended to make meeting women easier. One piece that can easily be overlooked as readers race through the book seeking out the “perfect pickup line ” (hint: it doesn’t exist) was his constant club companion, a trusty ‘man purse’.
the 30 second socializer: everything’s a compliment
April 26, 2007 by Cash · 5 Comments
Greg may not know it yet, but we’re going to begin offering occasional ‘quick tips’ for improving your social skills (and therefore life in general). The series will be known as ‘The 30 Second Socializer’.
In the field of NLP there is a concept known as ‘reframing’. It’s basically a tool to help you change the context of a situation in a way that’s more favorable for you. If you’ve ever heard the phrase “it’s always on”, this is a perfect example of reframing.
This morning I found myself chatting up a lovely young girl waiting for the train. She was on her way to school, I was on my way to work. The interaction was upbeat and fun, and when I reflected on it later I realized a reframing technique I had used that can work for anyone.
