London - It may seem counter-productive, but men should pretend they’re not interested in a woman to increase their chances of success in the bedroom.
In fact, those who try too hard are a turn-off, researchers claimed.
They said canny men often play it cool with someone they find attractive. In contrast, women act more interested than they are, psychologists from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology found.
Professor Leif Edward Ottesen Kennair said: "We think this may be to keep the man’s attention a little longer."
But he revealed the same wasn’t true for males, adding: "Men who are overly eager do not come across as attractive." It suggests flirting is a tactical game, with each person deciphering the other’s intentions.
The results fly in the face of the received wisdom that women act coy while men strut their stuff. Instead, both sexes act more reserved when they like someone.
The study found women tend to set the boundaries of casual encounters as they are less likely to be interested in sex at first.
Commenting on the study involving 224 men and women, Professor Martie Haselton, of the University of California, Los Angeles, said: "In economic terms it’s about supply and demand. The most in-demand people are not the most available – they are a rare commodity in the mating game."