The Future of Seduction

Being made to feel special – even if just for an evening – is at the crux of seduction regardless of gender.

The matching potential of the genome is not entirely without merit: kissing is hypothesised to be subconsciously used by women to gauge the health and genetic make-up of a potential mate through saliva, as well as for eliciting arousal through the exchange of hormones.

One study showed that half of Tinder users had not gone on a single date with a match made on the app.

With a googol of profiles to get through, 75 per cent of men say they swipe on the basis of only the first photo.

Natural rewards, including orgasm, contain a built-in satiety at consummation relying, inter alia, on endogenous opioids. But when we’re stuck in the dopaminergic excitement of seeking, Kringelbach explained, there is no signal telling us when to stop.

The social psychologist Eli Finkel, the director of the Relationships and Motivation Lab at Northwestern University, believes the future lies in using dyadic data, observing rather than predicting compatibility from an initial interaction. Non-conscious synchrony emerges when two people are interested in one another: within minutes, pupil dilation,

One study showed 44 per cent of millennials were on Tinder for ego-boosting procrastination – more than were looking for either hook-ups or relationships.

Despite the seeming sexual smorgasbord on offer, dating apps are surprisingly short on seduction. Longitudinal studies show that singles are having less sex and fewer partners than a generation ago.

The average person in medieval times is thought to have laid eyes on fewer than 100 people in the course of a lifetime. An attractive young woman can rack up that many matches in minutes.