LET YOUR BODY DO THE TALKINGWe all hunt for the perfect chat-up line, but in reality, our body gives away agreat deal before we open our mouth. It is estimated that when you meet astranger, their impression of you is based 55 per cent on your appearance and bodylanguage, 38 per cent on your style of speaking and a mere 7 per cent on what youactually say.So what can we learn from the experts? There are a number of actions that signal"I like you" to another person. Adopting an open posture (no folded arms), andmirroring another's posture help create a feeling of affinity. Most people are notconscious of being mirrored, but evaluate those who do it more favourably. And itis worth adopting stances that enhance your masculinity or femininity, such asplacing hands in pockets with elbows out to enlarge the chest.You could also indulge in a "gestural dance", synchronising your gestures and bodymovements with those of the object of your desire, such as taking a sip of yourdrinks at the same time.EXPERIENCE FEAR TOGETHERA dramatic setting can kick-start your love life. Meeting a stranger whenphysiologically aroused increases the chance of having romantic feelings towardsthem ...It's all because of a strong connection between anxiety, arousal and attraction.In the "shaky bridge study" carried out by psychologists Arthur Aron and DonDutton in the 1970s, men who met a woman on a high, rickety bridge found theencounter sexier and more romantic than those who met her on a low, stable one. Avisit to the funfair works wonders too. Photos of members of the opposite sex weremore attractive to people who had just got off a roller coaster, compared withthose who were waiting to get on. And couples were more loved-up after watching asuspense-filled thriller than a calmer film. Why? No one is sure, but theadrenaline rush from the danger might be misattributed to the thrill ofattraction. But beware: while someone attractive becomes more so in a tensesetting, the unattractive appear even less appealing.SHARE A JOKEAn experience that makes you laugh creates feelings of closeness betweenstrangers. A classic example comes from experiments carried out by USpsychologists Arthur Aron and Barbara Fraley, in which strangers cooperated onplayful activities such as learning dance steps, but with one partner wearing ablindfold and the other holding a drinking straw in their mouth to distort speech.Sounds stupid, but love and laughter really did go together. You can read about itin "The effect of a shared humorous experience on closeness in initial encounters"in the journal Personal Relationships (vol 11, p 61). We suggest that theblindfold/drinking straw approach is best confined to the laboratory.GET THE SOUNDTRACK RIGHTPsychologists at North Adams State College in Massachusetts have proved whatShakespeare suggested - that music is the food of love. Well, rock music, atleast. Women evaluating photos of men rated them more attractive while listeningto soft-rock music, compared with avant-garde jazz or no music at all.USE LOVE POTIONS?Can you short-cut all the hard work of relationship-building by artificial means?People have been trying to crack this one for thousands of years. A nasal spray