SEX & RELATIONSHIPS - HOOKING UP
2008.10.14
Sophisticated suitors should figure a woman out without prying into her cyberpast. We've unleashed a battery of tips to help you interpret her living space-without snooping, of course-using counter-top and coffee-table clues to answer compatibility questions that affect every relationship.
Will she shut me out or bare her soul?
Your clue: Her furniture A more private person will have the backs of chairs towards the entryway, and the traffic patterns may create a cosy, confined space. Another clue: how she apportions space, particularly in a compact room. Open, adventurous people often have cluttered, overflowing shelves and walls that are covered with art and photographs, and more guarded people thrive on a high level of order.
Is she a dreamer? Or is she grounded?
Your clue: Her art
Paintings or photos mean she's open and creative, but just what kind of art it is says a lot more. Women who collect Eastern art, such as Buddhist imagery, tend to be open, curious and emotionally complex. Movie posters mean she's conservative and down-to-earth. Women who collect and display postcards, matchbox labels or ticket stubs are more adventurous and sensation-seeking.
Will she get along with my friends?
Your clue: Her photos
Introverts display more photos of nature, art or objects, with muted backgrounds. Extroverts are drawn to pictures of people. If her fridge door is full of party shots, pay attention to the focus of each photograph: if she seems to be front and centre in the pictures-always-she could be narcissistic. Photos of animals usually reflect a woman who's affectionate and sentimental, but beware of overkill. She could be filling a maternal instinct.
Is she flexible? Or is she controlling?
Your clue: Her bookshelf
Look for an organisational pattern in there. Are her books grouped by subject? Or are they alphabetised by author? A general orderliness may just indicate someone who's responsible and secure, while a personalised Dewey decimal system like what they use in libraries may be a red flag for neuroticism. Use variety, not quantity, to gauge her intellectual breadth. Better to have 10 books on unrelated subjects than 100 on chemistry. A mix of new releases, classics and other genres means she's an imaginative, curious woman.
Inspect her gadge: Researchers have matched preferences to specific personalities. Scroll through her iPod to match her musical tastes to an ideal date.
Her music: Jazz, blues and classical
Her traits: Inventive, imaginative, intellectual, verbally gifted, liberal Your next date: A play or a book reading- anything laid-back, smart and simple
Her music: Rock, acid and alternative
Her traits: Intelligent, curious, adventurous and athletic Your next date: A hike, a rock-climbing class or an unconventional ethnic restaurant (and fusion cuisine helps)
Her music: Pop and country
Her traits: Cheerful, outgoing, reliable and relatively conventional Your next date: Keep it casual and romantic, with a picnic in the park, a party at a breezy cafe or a small party with close friends
Her music: Rap, funk and electronic
Her traits: Talkative, energetic, forgiving and liberal Your next date: Show her off at a dinner party, a popular local pub or a trendy dance spot. And sit back and enjoy Decode her digs Look for these objects (of desire!)
Will she shut me out or bare her soul?
Your clue: Her furniture A more private person will have the backs of chairs towards the entryway, and the traffic patterns may create a cosy, confined space. Another clue: how she apportions space, particularly in a compact room. Open, adventurous people often have cluttered, overflowing shelves and walls that are covered with art and photographs, and more guarded people thrive on a high level of order.
Is she a dreamer? Or is she grounded?
Your clue: Her art
Paintings or photos mean she's open and creative, but just what kind of art it is says a lot more. Women who collect Eastern art, such as Buddhist imagery, tend to be open, curious and emotionally complex. Movie posters mean she's conservative and down-to-earth. Women who collect and display postcards, matchbox labels or ticket stubs are more adventurous and sensation-seeking.
Will she get along with my friends?
Your clue: Her photos
Introverts display more photos of nature, art or objects, with muted backgrounds. Extroverts are drawn to pictures of people. If her fridge door is full of party shots, pay attention to the focus of each photograph: if she seems to be front and centre in the pictures-always-she could be narcissistic. Photos of animals usually reflect a woman who's affectionate and sentimental, but beware of overkill. She could be filling a maternal instinct.
Is she flexible? Or is she controlling?
Your clue: Her bookshelf
Look for an organisational pattern in there. Are her books grouped by subject? Or are they alphabetised by author? A general orderliness may just indicate someone who's responsible and secure, while a personalised Dewey decimal system like what they use in libraries may be a red flag for neuroticism. Use variety, not quantity, to gauge her intellectual breadth. Better to have 10 books on unrelated subjects than 100 on chemistry. A mix of new releases, classics and other genres means she's an imaginative, curious woman.
Inspect her gadge: Researchers have matched preferences to specific personalities. Scroll through her iPod to match her musical tastes to an ideal date.
Her music: Jazz, blues and classical
Her traits: Inventive, imaginative, intellectual, verbally gifted, liberal Your next date: A play or a book reading- anything laid-back, smart and simple
Her music: Rock, acid and alternative
Her traits: Intelligent, curious, adventurous and athletic Your next date: A hike, a rock-climbing class or an unconventional ethnic restaurant (and fusion cuisine helps)
Her music: Pop and country
Her traits: Cheerful, outgoing, reliable and relatively conventional Your next date: Keep it casual and romantic, with a picnic in the park, a party at a breezy cafe or a small party with close friends
Her music: Rap, funk and electronic
Her traits: Talkative, energetic, forgiving and liberal Your next date: Show her off at a dinner party, a popular local pub or a trendy dance spot. And sit back and enjoy Decode her digs Look for these objects (of desire!)
