There are countless ways of flirting, from playful banter at a run club to stealing someone’s hat on the playground. Yet one method that’s gotten big on Instagram recently is the so-called ‘triangle method’. And no, it doesn’t have anything to do with whisking your intended off on a whirlwind trip to the Pyramids of Giza (although this would probably also work, if you’re financially set up for such an expenditure in the pursuit of mere flirtation).
Below, find everything you need to know about the triangle method of flirting, including what it is and how to try it out for yourself:
What is the triangle method?
Okay, picture your crush’s face. (Are you doing it? You have to actually do it.) Now, pretend their eyes are the top of a pyramid and their mouth is the bottom. Move your eyes slowly from the top of the pyramid to the bottom, taking in each eye individually before casting your gaze down to their mouth. By Jove, you’ve got it!
What’s so alluring about the triangle method?
If I may put on my Cher Horowitz-from-Clueless hat and give a little bit of dating advice: When you’re flirting, you want the object of said flirtation to feel like you’re really drinking in their face, their voice and what sets them apart from everyone else (without being creepy, of course). The triangle method is a great way to show that you’re clocking someone’s hotness in a hopefully not-too-overt way. (And anyway, at the risk of sounding like your mom briefing you on manners before going over to your friend’s house for a sleepover, it should be said that it’s always nice to make direct eye contact.)
Is there any scientific basis to the triangle method?
In fact, a 2024 study of adult speed-dating participants proved that subjects were more likely to choose those dating partners with whom they shared more eye contact. (“Perceived attractiveness” also played an important role in the study, which…duh, we’re shallow.) Obviously, you can make sexy eye contact without employing the triangle method, but a subtle glance down at someone’s lips—suggesting that you want to, you know, kiss them—can only enhance the effect.
Should I try the triangle method out for myself?
I’m no expert, but I think so. Ever the intrepid reporter, I took to the streets (my living room) to try out the triangle method on the general population (my partner), and was gratified to find that he did, indeed, return my smouldering eye contact. Did he notice that my gaze was flickering down to his lips? Not necessarily, but he did eventually kiss me—although that may have simply been because I finally did the dishes in the sink.
