Psychologist reveals four behavioural tricks to appear more confident on dates

From how you breathe to filling in awkward silences, certain behaviours can negatively impact a date

A psychologist has revealed the four behavioural changes people can make to appear more confident on a date.

Francesca, who goes by @francescapsychology on TikTok, is a professional life coach who shares dating advice to her 1.3 million followers. In a clip posted earlier this week, Francesca – who received a degree in psychology at City University in London – shared with singles the four subtle tricks they can do to allegedly increase the likelihood their dates will be interested.

“Four psychology tricks to be more attractive on dates,” she captioned the clip, as she explained to viewers that everything from how you breathe to filling in awkward silences can negatively impact someone’s first impression.

The first tip Francesca shared in the video was to slow down your breathing. “This will make you slow down the rest of your pace and relax your body language,” the psychologist said. She explained that, by breathing at a slow rate, this will “transmit comfort and confidence”.

In fact, deep breathing has been shown to reduce stress levels and manage anxiety. To practice, breathe in slowly through your nose, allowing your chest to rise as you fill your lungs. Then, slowly breathe out through your mouth.

Second, she cautioned against trying to fill in those awkward silences in conversations. “Get comfortable with silence,” Francesca said. “Always trying to fill in those silence gaps and talking endlessly comes across as if you have something to prove and that you’re insecure.”

Instead, Francesca suggested that sitting in silence may actually “make you seem more mysterious” and could force your date to lead the conversation.

Her third tip to singles was to ask interesting and specific questions that will require a date to give detailed responses. “Don’t ask generic questions that can be answered in one word, like, ‘Where did you go to school?’” Francesca explained.

Rather, she recommended asking questions about their career or their hometown. For example, if they mention that they like to travel, ask about their “craziest travel story”.

For her fourth and final tip, the psychologist stressed that singles should never appear “indecisive” on a date. From restaurant locations to drink orders, struggling to give an answer puts the burden of making every decision on your date.

“Whether you’re a guy or a girl, it’s still unattractive if someone asks you where you want to eat,” she said. “Just give a damn answer!”

Since it was posted last week, Francesca’s video has been viewed nearly 55,000 times. Now, TikTok users are praising the psychologist for the helpful tips.

“Thanks for helping ma’am,” commented one user, while another wrote: “Got a date tomorrow lol TikTok listened.”

This isn’t the first time Francesca has gone viral for her dating advice. The professional life coach recently revealed three of the most common texting styles and what they could possibly mean about personality types.

For example, texters who are “always finishing the conversation” are most likely worried about being “abandoned,” while those who send a bunch of short messages instead of a long paragraph might have a short attention span.