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Apparently, our first impressions of someone are formed within the first eight minutes of meeting them, and the majority of our opinions are formed on visual clues, not small talk.
So rather than rolling out the witty one-liners on a first date, you could try seducing him with some subtle body language. Just follow our bluffer's guide below.
The triangle
When we look at people we don't know we naturally move our eyes in a zig-zag motion, from eye to eye and across the bridge of the nose. With friends we move them in a triangle, also looking down at the nose and mouth. If we're attracted to the person we're looking at, the triangle gets wider at the bottom as we look further down and incorporate their body into our gaze.
If he's looking intensely from eye to eye, he's definitely flirting, but if he's lingering on your boobs, this is probably the time to down your drink and make a sharp exit.
The copycat
It's a sure sign of chemistry when you start to mirror one another's moves. Try copying his posture and gestures and he will be seduced without even realising it. If he takes a sip of his drink and looks you in the eye, do the same and meet his gaze. If he leans in to say something, lean in close to meet him. But try not to copy his moves exactly, as you'll come across as scary rather than sexy!
The eyebrow raiser
Often, the first thing we do as a sign of greeting when we see someone we know is raise our eyebrows. But while the gesture usually only lasts a fraction of a second, it is prolonged when we are attracted to someone. If they feel the same they will do the same in return. If you want to let him know you're interested, try raising your brow and catching his eye at the same time.
The point
If we find someone attractive, we'll often point a part of our body towards them as a subconscious indication we're interested. On the same subconscious level, they will probably pick up on this. Don't stretch your arms out zombie-fashion though; angling in towards him at the bar will have the desired effect.
The blink
It's a well-known fact that our pupils get bigger when we're looking at something we like. But did you know we apparently blink faster, too? Without wanting to look as though you have something stuck in your eye, you could try upping your blink rate and see if he does the same.
The hand gesture
Unclenched hands show you're open to him, while touching objects such as the rim of your glass can be super-sensual and suggestive. Be careful to use light, caressing strokes as opposed to fidgety moves though. Given that your moves will be indicative of what you'd like to do to him, ripping up your beer mat is probably not a good idea...
The girlie tactics
Ever noticed that when women are flirting they tend to come over all bashful and girlie? It's a natural instinct to bring out your feminine wiles when on a full-on charm offensive, and it usually gets results. Slightly tilting your head, twiddling your hair, biting your lower lip and lowering your head so you're looking up at him coyly are all tricks we are programmed to use when we want to get our own way.
Remember to make all these signals look as natural as possible. If you start blinking madly, rubbing your pint and leaning on his shoulder, he's more likely to ask for security rather than your number!