IQ TEST FOR SOCIAL APTITUDE

By Maya Alarcon

Is there anything more rattling to one’s self-confidence (like take this friend of mine) than to have a great interaction with a highly desirable member of the opposite sex, only to be completely rejected when he never calls me (I mean, her) back? Okay, fine, I’m busted, I’m talking about The Boy, an incredibly hot guy I worked with in Houston several months ago. We’re both from LA (100 mile rule applies in all situations), got along great (in what appeared to be that playground-pull-your-pigtails-because-I-like-you kind of way) and most importantly, I could have sworn there was some chemical exchange between us. But of course, not wanting to mix business with pleasure (so pro I am), I swore not to make a move before the job was done.

On the very last day, after I driving him to the airport (he was talent, oh boy was he, and I, talent-wrangler) we exchanged numbers, committed to keep in touch back in LA, hugged and parted ways. I left thinking, “Wow, I really charmed him. I can’t wait for our first date. It’s great to be me!”

A spate of phone conversations follow up and suddenly communication stops, just like that. I ask you, as relationship experts, what on earth did I do? How did I manage to repel him? At what point did my little fantasy go awry? I thought: he’s so into me, but apparently I was wrong. Faboo. Do I continue sending him tantalizing texts or just give up on the whole mess?

The truth is, when it comes to dating most of us are, to varying degrees, somewhat clueless. Take my first and last stab at Internet dating: this Herman Munster guy kept checking his cell phone and texting while we were out having drinks. Hello, have you looked at me? I’m gorgeous!?!? Talk about insulting. If I’d known he was so fond of mobile phone based human interface, I would have phoned in the whole date from home wearing my fat pants and eating ginger snaps, far preferable! Needless to say, ix-nay on the second date-ay.

Then there’s my dear, old friend who I’ll affectionately call Goober, a nickname he deservedly earned in 3rd grade (do I really need to explicate?). Goober hasn’t much experience in the ways of women and so he comes to me ad nauseum about how to approach the latest cute girl to cross his Goober path. Of course I suggest asking her out for coffee: casual, low pressure, no need to make rezs and drop a ton of cash. And if you don’t click, you can just spill coffee on your own crotch and abscond. Invariably however,

Goober hesitates, the window of opportunity closes, and I sigh a sigh of defeat before bringing my focus back to my own dating insanity.

So back to me and my dilemma: how on earth to attain irresistibility? How will I go on?

But wait, what’s this I’ve stumbled across in cyberspace? An Irresistibility Quiz brought to me by”¦Crest Whitening with Scope Extreme?! Well I’ll be”¦it seems as if the fine folks at Crest have teamed up with Samantha Daniels, Mz. relationship expert and matchmaker to the stars, and Nick Cannon of MTV’s Wild “˜N Out to bring you tips on how to rev up your irresistibility quotient. Is this even legal? READ MORE

If the name Samantha Daniels rings your mental bell, it’s because she’s the founder of Samantha’s Table, an exclusive, chichi matchmaking service serving New York and Los Angeles, and the real life inspiration behind the NBC show Miss Match starring Alicia Silverstone as an attorney with a knack for, you guessed it, matchmaking (a good friend of mine would scoff at the idea of a yenta-matchmaker, but I digress). Samantha’s also the author of “Matchbook: The Diary of A Modern Day Matchmaker”. She has been profiled in countless television shows and magazine articles. Bottom line, this woman knows her relationship stuff, and so she created this 12-question irresistibility IQ test to quiz dating dullards like Goober and hot commodities like yours-truly about our social savvy and help us figure out how we come off to others. She put together this handy little checklist for Extreme Irresistibility to help us (okay, me) out when preparing for that big night on the town.

As for Nick Cannon, one would think that a talented performer with his own MTV show would have no worries in social situations. Well, one would be pretty much right. And so, Nick is here as the male-relationship maven, kindly imparting his bounty of wisdom on us regular folk. Study the crib notes for Nick’s tips on how to always put your best foot forward on a date (never force yourself to go out if you’re just not feeling it or you’ll end up looking bored and boring, and always brush up on current events to ensure informed conversation topics). Nick is slated to be the guinea pig of this whole Irresistibility IQ shebang by taking the inaugural test this Thursday, April 27th, and posting his results for comparison.

So join me in this little social experiment won’t you? Log on to www.CrestIQ.com this week and take the Crest Whitening Plus Scope Extreme toothpaste Irresistibility IQ test and see how you match up to Nick. And while you’re at it, don’t forget to click down the checklist, brush up on irresistibility tips and enter the sweepstakes to win iPod swag and autographed copies
of Nick’s latest album, Stages.

And don’t, for the love of Nick, Goober or Boy, forget to brush, because if you ain’t got pearly whites and fresh breath, you ain’t got nothing at all.