Harlequin Uncovers the Truth Behind First Impressions
Thursday January 26, 8:49 am ET

NEW YORK, Jan. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Harlequin, a leading publisher of women's fiction, has reported on romance topics for the past 17 in its annual Romance Report. This year's Report de-mystifies first impressions and first encounters, revealing that meeting new people, especially those that actually pique our interest, is a challenge for most of us. We may all hope to stumble upon our perfect match in a serendipitous twist of fate, but we just don't seem to walk the walk when it comes to acting on our whims.

"At Harlequin we like to examine and challenge the convergence of reality and romance," says Katherine Orr, vice president of Harlequin Enterprises, ltd. In the spirit of Valentine's Day, we want to remind people that romance can still exist in this day and age - even with over-programmed and time- starved schedules."

More than 2,000 men and women from across North America dished the inside scoop on everything from the perfect first meeting to truth about the fabricated encounters that we all like to believe happen by chance. The survey of 1,000 men & women was conducted by International Communications Research and revealed some surprising facts.

The Gender Difference

Have you ever encountered someone you were interested in but did not act upon it? Well, it might depend on your gender. According to the survey, 68.3% of men vs. 55% of women admit to this situation. The differences don't stop there, 78% of women think that the best place to meet potential romantic partners is through friends, only 63% of men agree.

How far will people go to get someone's attention or impress them? Well, 26% of men admit to having too much to drink in an effort to get someone's attention vs. only 15% of women who do the same. Twenty-three percent of men will spend the night on a first date in an effort to impress with their "assets" as opposed to only 8% of women. Do men and women agree on what most attracts them to someone during a first encounter? On some dimensions, yes! About 45% of both genders believe intelligence is important and about 30% sight confidence. However, men are more attracted to physical appearances (62%) than women (48%) and for women it is all about a sense of humor 73% (versus 62% for males.)

 But, what about what turns them off in a first encounter ...

 -- 61.7% are turned off by someone with no sense of humor - Male: 63%,

 Female 61%

 -- 57.2% - lack of intelligence - Male: 55.8%, female 59%

 -- 29.4% - no physical attraction - Male: 35%, female 24.1%

 -- 28.6% - no confidence - Male: 26.6%, female 30.4%

 Mixed Signals

It's all a matter of perception when it comes to the genders opinions of what's important to the other. For example, 76% of women think that men are all about the physical attraction, when, in fact, only 55% of men say physical attraction is what grabs them during a first encounter. In terms of money, 25% of men think that women are after the dollars - suggesting women are most attracted to financial status - in fact only 7% of women said financial status was a major turn on.

Faux Pas on the First Encounter

When asked what they've done to attract someone's attention, men and women admit to their top three mistakes: drinking too much (20%), spending the night of a first date (males 22%, females 10%), and lying about a marital relationship. When asked about nerves during a first encounter, men and women reveal some of the ways we show them. The top three ways we show our nerves are playing with our keys, not sitting still, (38%), avoiding eye contact (27%) and not being able to put sentences together (22%). One blunder men are more guilty of is making out with someone without knowing their name (22% of men and only 6% of women).

Making the Connection

 So where are the hottest places to meet people? Well, according to the

report, the person of your dreams may be right around the corner. The

following destinations are the top ten places to meet a potential love

interest:

 1. Laundromat 5. Health Club 9. Home Improvement Stores

 2. Library 6. Grocery Store 10. Museums

 3. School 7. Book Club

 4. Coffee House 8. Volunteering

 Just Leave it up to Chance

Chance is entangled in some of Hollywood's greatest love stories - but can we really rely on it when looking for Mr. or Mrs. Right? With hectic schedules, many men and women leave little room for chance encounters. Instead, dollars are spent on online or group dating services. But advise your readers to hang on to their savings - a recent survey by Harlequin reveals that serendipity is still believed to be love's greatest accomplice:

 * Only a mere 7% of men and women say meeting online is the way to go

 * When asked how they met their significant other, "by chance" (20%) was

 among the top two responses, preceded only by "through friends" (34%)

 * Nearly half (44%) of people believe the best ways to meet new people is

 through chance

 * Seventeen percent admit to fabricating an encounter to make it look

 like a unforeseen meeting

 Dream Encounters

So knowing all of this, which celebrities would we most like to encounter? On the women's side, its Martha Stewart, Eva Longoria, Condoleezza Rice, Jennifer Aniston AND Angelina Jolie. For the men, it's Hugh Hefner, Kanye West, Patrick Dempsey and the Dalai Lama.

About Harlequin

Harlequin Enterprises Limited is the global leader in series romance and one of the world's leading publishers of women's fiction, with titles issued worldwide in 25 languages and sold in 94 international markets. The company produces over 115 titles monthly and publishes more than 1,300 authors from around the world. Harlequin Enterprises Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation, a broadly based media company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TS.nv.b). Harlequin's Web site is located at www.eHarlequin.com. Harlequin has offices in 18 countries including Toronto, New York and London. For more information please visit www.eHarlequin.com or press.eHarlequin.com.

About International Communications Research (ICR)

ICR is one of the top 25 market research companies in the United States. ICR specializes in design and implementation of customized marketing and opinion research studies among consumers, businesses, and unique constituents. Since 1983, ICR has designed and implemented thousands of customized marketing and opinion research studies among consumers, businesses, and unique constituents. ICR provides its clients with direction in the areas of product development, messaging, branding, customer loyalty and social science research. For the utility industry, our professionals have extensive experience in utilizing a variety of research methodologies to aid in enhancing customer satisfaction for utility clients. ICR's services also include designing and implementing research programs that assist market assessments and strategic planning process.

Methodology

This Harlequin Romance study is based on a random telephone survey, supervised by International Communications Research, of 1015 adults interviewed in the United States during July 2004. This study was a nationally representative sample of adults 18 years of age and older. The margin of error for the totals is plus or minus 3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The error margin is somewhat larger for subgroups.

Source: Harlequin Enterprises Limited