TikTok's Viral Triangle Method Takes Flirty Eye Contact To A Whole New Level

First dates can be nerve-wracking. While it would seem like a date that isn't going well would be especially painful for your nervous system, the opposite experience is actually true for many singles. For instance, if the date seems to be going well and you think you're picking up on some major chemistry, how will you know for sure? What if you're wrong? The end of a seemingly great date can be agonizing. Should you attempt a kiss? What if you end up rejected and humiliated? This type of worrying is completely normal. However, if it becomes debilitating and interferes with your everyday life, you may suffer from relationship anxiety, as reported by Better by Today.

The solution to the first kiss miscommunication dilemma could come down to simple body language (via Elite Singles). As per usual in 2023, TikTok seems to be the place that has the answer in the form of a viral life hack known as the triangle method. Here's everything you need to know about the hot new dating trend. 

Videos with the triangle method hashtag created by TikTok users like Valeriafune have recently received millions of views on the platform. These videos instruct dating hopefuls on how to utilize a particular eye contact method to communicate their desire to kiss a person when out on a date with them. The hack is meant to ease fear or tension and display interest in a subtle manner that takes the pressure off of both parties. According to TikTokker vfxgino, even beloved actor Jenna Ortega has employed the method onscreen.

The technique itself is very simple. While looking at your date during conversation, dinner, or drinks, sustain eye contact for a few moments. Then, quickly shift your gaze from one of their eyes down to their mouth and back up to the other eye, creating a pattern that resembles the shape of an upside-down triangle. Repeat occasionally throughout your date and, according to TikTok, your fearless goodnight kiss will be in the bag. 

Body language and eye contact are nothing new when it comes to human psychology. Holding extended eye contact with someone you're romantically interested in triggers the release of feel-good chemicals including oxytocin and phenylethylamine, according to Newsweek. These chemicals strengthen attraction and encourage an intense sense of bonding. Here's a bonus eye contact hack: check to see if your date's pupils dilate when their eyes meet yours. This dilation is a sign that oxytocin is at play.

As far as glancing at your date's lips in hopes of encouraging a kiss, anything that draws attention to the mouth is likely suggestive of attraction (via BestLife). Glancing at their lips as well as licking or biting your own from time to time are surefire ways to plant kissing in their mind and to express your romantic interest in them. Overall, the TikTok triangle method is no guarantee that your date will want to kiss you, but it certainly is based on real science.