It’s the age old question, should women play hard to get?

Apparently in order to make a man chase you, a woman has to pretend that she isn’t interested (even when she is).

She has to be aloof and nonchalant and not pay him any attention whatsoever.

Quite like those retro Bollywood films where the heroine ignores the hero’s attempts to chat her up (usually involving singing).

You may be surprised to know that research suggests that this actually works! (Not the singing part though).

Women who play hard to get may be perceived as being reproductively valuable in a man’s eyes.

Think about it, aren’t you bound to appreciate something more if it isn’t easy to get?

It also gives the impression that the women wouldn’t date just any man, as well as testing the man’s ability to invest in resources, such as money, time and effort.

As a woman you can maximize the chances of getting into a relationship by valuing yourself and playing hard to get.

Men find the chase exciting; it feeds their ego to feel that they are the one who is finally going to get her attention.

It makes them feel like Leonardo Dicaprio’s character in Titanic when she shouts “I’m the king of the world”.

Men are also very goal focused and an elusive goal can seem so much more interesting (now you know why they like football so much).

But how do you do this? Well for starters don’t make yourself too available. Have your own life and don’t drop everything (friends and family) just because he contacts you. Take your time in returning his calls.

It’s important that he doesn’t think you are staring at your phone, waiting for him to call. Instead he will be wondering where you are, what you’re doing.

You could be sat at home wearing pyjamas with your hair in curlers, but he doesn’t have to know that.

A friend of mine once refused to go to the cinema with our group, just so that she wouldn’t miss her boyfriend’s call. He only called her when it suited him; needless to say this particular relationship ended shortly afterwards (we resisted the urge to tell her we told her so).

Of course you have to do this sensibly, there is a fine line between being mysterious and just being frustrating.

Playing hard to get does not mean that you should behave like a prima donna, just value yourself, and he will value you too.