Is 26 too late to get serious about socialising/pickup

[Lord of Darkness]

Join the zombies they thirst for thy brain!

[Zen LaCroix]

On 10/23/2025 at 5:52 PM, nerdspeak said:

160 approaches is nothing. Think like a marketer. With an untested product you wouldn’t expect to make any sales on the first 160 ad engagements. 

Back in the day we’d do 160 approaches in a weekend. Not saying it’s good, it makes you crazy. But if you’re trying to learn pickup (admittedly a dubious pursuit), you need to crank volume at the top of the funnel for a while. 

How does it make you crazy? I'm curious.

Edited 12 hours ago by Zen LaCroix

[nerdspeak]

5 hours ago, Zen LaCroix said:

Hoe does it make you crazy? I'm curious.

Common negative effects: feeling paranoid when you’re not talking to someone; value scanning for people to approach even when not doing pickup; devaluing individual interactions (to an extent this is good but it can get pushed too far); exhaustion mixed with guilt about not “pushing through” it (as Owen becomes less influential this is maybe less common); obnoxious trolling during approaches that is subtly dehumanizing to the people you’re trying to talk to. 

Most people I know who stuck with it evolved out of spamming to doing 2-3 warm approaches per night. But spamming is maybe a necessary phase before you learn how to spot approach invitations (specific to you) or signs that a woman is looking to meet someone (more generally). Basically I started pre-qualifying my approaches. But that was after almost 10 years. 

[Lord of Darkness]

You got to play to your strenghts, some have good instincts, others just plow through numbers of approaches, there is also diffrent societal niches and identifing where you belong and operate the best will will probably save you hundreds of approaches and failures.

[Zen LaCroix]

2 hours ago, nerdspeak said:

Common negative effects: feeling paranoid when you’re not talking to someone; value scanning for people to approach even when not doing pickup; devaluing individual interactions (to an extent this is good but it can get pushed too far); exhaustion mixed with guilt about not “pushing through” it (as Owen becomes less influential this is maybe less common); obnoxious trolling during approaches that is subtly dehumanizing to the people you’re trying to talk to. 

Most people I know who stuck with it evolved out of spamming to doing 2-3 warm approaches per night. But spamming is maybe a necessary phase before you learn how to spot approach invitations (specific to you) or signs that a woman is looking to meet someone (more generally). Basically I started pre-qualifying my approaches. But that was after almost 10 years. 

Yea those are some negative effects that can be worked through. You're really not supposed to be value scanning.

When it comes it comes to devaluing individual interactions it can give you that I don't give a fuck type of vibe and help your charisma come through when you don't really care about an interaction. In most interactions when a man approaches a woman on the approach the man cares more than the woman if the interaction goes well or not. It can can display great value and be very attractive when the man carries that nonchalance

The best guy I knew at game who could pull multiple times in a day from day and night game went around trolling the girls he approached and they loved it. It was a sight to see. He would approach and the girls would try to instantly reject right on the walk up and he would just troll them and it was like a switch just flipped in their brain and they would become interested in a least who he was. 

Edited 10 hours ago by Zen LaCroix

[nerdspeak]

I got to a certain age and approaching a girl without IOIs started to feel thirsty. I also got good at forcing IOIs. 

There are people who stick with the spam approach but they’re naturally high-energy so it’s fun for them. 

[EternalForest]

@something_else

On 10/22/2025 at 3:14 PM, something_else said:

It’s definitely not too late. I’d focus on making friends first though, having friends to do stuff with makes meeting women much easier

I don't know about this. I have plenty of friends and I can't find a girlfriend.

[Yimpa]

https://tenor.com/search/do-it-just-do-it-gifs

 

[Jehovah increases]

No, of course not, hell no.

[RawJudah]

4 hours ago, EternalForest said:

@something_else

I don't know about this. I have plenty of friends and I can't find a girlfriend.

I’m with you on that. Plenty of friends over the years but not many girlfriends. In my opinion having lots of male friends can hold you back from getting good with girls.
 

Too much competition and ‘testosterone’. 

I say go out on your own. 

[Husseinisdoingfine]

I met a woman recently in Montenegro who was 27, and I really think I had the time of my life. Me, her, and another woman went clubbing together, sat on the beach, and other fun stuff. 

You're still really young. Try going to Europe for a week.

[Yimpa]

Be serious AND playful.

Opposites attract