The Pickup Artist Study: McGill University’s Unbiased Research Into The Seduction Community
I had the great pleasure of interviewing Dr Robert Whitley, a Professor of McGill University’s Department Of Psychiatry; the man behind a fascinating pickup artist study funded by the Canadian government.
McGill Professor Interview
Clueless: An Ethnographic Study Of Young Men Who Participate In The Seduction Community With A Focus On Their Psychosocial Well-Being And Mental Health
The pickup artist study from McGill University was conducted from 2017 to 2018 and published in 2020 by Dr Robert Whitley.
There were two objectives to the pickup artist study…
- Understanding why men join the seduction community
- Understanding how the seduction community impacts people’s lives
It was acknowledged in the study that there had previously been ‘little academic research on the seduction community’. It was also highlighted that previous studies on the seduction community and pickup artists had some serious limitations, such as focusing on the written works by figures such as Erik Von Markovik (Mystery), and never involving research on the men who actually participate in the community itself. There had been no known PUA studies that attempted to understand why men join the seduction community and what kind of impact participating in pickup artistry has on their lives.
Interestingly, the pickup artist study even mentions that several previous studies ‘openly adopt[ed] a pro-feminist framework’. So it is genuinely refreshing to see a study about the seduction community that comes from a very neutral standpoint.
The pickup artist study begins by acknowledging several PUA scandals from the past. Particularly…
- The Julien Blanc (RSD Julien) scandal of 2014
- The campaign against Daryush Valizadeh (Roosh V) of 2015
- The Adnan Ahmed (Addy A-Game) scandal of 2019
There are 5 categories of findings from the study:
- Loneliness & social inclusion
- Lack of male role models & need for guidance
- Mental health
- Self development
- The dark side of game
Loneliness & Social Inclusion
Many participating pickup artists in the study reported that they joined the pickup artist community due to loneliness and a lack of purpose in life. Generally, this resulted in pickup artists building new friendships and expanding their social circles.
However, some pickup artists believed that the pickup artist community, which was dominated by Real Social Dynamics at the time, was like a ‘cult’.
Male Role Models & Guidance
Pickup artists revealed that there were generally two things missing from their lives:
- Guidance on how to be a man
- Guidance on how to interact with women
The study revealed a pattern whereby there had been a lack of guidance in terms of how to be in good relationships with women due to absent fathers, old school fathers who had simply lived in a different time (And sometimes a different place), and fathers who were too busy to offer such guidance to their sons.
Some pickup artists, therefore, had joined the community because they lacked male role models and guidance. However, some of them warned that there are dangers that some pickup artists may unquestioningly adopt PUA gurus as role models, having no critical thinking in doing so.
Mental Health
Several pickup artists admitted various mental health or inner game issues before getting into pickup artistry, such as:
- Shyness
- Social anxiety
- Introversion
- Social awkwardness
A minority of pickup artists had more serious mental health issues prior to joining the seduction community, such as:
- Depression
- Drug abuse
In general, pickup artists were very aware that finding the seduction community successfully addressed many of these issues. Several highlighted that their lives had completely turned around from a state of depression to a life of happiness, becoming a friendlier person in the process.
Self Development
Pickup artists reported a positive impact on social skills by applying pickup-related theories and experiences to other aspects of their lives. Some notable examples:
- Successful job interviews
- Presentations
- Networking
- Public speaking
While not all pickup artists specifically joined the seduction community in order to acquire better seduction skills, it was clear that those who joined in search of confidence and conversation skills had experienced huge improvements not only in their dating lives, but also for their working lives and social lives. Those who didn’t specifically become pickup artists for these skills often described that they had been naturals prior to joining and didn’t have a pre-existing fear of talking to people.
The Dark Side Of Game
Some pickup artists reported that they had become addicted to pickup; spending large amounts of time and energy pursuing women and engaging in game-related activities. Even to the extent of affecting employment and formal education.
The potential of pickup interfering with daily responsibilities or activities was frequent among pickup artists.
One participant noted that there are some strange examples of PUA terminology which are somewhat objectifying or dehumanizing towards women, such as referring to girls as ‘sets’.
There were also observations that some pickup artists in the overall community, outside the study, have a somewhat toxic ego-induced agenda to just have sex with as many women as possible without having any higher purpose in life, sometimes even treating women poorly.
Some pickup artists had become disillusioned with the seduction community, having felt that promiscuity and the endless pointless pursuit of ‘lay count’ was leaving them feeling empty and soulless. Several such participants had realized that promiscuity wasn’t the real goal, starting serious relationships with women instead.
Not every participant reported a dark side to pickup. However, there was an overall complex set of reflections about game itself and the seduction community. One participant described that while there may be negatives for some, pickup is not perfect but is ‘generally a positive upward spiral’.
How Did Normal Pickup Artists Perform?
When Dr Robert Whitley asked the pickup artists in the study if he could watch them approach any stranger, almost all participants excitedly agreed and confidently approached women to strike up conversations.
Almost all women who were approached engaged positively.
Well over half of the women in the interactions exchanged phone numbers or Facebook details.
This could perhaps mean that pickup artists in general will see more than a 50% success rate on average in exchanging contact details.
