It's officially cuffing season - a deeply-romantic time of year for couples, and a time when singletons all over the world worry about not having someone to cuddle up and watch Love, Actually with.
And if - like many of us out there - the idea of 21st century dating is something that terrifies you, as opposed excites you, then we've got a romance tip for you.
One TikTok user has gone viral this week after revealing an intricate red-flag-worthy dating method carried out by many men that keeps women interested, despite them putting in an ever-decreasing effort.
Advert
Erika Tham discussed the conspicuous 'penny method' in one of her most recent social media videos, claiming a guy friend of hers told her all about it.
"Okay, I'm getting ready to go on a date," she tells viewers in the viral video, which has already accumulated over 1.2 million likes.
"But I learned some information today that feels illegal to know.
"I was talking to one of my guy friends about love-bombing and he goes, 'Well, yeah, that sounds like the penny method'.
"So, he starts explaining it to me, and he goes, 'Okay, imagine a girl is a piggy bank'. Interesting analogy, but hear me out.
Advert
"'In order to get her interested, obviously at first, you have to be feeding her one hundred dollar bills.'
"Putting one hundred dollar bills is expensive work, and you don't want to be doing that, so eventually, you reduce it to 90."
The TikToker then explains that the woman in question will pick up on the decrease in effort, but won't say anything about it, in fear of sounding 'crazy'.
"Now, here's where it gets sick," she tells viewers. "The next thing you do, is move it back up to 95.
Advert
"Instead of feeling like she lost five - which is how she would feel if you went directly from 100 to 95 - suddenly, she feels like she's gained five, but you are still putting in five percent less effort," she explains.
Advert
"So, basically, you just keep repeating this cycle and weening her off your effort, until you get to the point when you're giving her pennies, and suddenly, she's excited to receive a nickel."
Tham goes on to exclaim: "The idea that men might actually think like this makes me so afraid. Like, is this boy math? Because I don't like it!
"Anyways, be safe out there, ladies. I think the take away message in all of this is that we should never be accepting anything less than one hundred dollar bills."
And viewers of the video have been left horrified by the questionable dating method, with one branding the 'penny method' as 'psychotic'.
Advert
"I didn’t knew they could be so smart," one TikTok user quipped.
Another added: "U can’t convince me this isn’t psychological torture."
"What ever happened to genuinely liking someone and wanting to spend time with them without games or lies?" a third asked.
A fourth went on: "The effort it takes to manipulate us into excepting less just seems so much harder than being a decent partner."
Featured Image Credit: TikTok/@erikathamTopics: Sex and Relationships, TikTok, Dating trends