Evan

Yeah, Jenna, I promise no games going forward.

You guys are the best. Thank you. Oh, you're welcome, buddy.

I am. It's been years, and there's been ups and downs, but I want to try something new, and I think it's going to work. I just need a little help.

I think that you should date a lot of different people because experts say that if you focus too much on just one person, you're going to end up disappointed.

Well, I wouldn't say a lot, but yeah, I'd say a small handful at any given time.

Okay.

There is one. Her name's Jenna, and she's a top contender. Top contender.

We had one date. It was good, and nothing bad happened.

Well, sometimes I do feel that way, but this was a good date. It was genuinely good, and I do believe that she likes me and would like to go out on another date with me. I just want to try this thing to kind of make her work for it a little bit.

I want you to call her and tell her that, like, I thought that she was cool, but I'm a little on the fence about it.

Yeah.

The thing is, I've had a lot of dates this past year where the first meeting is great, but then it just fizzles out. Okay. And the girl will say to me, hey, you're super cool and everything, but there's just not a strong enough of a connection for me.

It makes me feel like I need to be defensive and prove myself because she's in the power position.

Oh, I see.

I can tell you, but she's literally like every other girl that I've been dating recently. Like, you know, she's sweet. She's funny. She's pretty. Like they all are.

She's going to turn on me.

There's a storyline that's just been playing over and over again.

Yeah, I'm sorry to throw a loop in things, but you thought I was nice?

I thought you were really nice, too. But I'm just not totally sure that there's a romantic connection between us. I'm just not sure.

I don't... I don't think we should jump to that. I just I need to be sure that you really do feel that way before I carry on.

Not completely, because I'm a nice guy and I did. I have a hard time believing that she really likes that.

I'm not saying there isn't. There isn't. I'm not sure. I'm in the middle here.

It's us. It would have happened on the second or third date anyway. Yeah.

Look, the truth is I really like you. Oh, no. And I was afraid that if I just carried on being nice and showing that I really liked you, that you would get bored of me. And if I used reverse psychology on you, then you would think that I was a bad boy or something that you're really attracted to and want to really work towards winning me.

I'm usually the one that's trying to win somebody over, and I wanted to flip the script.

Hi, this is Evan. I'm calling from Menlo Park, California. Leadership support for Radiolab science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, Assignments Foundation Initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Okay.