Editor’s Note: A Northern Star reporter with a psychology background went bar-hopping to observe how people attract each other in a social setting. Armed with a note pad and pen, he took notes as the night went on and the drinks flowed liberally.

Skimpy outfits in the middle of February, gelled hair and collared shirts, quick glances at that girl sitting across the room. If this sounds familiar, then you probably have been to one of the local bars.

Tonight, hundreds of single students will flock there in search of their special Valentine.

If you believe that all of life is networking, then viewing the bar scene is no different. Immediately, you can see people strategically form smaller two- to four-person social groups. Those groups are spread throughout the bar and leave some looking for that special someone at a disadvantage. But don’t worry, sip that Miller a little longer and wait for the opportunity to approach the person you’re interested in.

“I’m not sure if it is any safer, but the groups are a safety network within a social outlet,” said Joanne Messina, a psychology instructor.

So the opportunity comes perhaps when the guy you’re interested in stops listening to his friend’s blabbering or maybe the girl’s friends left her alone while they went to the bathroom (but probably not that).

Watch the person and see if you can make eye contact. Locking eyes with someone is definitely a socially-instituted sign of being interested.

“No matter what, a girl likes attention and to be flattered,” said Lornett Vestal, history major and NIU bar-goer. “If I give a girl attention, they may not like me, but they like the fact that somebody is paying attention to them.”

Now you’re making your grand approach toward the person and wondering what exactly you’ll say. A survey conducted of NIU students should give a little insight.

Everyone has heard it before, “I want someone who can make me laugh.” The survey results showed 54 percent of men and 58 percent of women are looking for someone with a sense of humor. The next most common response for men and women was they are looking for someone to have a decent conversation with. Taking that first step and talking to a person increases your chances.

During the conversation, you notice she is continually playing with her hair or that he is trying to look casual by leaning on the bar. This is just the common nervousness of talking to someone new. Thirty-six percent of men and 46 percent of women reported drinking a little to relieve this tension.

However, there is a point where drinking too much will no longer assist your quest for a Valentine, and it will show. A girl might wrap her arms around a guy: Earlier it was endearing, but now she does it just to hold herself up.

Another sign of drunkenness is how close a person is talking to you. As a person’s sobriety dwindles away, so does the space of their personal bubble.

Another thing to look for is someone on a cell phone. As the night grows late and a person’s chances of ‘hooking up’ goes down, then concurrently so does his or her chances of the always regrettable ‘drunk-dialing’ striking gold.

Vince Toma, owner of The Barn, 1215 Blackhawk Road, shed some light on what he has seen.

“I don’t think people today are really meeting at bars. On a college campus, everyone comes to the bar to let loose,” Toma said. “How many people do you know that go to bars, wind up in a long-term relationship or getting married? It’s a quick fix.”

So things might work out with your potential Valentine but perhaps the odds are against you. Forty-five percent of men and 48 percent of women don’t go to the bars at all. Also, only 17 percent of women are even looking for anyone other than a friend. That, compared to the 55 percent of men looking for Ms. Right or Ms. Tonight.

“I don’t think it’s a place to find Mr. Right,” said Rachel Watkins, textiles apparel and merchandising major and bar-goer. “But it’s a way that people can have a social life.”