Here's what you need to know to avoid rejection

Ah, rejection. Nature’s way of kicking you in the nether regions, long after you’ve mustered up the courage to ask her out. But you’re not going to shrug and give up just yet, are you (even though you're tempted)? Ever wondered where you’ve possibly gone wrong? Struggling to find an answer? Here are five simple ways to fix that niggling issue.

1. Lack of Confidence: Half your battle is won if you approach a woman with confidence, and respect her personal space. Much like bloodhounds, women can smell the lack of confidence coupled with abject desperation. This is where the game ends before it has even begun. Overconfidence and cockiness, too, has the same effect.

Workaround: While it seems like a Herculean task, half your battle is won when you confidently approach a woman with good eye contact, a simple hello and a smile. Those are the only tools that you'll ever need to kick-start a casual conversation between the two of you.

2. Personality: Short, fat, lanky, undefined muscles, acne-ridden? As the Tinder experiment proved, women are gentler and far less shallow than men in the looks department, and are willing to give you a chance.

Workaround: Your perceived shortcomings can be made up by being yourself. Bring your personality out – this could be in the form of witty one-liners, your magician-like abilities, and your love for random TV shows or some trivia among others.

3. Style: Those lycra-fitted muscle tees, crotch-fitting jeans and trousers that contour your genitals are, well, if you haven’t figured it out already, a disaster. Same goes for sloppy dressing. Remember: style ≠ designer or tight-fitting attire.

Workaround: Unless it’s a grand occasion like a wedding, your best bet is simple, casual and comfortable.

4. Personal hygiene: Unless you're returning from a very sweaty workout, and don't have any medical issues, there's really no excuse to have poor hygiene. Bad breath and body odour are an instant turn-off, so you need to get that fixed stat.

Workaround: Simple grooming techniques is the quite simply the key to success. Keep your nails clean, bathe every day, comb your hair, and go easy on your deodorants, colognes and sprays contrary to what the Axe ads might have led you to believe.

5. Listening skills: There’s a thin line between being persuasive and irritatingly persistent. Don’t let the movies fool you. If you are not paying attention to her responses, this will not end well for you.