Mh. Let me bring this precious thread back to life. -- I watched a number of videos on this topic (on YouTube) and a couple of things all these pick-up artists appear to have in common are a very open attitude towards life and especially relationships, an apparently very relaxed respiration - even in the most thrilling situations -, relaxed facial muscles, charming smiles, a clear and precise articulation, and lots of confidence (or self-deception).
I am not arguing against PUA techniques, and I am convinced that they work. However, the entire concept of relaxing, smiling, and, in general, picking up women puts me off.
If it's a fundamental tenet of someone's personality to be the exact opposite of a 'pick-up artist', I see no sense in feigning, pretending to be someone else. No one will ever like you for who you truly are, and if that's important to you, deception isn't a proper course of action -- PUA techniques are good for those who genuinely desire to be different and only want to attract women, ignoring the actual reasons that underlie the attraction.
Moreover, there's another thing. Time. When do you do all this picking-up? People with a busy (academic) life, have no - or rather aren't supposed to have - time whatsoever for much beyond (studying and) building their careers. The time and energy you have to put into practising these techniques - or into dating, in general - to really become someone else - that is, to learn how to successfully pretend being someone else until you stop noticing that you just act - is immense. I can't really imagine when busy people go out with 'friends' or how they maintain 'friendships' at all.