Do you think by any chance you could give a percentage estimation on how many people respond well, poorly, and neutrally to this strategy? (Or something along those lines.) This is interesting to me.
Offhand, I don't know.
It's most relevant at parties and large social gatherings where I don't know anyone, and I don't really think in terms of percentages-of-people in such situations so much as how quickly I find someone worth talking to.
Over 95% of the time, I'd say the result is a little bit of chitchat followed by the person and I both talking to someone else. Whether that's responding well, poorly, or neutrally I don't know; that seems to be the default condition at parties.
Less than 1% of the time, the result is the other person's eyes lighting up...
If it's worth saying, but not worth its own post (even in Discussion), then it goes here.