Flirtatious Communication: An Experimental Examination of Perceptions of Social-Sexual Communication Motivated by Evolutionary Forces (original) (raw)

Sex and the Perceived Effectiveness of Flirtation Techniques

Human Ethology Bulletin, 2016

Three studies were implemented in order to ascertain how men and women flirt with potential partners, and whether or not there are sex differences in which flirtatious actions are considered most effective. Study 1 (n = 40) and Study 2 (n = 60) sought to discover the actions that men and women, respectively, engage in to indicate romantic interest to a partner. Study 3 (n = 126) sought to determine which flirtatious acts from women and men are perceived as most effective. Men were expected to rate women's flirtations that suggest sexual access as most effective and women were expected to rate men's flirtatious actions that suggest emotional commitment and exclusivity as most effective. The results were consistent with the hypotheses and are discussed in terms of prior research.

Creative Casanovas: Mating Strategy Predicts Using—but Not Preferring—Atypical Flirting Tactics

Evolutionary Psychological Science, 2018

Although flirting behaviors tend to be covert, subtle signals of sexual interest, people are routinely able to employ and decipher such signals successfully to attract mates. Flirting research often focuses on the accuracy of interpreting flirting signals, but the creation and employment of flirting signals has been understudied. The present set of studies examined whether mating strategy would impact preferences for typical or atypical flirting behaviors. In study 1, we conducted an act nomination followed by two rounds of pilot testing to generate a set of flirting behaviors rated on typicality and effectiveness (total N = 416). For study 2, participants (N = 396) read scenarios in which an opposite sex individual showed sexual interest in them, and then chose a response from a set of flirting behaviors that varied in typicality. Consistent with our hypothesis, pursuing a short-term mating strategy was associated with selecting more atypical behaviors. Finally, study 3 explored whether short-term mating would also be associated with preferring atypical flirting behaviors when one is the target rather than the initiator. Participants (N = 486) responded to the same scenarios and flirting behavior options as in study 2 but this time selected which flirting behavior would be most attractive to them as the target. Interestingly, the relationship between mating strategy and typicality of flirting behaviors disappeared; almost all participants preferred the initiator to use the most typical flirting behavior. The apparent mismatch for short-term maters between flirting strategies employed and preferred is discussed.

An Examination of Reported Flirtation Behaviors

2020

A great deal of sexual interest and communication occurs at the nonverbal level in the form of gestures and signs. Nonverbal behaviors like smiles, winks, body postures, physical space, eye contact, clothing, among other cues and gestures, add subtle communiqués of romantic attention because the verbal expression of sexual interest can lead to embarrassment, confusion, and ambiguity. These nonverbal courtship behaviors are important and have been used to examine the dynamics of sexual initiation and interaction both in and outside of marriage (Gecas & Libby, 1976). A primary aim of the present study is to create a flirtation questionnaire that accurately captures the flirting behaviors of both men and women to help individuals who are not adept at understanding flirtation behaviors or experience difficulties interpreting or enacting flirtatious behaviors. As the literature currently stands, there exists a gap between behavioral items measured out in the field and self-reported behavioral items recorded via surveys. The results of the study found a four-factor solution making up the Basic Behavioral Flirting Questionnaire (BBFQ), and those factors included: nervousness, togetherness, lovemaking, and prosocial. The confirmatory factor analysis did not reach significance. Clinical implications are addressed in the discussion section with the interpretation of nervousness and prosocial flirting behavioral items. Future research and study limitations are also addressed in the discussion section.

Female Flirting Cues and Male Perception

American Communication Journal, 2018

Dating is as common as eating and drinking in the world today. To improve the state of communication in dating, this study examined the nonverbal cues displayed by women when interested in men and male perception of those cues. An observation of 30 women revealed the top seven nonverbal cues used when flirting. Those included smiling, laughing, batting eyes, provocatively dancing, initiating kiss, touching, and eye contact. Two focus group discussions revealed that men were most attracted to women that flirted by smiling and eye contact and the least attracted to women that bat their eyes. Theoretical contributions of this study relate to our understanding of cultivation theory and social learning theory.

How to Flirt Best: The Perceived Effectiveness of Flirtation Techniques

Interpersona: An International Journal on Personal Relationships, 2015

Four studies were implemented in order to ascertain how men and women flirt with potential partners and which flirtatious actions are considered most effective. Study 1 (n = 40) and Study 2 (n = 60) sought to discover the actions that men and women, respectively, engage in to indicate romantic interest to a partner. Study 3 (n = 110) sought to determine which flirtatious acts from women are perceived as most effective by men. Women’s flirtations that suggest sexual access were expected to be rated as most effective. Study 4 (n = 222) sought to determine which flirtatious acts from men are perceived as most effective by women. Men’s flirtations that suggest emotional commitment and exclusivity were expected to be rated as most effective by women. The results were consistent with the hypotheses and are discussed in terms of prior research.

The flirting behaviour in humans

Personal relations are always a big issue between individuals deriving from different cultural backgrounds. Even more, flirting is a really intrigue subject, as it is a shared need among all humans independently of their way of thinking, nationality, or culture. Although, it is common, flirting strikes at the very deep of our nature, our feelings and, thus, it is a sensitive issue. It contains many aspects, such as how we promote ourselves, how we express admiration, what we think as attractive, well-being and self-esteem and how others perceive us. The aim of this report is to investigate the flirting behavior of people, the way that people act in order to seduce. The hypothesis behind the project is that even though there are some universal signals of attractiveness and actions of carrying interest, a combination of evolutionary chosen factors and socio-cultural regulations enhances and degrades behavioural elements of people restricting their activity. The research questions that support the hypothesis are: -Why do people engage in flirting interactions? -How do people act in flirtatious contexts? -Are there any common strategies and courting signals? -How does the seducing situations be influenced by the cultural background and sex The conducted interviews are casting light in different sides of the central research questions about the flirting interactions in humans. By answering them I will try to get information about the way people seduce, what they feel as important, what they are attracted by, which features they get as a call for initiation. Another crucial aspect and a further step into the topic is whether a variation in style, practices and signs may be construed as offensive or misunderstanding. In other words, whether and how intercultural conflicts might emerge within the social settings deriving from the different ways and perspectives.

Affection, Deception, and Evolution: Deceptive Affectionate Messages as Mate Retention Behaviors

Evolutionary Psychology, 2018

This study explored how partner mate value (PMV) and factors indicative of the relational climate (i.e., commitment and satisfaction) might affect individuals' tendency to use deceptive affectionate messages (DAMs). Participants (N ¼ 203) responded to a survey including measures regarding these variables. Contrary to predictions, PMV and the tendency to engage in DAMs were significantly and negatively associated with one another. Analyses further indicated that commitment significantly moderated the negative association between PMV and DAMs. The present study also provided evidence that when commitment to the relationship is low, satisfaction mediates the negative association between PMV and DAMs.

Flirtation Rejection Strategies: Toward an Understanding of Communicative Disinterest in Flirting

2010

Single adults often seek successful flirtatious encounters; yet these encounters can sometimes be considered failures. However, little research has identified flirtation rejection strategies enacted by those not interested in reciprocal flirting. The purpose of this study was to examine behavioral and verbal flirtation rejection strategies among college students. Stemming from a grounded theory methodology and a focus group method, 21 college students shared their experiences in focus group discussions. Thematic analysis yielded five behavioral rejection strategies (i.e., departure, friendship networks, cell-phone usage, ignoring, facial expressions) and four verbal rejection strategies (i.e., significant others, brief responses, politeness, insults) and sex differences in their usage. Results suggest that both men and women possess a predictable arsenal of available rejection strategies.

Non-verbal behavior as courtship signals: The role of control and choice in selecting partners

Evolution and Human Behavior, 2000

In this work, we provide evidence based on direct observation of behavior in encounters of opposite-sexed strangers, that women initiate and``control'' the outcome. In the first minute of these videotaped 10-min interactions, neither female``solicitation'' behavior nor``negative'' behavior is strongly related to professed interest in the man, while female``affirmative'' behavior at this stage modulates male verbal output in later stages (4± 10 min). Although the rate of female courtship-like behavior is significantly higher in the first minute, it is only in the fourth to tenth minute that the rate of female courtship-like behavior is correlated with professed female interest. We hypothesize that this serves as a strategic dynamic reflecting sexual asymmetry in parental investment and the potential cost of male deception to women. Ambiguous protean behavioral strategies veil individuals' intentions and make their future actions unpredictable. These behavioral strategies may result in men's overestimation of female sexual interest. D According to many social non-evolutionary views, the sexes are identical in their behavior, and if sex differences in behavior occur, they are a result of culture-specific learning processes. These learning processes lead further to formation of gender stereotypes. In our culture, socially constructed gender stereotypes allegedly require men to take the initiative in