Female Flirting Cues and Male Perception (original) (raw)

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.

Strike a Pose: The perceived flirtatiousness of men’s nonverbal behavior

Human Ethology, 2021

The present research examined how men and women with long and short term mating preferences perceive static male nonverbal behavior. Participants saw images of interacting men depicting different degrees of: space maximization, reciprocated/non-reciprocated intrasexual touch, gesticulation patterns of gesture/no gesture and palm up/neutral gestures, head cant (tilt), automanipulations, and open/closed limb positioning. They had to choose which of the 2 men was most attractive, and more flirtatious. We hypothesized that men in each dyad who displayed more: space maximization, non-reciprocated intrasexual touch, palm up gesturing, head cants (tilts), auto-manipulations, and open limb positioning would be rated as most attractive and more flirtatious. The results were consistent with the hypothesis. Specifically, men: exhibiting: palm up gesturing, open limb positioning, touch initiation, being a non-reciprocated touch recipient, auto manipulations in the hair area and neutral head positioning were rated as most attractive. Also, men exhibiting: palm up gesturing, open limb positioning, touch initiation, space maximization, automanipulations in the hair area, and a head cant(tilt) were rated as more flirtatious. Findings are discussed in terms of male self-presentational motives, and prior research.

The Nonverbal Basis of Attraction: Flirtation, Courtship, and Seduction

Psychiatry, 1978

ACCORDING to a familiar phrase, the "language" of love is universal. Recent ethological studies of nonlinguistic communication in courtship using facial expression, gesture, posture, distance, paralanguage, and gaze have begun to establish that a universal, culture-free, nonverbal sign system may exist (Eibl-Eibesfeldt, 1975), which is available to all persons for negotiating sexual relationships. The nonverbal mode, more powerful than the verbal for expressing such fundamental contingencies in social relationships as liking, disliking, superiority, timidity, fear, and so on, appears to be rooted firmly in man's zoological heritage (Bateson, 1966, 1968). Paralleling a vertebrate-wide plan, human courtship expressivity often relies on nonverbal signs of submissiveness (meekness, harmlessness) and affiliation (willingness to form a social bond). Adoption of a submissiveaff:tliative social pose enables a person to convey an engaging, nonthreatening image that tends to attract potential mates. This report explores several conspicuous nonlinguistic cues that appear to be used widely in contexts of flirtation, courtship, and seduction. The expressive units are discussed from the standpoint of their occurrence in five phases of courtship, and are illustrated by four cases.

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.

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.

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.

Flirtatious Communication: An Experimental Examination of Perceptions of Social-Sexual Communication Motivated by Evolutionary Forces

Sex Roles, 2011

Guided by Relational Framing and Parental Investment Theories, this investigation examined experimentally induced flirtatious interactions. United States undergraduates (N=252) from the Mid-Atlantic region viewed a flirtatious interaction and rated a confederate on physical and social attraction, affiliation, dominance, and conversational effectiveness. Generally, it was hypothesized that different flirting motivations would lead to different evaluations of the flirters, and perceptions of flirters would vary based on gender. Results revealed that men were evaluated as more dominant and affiliative than women when flirting, but dominance in men was not perceived as attractive or conversationally effective. In addition, men's attraction to women increased significantly when women flirted for sexual motives, and women's attraction to men decreased significantly when men flirted for fun. Overall, the results provide mixed support for both theories.