Wondering How To Flirt? Here's What Experts Have To Say And No, Pick Up Lines Don't Work

Science of flirting is something that we have all debated viciously on at some point in our lives. Whether it be self-attacking the ideas of what went wrong in the process of defending a style of flirting with another person, people have opinions and numerous pieces of advice when it comes to how to woo a person.

If one has heard various suggestions from absolutely clueless persons themselves, then there is no embarrassment in turning our heads towards science and understanding what another person wants. People are complex beings who have been seasoned in different ways by society.

It is alright if one drops the act of hopelessly charming being and try to understand why a person reacts to certain gestures in a certain manner or why they suddenly lose interest the moment things getting better a little. There has been a study done by researchers in the US and Norway, which has been published in the journal Evolutionary Psychology.

Suggested Reading: Why Are Men Having More Orgasms Than Women In Heterosexual Relationships?

Science Of Flirting

In US and Norway, the researcher chose a sample size of 415 men and women in Norway, while 577 men and women in the US. These people were given questionnaires, asking them about what they find attractive in the opposite sex.

Through this research, it was found that for men flirtation tactics which indicate generosity and commitment work the best. While indications of willingness to have intimate conversation work the best. It was also found that restricting the urge to have sex worked best for men.

For women, it was somewhat the opposite. The things that affected were clothing and a friendly touch while having a conversation was considered effective as well. Both men and women rated humour and the ability to crack a joke on a higher level on the scale of attractiveness.

According to the study published in 2004 titled Flirting with meaning: an examination of miscommunication in flirting interactions, Northern Illinois University professor David Dryden Henningsen identified six different reasons why people want to flirt.

According to him, they flirt for sex, fun, exploring, relation, esteem and instrumental. For this, he had asked 101 female students and 99 male students to write out a hypothetical flirting conversation between a man and a woman. The result suggested that men were more likely to have sexual motivation and women wanted a relational one.

According to a study in the journal Sex Roles, the University of Alaska psychologist Chris L Kleinke asked 600 people to rate the effectiveness of three flirting situations--one was direct, another open-ended and the third was a pick-up line. Men prefer a more direct approach, women a more open-ended one and only a handful of people went for pick up lines.