Flirting

This is, I hope, a blog post which is more appropriate for our single readers. I pass it along because researchers at my alma mater, the University of Kansas in Lawrence, found that there are various styles of flirting. And, I share it with you so that our married readers can--ahem--determine what kind of flirters they were, and those who are single can figure what kind of flirter they are.

The KU researchers determined that there are five types of flirting behaviors and that understanding how you communicate romantic interest may help you improve your chances in love. (No, this is not the makings for a new television reality show...)

The five styles of flirting are:
- Physical
- Traditional
- Polite
- Sincere
- Playful

If you're wondering if these different styles correlate to gender, it's a good question. Women scored higher on all styles except for, interestingly, playful.

Physical, sincere and playful were all styles associated with greater dating success. The physical and sincere styles were more likely to lead to deeper relationships with a stronger emotional connection and physical chemistry.

Researchers surveyed over 5,100 men and women about their flirting techniques. From their findings, the research team grouped the styles into the five categories:

Physical - This style communicates sexual interest to a potential partner. This form of flirting usually led to relationships which developed more quickly.

Traditional - In this style, men were most often the one to take the lead with women playing a more passive role. People who flirted in this way were physically more introverted, and men who used this style typically knew their potential partner for some time.

Polite - Proper manners are used in this style with a more cautious approach to expressing interest.

Sincere - As expected, this style involved communicating sincere interest and a desire to establish a strong emotional connection. Both men and women scored high for this style.

Playful - This style is the one least likely to result in meaningful relationships. And, people who engaged in this style often did it to boost their own self-esteem.

The lead researcher at KU said, "Knowing something about the way you communicate attraction says something about challenges you might have had in your past dating life. Hopefully, this awareness can help people avoid those mistakes and succeed in courtsthip."

Okay, single folks--consider this your "self help" blog post for the day. Now, go have fun out there!