Flirting Series: Flirting Communication Styles

On the surface, flirting may be described as an ‘art’ which becomes an expertise and we naturally try (some more successfully than others) to master. Individuals naturally perfect the way they view flirting; it may be a certain look, a flutter of eye lids, a puff of their chest, a touch of their hand… however these self-made flirting experts may be unsure if their date is picking up on their [less than] subtle cues, or may not know if their date is flirting back.

Being unable to recognise if someone you are dating is flirting with you is a natural occurrence. “I am not sure if he/she liked me?” is something even elite Matchmakers regularly answer and address with their clients. Ask yourself if you are aware if someone whom you thought you had a connection with, is flirting with you? Unless you both happen to have the same flirting style – you are likely to be unsure of the answer!

So what is a flirting style? Although flirting is about nonverbal sexualised and romantic communication, which seems quite straight forward, it is vital to recognise the importance social psychology and individual differences play in this apparently ‘playful’ act. It has been suggested that we each have our own unique mix of flirting communication styles and as such, we accept and see flirting in different ways.

Dr Hall, expert in communication, identified five key communication styles in flirting[1]:

1.     Physical           - Emphasis on body language & the physical expression of interest with

sexual intent

2.     Polite              - Focus on manners and politeness

3.     Playful            - Focus on flirting with little or no long term romantic interest

4.     Sincere           - Focus on creating a sincere and strong emotional connection

5.     Traditional      - Focus on traditional roles of male and female input

Individuals have a mix between these five styles, with higher percentages in certain areas. Depending on their own individual differences they develop, experience and subsequently uphold different types of relationships;

1.  Physical          Develop relationships quickly and experience a strong sexual chemistry.

2.  Polite             Develop deeper relationships which are long standing and mature over a period       of time. They do not enjoy the flirting norms.

3.   Playful           Need flirting to boost self-esteem & generally see it as a playful, meaningless act rather than an important stage of developing a relationship.

4.   Sincere          Develop meaningful relationships with sexual chemistry being secondary to emotional connection.

5.   Traditional     Women who are traditional often feel as if they are not noticed by men. Traditional males will wait longer before developing a relationship with their match and the process of courting will be slow.

Understanding these differences helps us understand that someone who is dominant in a physical style may not connect with an individual who shows dominance in a polite style… these differences can be one reason why some people just don’t ‘click’ or cannot find a connection despite being similar in interests and lifestyle. We previously discussed how ‘just not clicking’ could be due to the ‘mate assessment’ stage of attraction, and as such could be due to the Power of Smell [http://www.seventy-thirty.com/blog/2014/12/psychology-of-attraction-the-power-of-smell] or the Power of the First Kiss [http://www.seventy-thirty.com/blog/2014/11/the-psychology-of-the-first-kiss].

Although on a basic level we are now aware of differences in how individuals interpret flirting, we are none the wiser on the style mix of our current match. We can however look at generalisations where research based on 5,020 participates found that women score higher on physical, polite, sincere and traditional styles where as men showed higher scores in playful styles. Hall et al (2010) also found that a mix of high scores/dominance in physical, sincere and playful styles actually is a predictor of dating success and relationship success is seen in those with mutually high scores in physical and sincere styles.

It is therefore important to understand that your intention: long term relationship vs short term fling, and your flirting style: dominance in physical, polite, playful, sincere or traditional, are in line with one another. It is at this point that you may be able to look at previous unsuccessful dates and recognise the similarities creating an unsuccessful interaction and subsequently you can make positive change.

[1] Hall. J.A (2013). The Five Flirting Styles: Use the Science of Flirting to Attract the Love You Really Want.

Exclusive Matchmaking Book

Honoured & excited Seventy Thirty's CEO, Susie Ambrose officially publishes her first book www.exclusivematchmaking.luxury 

Flirting Series: The origins of flirting and why we flirt

Following the success of our recent blog: The Psychology of Flirting [http://www.seventy-thirty.com/blog/2014/11/the-psychology-of-flirting-the-body-language-of-love], and with Valentines approaching we have written an accompanying series on the subject of Flirting, allowing us to further explore westernised flirting as an individual subject as well as its importance in developing a special connection which can progress onto a relationship.

The origins of flirting date back to the 16th Century and is one of the most important aspects in the development of the most established and mature of relationships. Known as ‘coquetry’, flirting was first defined in the Oxford Dictionary in its first edition as to ‘flit’ or ‘flick’ – demonstrating an absence of seriousness and acting with frivolity. It is now coined to ‘play at love’.

Flirt: [Verb] To Behave as though sexually attracted to someone, but playfully rather than with serious intentions[1]

Although this, and past definitions of flirting may seem like an act for young couples in lust, it is actually experienced throughout the beginning of all relationships although it is prudent to point out that as we mature we find flirting harder to act upon or recognise. This is something we will address later in our series: The Importance of Flirting.

On a simple level, flirting is described as an ‘art’, an area which we individually master in a unique way. It may be a look, a touch… it is about nonverbal sexualised communication. When looking at the history of how individuals flirt, we have to recognise that in the past individuals would meet a date through a friend or in person, immediately allowing for coy looks to be exchanged as well as non-verbal body language. We naturally play out a romantic scene of boy meets girl at a 1950’s funfair with a feeling of instant connection to one another, witnessing playful looks and bashful eyes.

If we fast forward to today, we can see that how we meet dates is evolving and, as such, flirting is developing. This means we add an additional stage to the dating process; virtual flirting, which is becoming an everyday occurrence - flirting by email, text, MMS… In a society where it is harder to meet new people, individuals are turning to Matchmakers and online introduction agencies to meet their soul mate and as such have to engage in written forms of flirtation. This poses a problem for the norms of flirtation as we cannot read body language and non-verbalise cues but instead have to develop the ability to pick up on cues in written text, small aspects of humour or wit and cheeky comments. Just as in person, virtual flirting is a skill and allows you to make a connection with someone before being presented with the opportunity to meet face-to-face.

Why we flirt

Relationship expects have suggested that flirting is primarily driven by six motivations; sexual, relational, exploring, esteem, instrumental and fun[2].

First and foremost, we flirt to become closer to individuals. This relational motivation could be maintaining relationships we are already in, or to develop new relationships. Sexual motives are also present here, allowing for greater sexual desire. Both of these motives may therefore develop a friendship into a relationship or take an already blossoming date, into a full bloom relationship.

We also use flirting to explore others emotions and feelings in a jovial and light way. This helps us avoid being hurt by pursuing individuals who are not interested in us and allows for self-protection– if the individual returns the flirtatious acts, it allows us to understand where we stand on their friendship-relationship scale and adjust our feelings or actions accordingly.

We also flirt merely for fun and instrumental motives, being playful or flirting for a cause (such as flirting for someone to buy you a drink) which can help to achieve increased feelings of self-esteem. Having flirtatious acts reciprocated allows us to feel positive about ourselves and subsequently can make us feel sexier and more desirable.

Knowing the reasons why you flirt is an important first step. However to better explore and understand what flirting actually is and how we flirt, we have to firstly appreciate individual differences and the importance social psychology plays in flirting. Our next article in the series on Flirting Communication Styles enables us to truly explore the importance of acknowledging each person to be an individual when it comes to the apparently trivial act that is flirting.

[1] http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/flirt

[2] http://media2.stcloudstate.edu/ereserves/cmst/211/34125059.pdf

What is Rejection?

Rejection. Refusal, non-acceptance, declining, turning down, no, dismissal, spurning, rebuff

In this, the first in a series of articles on Rejection, I begin by describing a psychological hypothesis which can be used to explain why our language contains such a powerful word for the rejection experience itself and second, how and why the word rejection is differentially defined by individuals.

It is my aim that by the end of this series that you will have your awareness raised about aspects of rejection, see that you are not alone in your rejection experience and understand how, with practice, you can use your already existing mental architecture to use the rejection experience to your advantage.

Turning first to an explanation of why such an emotive word exists in our language to describe our experience of rejection. A point in which to start is an acknowledgment that we are social animals and very few of us choose to live in isolation from others.

Research by psychologists Roy Bauminster and Mark Leary[i] put forward a compelling argument for why we make the decision to closely connect and bond with others. They suggest that as social animals we have the need for a sense of ‘belongingness.’ They argue that this need motivates us to form close personal attachments with significant others in our lives and, even when the connection with a significant other no longer brings us any emotional or financial benefit, we find it very difficult to break the bond. This suggests that our need to belong transcends our need for physical security, rather it provides us with a sense of purpose or meaning in our life which it appears from the research is a necessary part of our well-being.

It is not surprising then that we have a powerful word in our dictionary for a state of ‘not belonging,’ the word rejection, and that when we are rejected, by a group or individual that we have a desire to form, or already have formed, a close connection with, we experience a powerful emotional response as our need for belongingness is being threatened.

Turning next to how individuals differentially define rejection. Most people if asked to define rejection would likely cite specific cases of their own personal experience. The particular instance chosen by them being either the most salient or meaningful, or their most recent rejection experience and therefore the example most easily brought to mind.

Recently, I asked four people to give me their definition of rejection and these were the responses I received;

“Rejection is someone not accepting me for who I am and then leaving me”

“Someone who refuses my request”

“Lack of acceptance, understanding and love”

“Someone not wanting you”

Expanding on these differences in definition, imagine if someone had recently experienced being rejected by their partner or had been made redundant or not been accepted for a job position or university course, or not had their telephone call returned, these different events will more readily spring to the mind of the individuals who have recently experienced them.

Further, and depending on the importance that the individual placed on the meaning of the rejection, their definition of rejection might have strong negative emphasis or minor negative inference and it will be placed somewhere on the individuals’ continuum of emotional impact. 

To conclude, our individual and subjective experience is not the only individual difference that determines our definition of rejection. Our definition can also be influenced by individual differences of mood, personality, levels of confidence and self-esteem, gender, culture, and our ability to regulate or control our emotional state.

In the next of my series on rejection, I look at more closely at the area of individual differences and how they impact on our subjective experience of rejection.

1Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117(3), 497-529.

Sexual Desire: What is it?

At Seventy Thirty, our Exclusive Matchmaking Team have to consider Sexual Desire in the context of long-term relationships.  To understand this, we have decided to do a series of blogs on Sexual Desire, the first, to simply understand what it is.

At a very basic level of understanding Sexual Desire is the body’s way of recognising and or telling you that it wants and needs to have sex. Psychologists support this idea stating that; we create a ‘mental representation’ of a goal involving sexual pleasure[1] before we have sex. However, where does the motivation for sexual desire come from?

All species have an instinctive biological drive or urge to pass on their genes to ensure its survival. We control sexual desire by weighing up the reward of having sex. The reward is more often sexual pleasure and or orgasm.  ‘Sex’ in its true sense is similar to our innate need to feed (appetite for sex) and drink (thirst for sex) and is known in psychology as ‘Motivation’[2]. To explain, think about this for a moment; what ‘motivates’ you to drink water?  The answer is ‘thirst’ and what it does to your body (dry mouth – sore head – low energy level). You need to drink water to bring the body back into a state of normality or feeling of contentment. So, it can be argued then that Sexual Desire is the motivator to have sex! However, remember this…you won’t die from not having sex but you will if you don’t rehydrate. 

As a species we have the ability to hold back from having sex. We undertake what’s known in the Sciences as ‘delayed gratification’, having sex when it’s acceptable and under the right circumstances.  As such, Psychologists believe evolution has brought about a certain element of disharmony between our existence today and to that of our primitive self’s ‘raison d'être’[3] (reason for existence).

We should think about how the brain has adjusted to understand and manage the world around it and be mindful of how we cope with sexual desire.     

If you’re single or in a relationship you will often experience consequences associated with sexual desire.  You will be faced with decisions of appropriateness or unfairness in carrying out sexually motivated behaviours. Consequences act as our moral compass in justifying sexual behaviours. If I do this, what will happen, what do I get out of it and what about the outcome, or the consequence? 

To conclude, we have evolved as social beings, thankfully.  However, our biological yearnings are still prevalent, operating for some, deep within the subconscious and for others at surface level and whom struggle with it day-to-day.  Keep it in mind that our brain structure’s ‘design’ hasn’t changed at all throughout – it hasn’t evolved.  So we can be forgiven for the way we think, feel and exist in 21st century life.  I suggest that our brain was ‘designed’ for a life already lived and in next week’s blog I will explore how life today, influences Sexual Desire in our decision making.

[1] Stoléru.S. (2006). Discssion. In E. Janssen (Ed.) The Psychophysiology of Sex (p.376). Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

[2] Robbins, T.W., & Everitt, B.J.(1996) Neurobehavioural mechanisms of reward and motivation. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 6(2), 228-236.

[3] Toates,F. (2014). How Sexual Desire Works: The Enigmatic Urge. Cambridge; Clays. 

Exclusive Matchmaking - Rejection, How it can help us to improve our goals

Most of us have experienced social rejection, whether romantic or otherwise and most of us, at one time or another, might agree that the experience caused us emotional pain.

Fascinating neuroscientific evidence obtained by Naomi Eisenberger at UCLA, using fMRI brain scans[1], found that being socially rejected involves the activation of many of the same parts of the brain that are involved in our response to physical pain. In fact, further interesting research found evidence[2] to suggest that taking a normal dose of pain killer also helps to reduce our experience of emotional pain.

Reviewing the literature, Eisenberger goes on to suggest that this connection between physical pain and the emotional pain of social rejection makes evolutionary sense[3], in that experiencing hurt feelings when rejected would have helped ancestral man to nurture a secure connection with their care-giver and increase chances of survival.

So, what explanation can we offer then, in the face of the evidence even at our basic neural level, for the reason why it appears that some individuals seem to have more resilience to the experience of both physical pain and emotional pain including being rejected? 

One explanation suggested by psychological research into our experience of physical pain, has proposed that there are two components of pain; first the sensory part which makes us aware of the location and severity of the injury, and secondly an emotional reaction to the pain, in other words our own subjective assessment of how distressing the pain is.

These differences in the extent of our individual experience of pain, whether physical and/or emotional, are therefore arguably determined by our unique perception of the pain and the prevailing thoughts and feelings underlying that perception.

Whilst I am not suggesting that we should deny our emotional responses to pain, including the emotional pain of rejection, it is certainly useful to understand, what resilient people know already, that if we alter our thoughts about rejection, our feelings and perception will be similarly changed.

This leads me to the point of my blog…..by raising awareness about the potential benefits of rejection, the list below aims to offer the reader new information to help change existing beliefs and, rather than fearing rejection, we can decide instead to think about rejection in a more positive light and use our rejection experiences to develop personally and help achieve our goals.

1. Rejection hurts, we are programmed to feel it but by developing patience you will find it is not forever…we are also programmed to recover …
2. Let things go, do not languish in self-pity and self-doubt instead accept that there was a reason why this experience was not meant to be for you and use it to move on with your life.
3. Use rejection to motivate you to develop resilience, and you will be rewarded with increased confidence and optimism
4. Rejection can be seen as an opportunity to alter your path; assess your needs, develop your goals and start to make positive, realistic, achievable plans to meet those goals.
5. Live courageously and kindly, believe in yourself and do not allow your self worth to be determined by the view of others.

[1] Eisenberger, N. I., Lieberman, M. D., & Williams, K. D. (2003). Does rejection hurt: An fMRI study of social exclusion. Science, 302, 290–292.

[2] DeWall, C. N., MacDonald, G., Webster, G. D., Masten, C. L., Baumeister, R. F., Powell, C., . . . Eisenberger, N. I. (2010). Tylenol reduces social pain: Behavioral and neural evidence. Psychological Science, 21, 931–937.

[3] Eisenberger, N. I. (2012). Broken hearts and broken bones: A neural perspective on the similarities between social and physical pain. Current Directions in Psychological Science 21, 42–47