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Flirting
is a form of human interaction, usually expressing a sexual or romantic
interest in the other person. It can consist of conversation, body
language, or brief physical contact. It may be one-sided or
reciprocated.
Flirting is often used as a
means of expressing interest and gauging the other person's interest in
courtship, which can continue into long term relationships.
Alternatively, it may simply be a prelude to casual sex with no
continuing relationship.
In other situations, it may
be
done simply for immediate entertainment, with no intention of
developing any further relationship. This type of flirting sometimes
faces disapproval from others, either because it can be misinterpreted
as more serious, or it may be viewed as "cheating" if the person is
already in a romantic relationship with someone else.
People
who flirt may speak and act in a way that suggests greater intimacy
than is generally considered appropriate to the relationship (or to the
amount of time the two people have known each other), without actually
saying or doing anything that breaches any serious social norms. One
way they accomplish this is to communicate a sense of playfulness or
irony. Double entendres, with one meaning more formally appropriate and
another more suggestive, may be used.
Flirting
may consist of stylized gestures, language, body language, postures,
and physiologic signs. Among these, at least in Western society, are:
- Eye contact, batting eyelashes, etc.
- "Protean" signals, such as touching one's hair
- Casual touches; such as a woman gently
touching a man's arm during conversation
- Smiling suggestively
- Winking
- Sending notes, poems, or small gifts
- Footsies, the "feet under the table" practice
- Playfully teasing or joking
- While some of the subconscious signs are
universal across cultures,
flirting etiquette varies significantly across cultures which can lead
to misunderstandings. There are differences in how closely people
should stand (proxemics), how long to hold eye contact, and so forth[1].
The
origin of the word flirt is obscure. The Oxford English Dictionary
(first edition) associates it with such onomatopoeic words as flit and
flick, emphasizing a lack of seriousness; on the other hand, it has
been attributed to the old French "Conter fleurette", which means "to
(try to) seduce" by the dropping of flower leaves, that is, "to speak
sweet nothings". This expression is no longer used in French, but the
English gallicism to flirt has made its way and has now become an
anglicism.
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