Is there anything more terrifying for a single person than talking to someone your attracted to? The answer is no, there isn't.
But, breaking the ice & flirting is one of the most important aspects in starting a relationship with someone. This is why Business Insider has compiled a list of facts about flirting based on science!
1. According to a 2004 study, there are six different reasons why people flirt:
- Just trying to get someone in bed
- Some people only communicate by flirting
- Wanting to see what it's like to be in a relationship
- Wanting to create more intimacy in a relationship
- It helps with increasing one's self esteem
- Want to get something from another person
2. A study from the Sex Roles journal asked 600 people to to rate the effectiveness of 3 different types of flirtations, pick up lines, open-ended questions, and direct approaches:
- The men who participated in the study said they preferred utilizing the more direct approach, for example, "You have beautiful eyes, can I get you a drink?"
- The woman participants preferred using open-ended questions as a conversation starter, like "What team are you rooting for?"
- As for pick-up lines, well very few people resorted to using that method.
3. A couple different studies show that among heterosexual people, men tend to think women are more interested in them than they actually are, and vice versa for women.
- Why? Well, an analysis from psychologists at the University of Texas in 2000 show that men grow up in their environment seeing more sex, while women tend to have a more modest outlook.
4. A 2004 psychologist conducted an experiment where he had men in their 20's approach women in a French City and ask for their phone numbers:
- Half of the men went up to the women and simply requested their phone numbers.
- The other half approached the woman by lightly touching their arm for one second, and then proceeded to ask.
- Turns out, the men who went the extra mile were more successful.
Source: Business Insider