Everyone
who has ever ventured into the world of dating knows that it has a lot of
hidden hazards. Attracting someone you like can also be challenging. However,
if you take flirting as what it actually is — a natural strategy of propagation
— everything will go differently.
The team
from Psych2Go offer you the 10 best flirting strategies that actually work.
1. Eye
contact
Eye contact
that lasts for longer than usual can reveal a lot about mutual attraction. It
can last about 4-5 seconds, but it will convey much more than a fleeting
glance.
While
communicating with a prospective mate, you can find physiological proof of
their interest in you: dilated pupils. For the same reason, you can just look
into someone’s eyes if you want to let them know you’re interested in them.
2. Wearing
red
Bright red
is always a way to carry a message, be it ripe strawberries, a road sign, or a
necklace. Psychologist Adam Pazda suggests that it might have to do with
natural instincts like those female baboons incite by demonstrating red patches
on their buttocks to signal their readiness to mate.
With his
colleagues from the University of Rochester, he conducted an experiment by
showing men pictures of women in red and white. Many of the participants
thought that the ladies in red would be more open to romance. The results of an
analogous experiment with women were similar: men in red shirts and sweaters
looked more confident and attractive in their eyes.
3. Humor
Professor
Geoffrey Miller, a psychologist from the University of New Mexico, is sure that
humor is one of the key ways to help us decide if we like a person. The ability
to be funny suggests quick thinking and creativeness, which always come in
handy in all aspects of life. Don’t be surprised if a witty joke helps you to
arrange a date more quickly than traditional attempts to win someone’s heart.
4. Playing
hard to get
Classic but
true: research shows that we like a person more when we’re not sure if they
like us back as opposed to when they directly say, “I like you.” Granted,
individuals vary, and you shouldn’t play hard to get if you already know that
the feelings are mutual.
5. Women:
smile
A smile is
not just a sign of friendliness and a sense of humor; it also shows that a
woman can be a good mother and displays her good health. A study from the
University of British Columbia found that men are attracted to smiling women
much more than to prideful ones. According to the researchers, it might be
because smiling is associated with maternal urges and submission.
6. Men:
play bad
Another
research project by the University of British Columbia found that women regard
smiling men as less attractive compared to prideful, brooding, or shameful men.
This means that acting like a “bad boy“ could help you win a partner, even if
you aren’t really a ”bad boy."
7.
Mirroring
55% of
attraction communication is through body language.
We have
reached one of the most subtle and effective flirting techniques: mirroring
body language. People subconsciously copy those to whom they are attracted. If
you mirror someone, they will see that you really care about their feelings and
thoughts in addition to having good communicative skills.
Mirroring
is also a reliable way to find out if someone is interested in you. If you
notice them copying your mirroring, it often means that your feelings are
mutual.
8. Varying
pitch and tone
How you
talk is much more important in flirting than you might think. A study from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that men are more attracted to
women who vary the tone of their voice. On the contrary, more monotonous ladies
received less romantic interest.
The
research also showed that women preferred men who used words like “yep,“
”okay," and “I see” when speaking. These suggest understanding and
dominance, which is a naturally appealing trait in men.
9.
Confidence
Confidence
is the key to success. A study by Dr. Monica Moore of Webster University in St.
Louis, in which people in bars and shopping malls were observed, found that it
wasn’t the most physically attractive people who were the most successful when
flirting. Instead, those who employed basic flirting strategies such as smiling
and acting in a confident and relaxed way received the most attention.
10.
Touching
Here’s the
last secret: just touch them! Tactile contact is important. Research conducted
by psychologists in a nightclub showed that young women were more likely to
accept an invitation to dance if a man touched their forearm for 1-2 seconds.
According to a later survey, these men looked more confident and dominant, which
turned out to be advantageous.