Studies say that flirting contributes positively to one’s health! According to some recent studies by psychologists at the University of Kansas and Utrecht University, people who indulge in brief moments of flirting experience lower levels of depression than those who don’t engage in such activities.
Some may not know the difference between flirting and being friendly or just being polite, but there are actually some very clear distinctions. Flirting is when you show attraction to someone and that person reciprocates in kind while also displaying a certain degree of interest in you as well.
If this is happening then it’s likely that both people will be paying more attention to each other than anyone else around them. This can happen through body language, eye contact, and verbal responses such as compliments or jokes.
Some signs of flirting include:
- Showing off one’s self-confidence,
- Touching another person on the arm, or shoulder,
- Gazing at someone for an extended period,
- Laughing with someone,
- Engaging in small talk about topics like hobbies or interests.
More surprisingly though, many scientific researchers concluded that flirting is not just good for relieving workplace anxiety and boredom but it also fires up what happens when you get home to your beloved because you will be a lot less stressed and confident.
But yes, as a coin has two sides it also has some benefits and some drawbacks.
In this article, we are going to discuss both of them very thoroughly.
Psychology behind Flirting
Flirting is a playful and teasing conversation or contact. For example, in the game “7 minutes in heaven” people are given 7 minutes to talk with somebody of the opposite sex they would like to know better. Flirting is also an art form where body language, eye contact, touch games are tools to attract someone or make them feel good about themselves.
Flirt is a social behavior related to interest and attraction. Normally, people think that flirting is a part of their personality which is somehow not purely true.
Flirting is a form of courtship in which one person displays attractive behaviors or physical aspects to another person with the goal of initiating sexual interest.
Three main factors contribute to the psychology of flirting:
- Receptivity and social competence;
- Emission and nonverbal communication; and
- Sender’s motivation, outcome expectations, emotional state, self-presentation tactics & personality traits.
In flirting attraction plays a major part according to many psychologists. Several psychological factors play an important role in attraction.
Similarity still plays an important role. The point is when we see some other person being similar to us, the more likely we are going to find them attractive and vice-versa. This makes sense as similarities are comforting (we have somewhere gone through it and can understand it) and that makes us feel comfortable and happy together.
In fact, when we shift to some new city or place and we are in search of some new people or maybe some new friends, almost everyone wants the other person to respect their opinions and views. So there is nothing more blessed than finding someone who thinks the same way as we do and this also boosts our self-confidence.
Benefits of Flirting in a Relationship
A lighthearted touch on the hand, a flirtatious stare, a joke that may make either one of you blush. These actions are easy to dismiss and forget. Yet the small act of flirting can actually have significant effects on both partners in a relationship.
- The most important obvious benefit is that it helps partners feel more connected to their partners.
- The partner feels great about themselves when they see their partner flirting with them on her looks or charm.
- When someone feels love and admired by your attention, it creates positivity inside you as well!
- It’s a sign of attraction to the other partner. It’s playful and fun. It can help spice things up in your sex life.
- Though flirting is independent of sex but doesn’t mean that it has nothing to do with intimacy or lowering stress levels or feeling better about yourself.
- When we have someone interesting to talk to, either in school or at the workplace, we always try to give our best. It helps us to succeed and will make you stand out and you end up making yourself a better you.
- It also helps you relax after a day of hard work at the office and reduces the stress and boredom? Then obviously there is nothing wrong with hanging out with your co-workers or friends. I bet you will feel a lot less stressed after some good drinks and a few sexy laughs.
- When you are flirting with someone, you end up learning many new things– their likes and dislikes, and more.
- Flirting is fun and relaxing in nature.
- The more you flirt, the more you will bolster confidence in yourself.
All these things are great benefits of flirting, but they aren’t the only thing that defines flirt.
Health Benefits of Flirting
Flirting has multiple health benefits:
- It induces the release of endorphin, increased motivation level, or socializing with new people. Some studies even show that flirting leads to fewer headaches and mood elevation.
- Flirting is often a common activity at parties where people of the opposite sex flirt with each other.
- It can help those who are shy in social situations and make them open up and start conversations.
- Flirting is surely a powerful tool to help you feel good, confident and can generate positive energy. According to scientific research, when we see someone for two or more seconds, a mental and emotional judgment forms internally that affects a person physically.
It’s normal human nature that when we see a person giving us a genuine smile of spontaneous pleasure or amusement then our face automatically starts to mirror it as our spindle cell and mirror neurons connect with each other and automatically we too start smiling.
When we are sad or angry then there is a release of negative chemicals which make us emotionally weak, in the same way when we smile there is a rush of positive chemicals into our system and this makes us feel better.
Especially, when we talk about a man when they receive that direct gaze and smile of a girl they find it very attractive. Their brain activates a dopamine circuit delivering a dollop of cheerfulness throughout their system.
Disadvantages of Flirting
- One thing that people might find annoying about flirting is the uncertainty of it all. The lack of definitiveness. Where there are many things to figure out, and nothing’s set in stone because you never know whether you’re going to end up on a date or not.
- Another disadvantage is the waiting period in social gatherings. You’re talking to them casually but then at some point, you figure it out that they were only interested in one-on-one time and you feel like you have wasted your time.
- Flirting can be considered interesting, however, it is just a short time remedy for loneliness or boredom. When we flirt with someone whom we have met a few days ago, we are just considering how they look, their body language, their facial expression, and tone of voice which can later sometimes hurt you mentally.
- Dating has always been a way of meeting new people, but now it’s more digital. People meet on social media and fall for each other in messages or through snaps before they even have the chance to speak in person. This is bad because online dating adds another layer that makes flirting difficult since there are fewer chances to really talk with someone.
- Umm, remember that when you are flirting with someone you don’t know very well or when you just met a new person, it’s quite important for you not to expect too much from them. This leaves a bad impact on another person’s mind and can’t even hurt you later. Sometimes it turns out to be awkward, funny, cringe and painful.
- Flirting becomes cheating when the first signal is sent from someone who is already committed to a relationship.
Some Healthy Examples of Flirting
Flirting can’t always be considered to be fruitful. Healthy flirting is the easiest and honorable way to impress someone you like and want them to feel the same for you. But when we have thoroughly discussed its demerits, the question arises how to flirt healthily?
Hmm, that’s not much difficult by the way. All you have to do is to sound good and stay cool.
Humans have the tendency to understand a lot of things without actually talking about them. So let your eyes do the talking for you. There is a difference between staring at someone and making eye contact with someone.
For healthy flirting, you have to be particular about what you are saying. In simple words, you have to stay original. Don’t just come up by doing Google, getting inspired by some books or movies, and applying it to the conversation; it may sometimes leave an adverse effect.
Funny people are always good with flirts. Being funny makes things really easy. You should sound funny and try your best to make the other person giggle. But make it very sure while being funny you are not making the conversation boring.
You may be thinking that you have to come up with some unique compliments for this. But, in reality, the best compliment is often an honest one so say it how you mean it!
No pressure just enjoy yourself and let them know what they’re doing right.
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