Flirting has been a facet of human nature since the beginning of time. Not only is it a trait seen all over the world within different cultures but also within the animal kingdom. You may notice hoards of men on a Saturday night trying to impress the opposite sex with their smart clothes and charm. Well this is no different to a male peacock fanning out its wonderfully iridescent feathers in the hope of luring in a female.
In fact, flirting is essential for the reproduction and evolution of a species. Looking at it from an individual point of view we flirt for several reasons. First, we use flirtation as a method to judge whether someone we have just met fits the bill as 'the one'. Second, we humans flirt because we desire non-committal sex, but we also flirt when we don't desire physical contact as the end result. We sometimes flirt because we love the thrill of 'the chase'. Playing the 'cat and mouse' game with the opposite sex can heighten our sense of wonder, imagination and tension.
Psychologists have conducted thousands of studies for decades to discover why some people attract attention all the time, whilst others can't seem to catch a fly. The results vary and many studies differ in their claims as to what is important when flirting.
This site will highlight some behaviours that will let you know if someone is flirting with you, or that you can use if you want to flirt with someone.