Any dictionary or encyclopaedia will answer the question of ‘what is flirting’ in very matter-of-fact way. They say flirting indicates interest in the other person with draws on verbal overture and your body language. What you say has playful or romantic or in most cases sexual connotations to it. It is highly complex which is why understanding the nuances in flirting is fundamental to your success on the dating scene. This is all very well for a sociology paper submission but who’s to decode this mumbo jumbo? Here we are about to embark on the ‘what is flirting’ project and hopefully add another weapon to your dating arsenal.

What is flirting: the Basics

What is flirting going to do for your dating life? Everything! This should tell you how to reach your coquettish best. These flirting tips aren’t to be followed step by step. They’re just a collection to be used as and when you require. Before we jump headlong into what is flirting 101 you should know one rule.  This rule is in the ‘fundamentals of flirting’ hall of fame! Timing is everything. Because everything you do to everything you say is supported by how you time it. Now that you’ve got that down, the rest should be as easy as cake.

• Eye contact is the easiest way to establish a connection, especially if you’re far away. A glace now and then followed with one cute smile should have the other person either walking over to where you’re sitting or them letting you walk up to them and begin a conversation. Not too much smiling or they’ll get creeped out.
• Humour contributes a lot, so if it’s not really your forte then the internet is your best friend. Look up easy to understand jokes. You can add humour to your opening sentence if you like. If the other person cracks a joke, it is important to laugh (or giggle if it wasn’t that funny). Try aiming for genuine laughter because pity laughs sound really artificial and the rest of the flirting tips can go take a hike if you’ve messed up at this stage.
• Touching your own hair is one of the ‘Protean’ symbols. One’s we unconsciously give away when we like the other person.

What is flirting: For pros

If you’ve been around quite a while and perfected your flirting from your body language to your opening lines and it still doesn’t seem to be going your way, then you’re probably making a few of these mistakes.

• It’s easy to come on either too strongly or weakly since flirting doesn’t really need the other person to reciprocate.
• Flattery has always worked eh? Not so much. Try being genuine and giving genuine compliments.
• Excessive touching is a no-no especially if the other person is uncomfortable with it.  Respect private space.

Flirting online

What is flirting online doing in list bunch of tips? Ever since the age of instant messages and social networking, flirting has begun to exist in cyber space and without body language (hello emoticons!). It’s necessary to know these because you never know, you might find your dream date online and you don’t want to look dull or stupid.

• Excessive use of smiley’s are banned because if you abuse your colon and right bracket, the other person will get the image of a Cheshire cat in their head.
• If you type slowly, learn to type faster. Practice with your friends and keep typos out of online conversations. Also, using chat speak may be important: for example – btw, lol and rotfl are alright, but when you’re flirting try and keep chat-speak to a minimum unless the other person reciprocates. There are a lot of eligible Grammar Nazis out there and ‘dey dnt wnt 2 b redin ur msgs lik dis.’
• The rest of it runs along the lines of regular flirting, almost.

Now since what is flirting is demystified for you, go out there and rule the scene by showcasing your flirting skills (subtly of course)!