Despite some academic interest in the study of flirting, most existing research has emphasized its sexual or romantic dimensions, overlooking the broader functions it may serve. Previous research has identified the various, motives behind flirting, including for relational, exploratory, fun, esteem-seeking, instrumental, and sexual reasons. Several of these, particularly fun and esteem-seeking, highlight the potential for flirting to serve purposes beyond courtship or sexual initiation.

Accordingly, the present study extends prior work by examining flirting beyond exclusively romantic or sexual contexts and moving beyond reliance on single-source self-report data. Furthermore, the current study investigates how both individual differences (i.e., personal qualities) and behavioral aspects of flirting (i.e., frequency and skill) relate to friendship quality and life satisfaction.

For the purposes of this research study, 8 major contexts/locations for flirting were identified, of which the first 2 are widely recognized as flirting behavior:

1. Sexual

2. Romantic 

3. Business or work 

4. Restaurant or bar 

5. Party or social gathering  

6. School 

7. Home

8. Random stranger

Procedure 

The main tool of this study was a group of questionnaires given to assess participant's flirting habits. Like with all Think Tank studies, participants were recruited by undergraduate students at the University of Alabama. The students completed CITI ethics training and were tasked with collecting data.

The questionnaires were structured in the following way: Participants were first introduced to the expanded concept of flirting and the operational definition. Examples of flirting in the eight different settings immediately followed. This was followed by 7 demographic items, then 8 questions that measure frequency of flirting, and 8 questions that measure skill at flirting; 9 items measured personal qualities, followed by 10 life satisfaction questions and 8 quality-of-friendship questions.

Participants were divided into triads: the main participants (n = 315) paired with two friends (referred to as “informants” throughout the article) of the participants (n = 630). This yielded a final total of 945 participants, giving us great statistical power for any conclusions. By using triads, the two friends greatly reduced the risk of biases from the main participants. For example, if a main participant claimed that they were better at flirting than they actually were, than the friends would level out that bias with their assessment of the main participant.

Results

Data analysis of the results revealed that flirting skill positively correlated with the following personal qualities. The r-values listed represent a linear correlation between the selected variable and flirting skill. They can range from 0 to 1. 

1. Flirting frequency: r = .77 

2. Life satisfaction: r = .24 

3. Friendship quality: r = .33 

4. Humor: r = .44

5. Articulate: r = .43 

6. Social skills: r = .43 

7. Confidence: r = .47 

8. Nonverbal skill: r = .55 

9. Quick response: r = .47 

10. Risk taking: r = .50 

11. Situational awareness: r = .41 

12. Resilience: r = .46

Additionally, the research team created six hypotheses regarding flirting behavior. All of them are supported by the results:

Effects of Personal Qualities

1. Analysis revealed a significant association between personal qualities and flirting frequency, R(6, 308) = .446, R2 = .20, p < .001. Two personal qualities entered the equation as predictors: risk taking (b = .28) and nonverbal behaviors (b = .24).

2. Analysis revealed a significant association between personal qualities and flirting skill, R(9, 305) = .639, R2 = .41, p < .001. Two personal qualities entered the equation as predictors: nonverbal behaviors (b = .27) and risk taking (b = .25).

Effects of Flirting Frequency

3. Analysis revealed a significant association between flirting frequency and life satisfaction, R(4, 310) = .262, R2 = .07, p < .001. One variable entered the equation as a predictor: higher frequency of romantic flirting (b = .17).

4. Analysis revealed a significant association between flirting frequency and friendship quality, R(5, 309) = .246, R2 = .06, p = .002. Two flirting settings entered the equation as predictors: more frequent romantic flirting (b = .34) and less frequent sexual flirting (b = –.24).

Effects of Flirting Skill

5. Analysis revealed a significant association between flirting skill and life satisfaction, R(5, 309) = .343, R2 = .12, p < .001. Two flirting settings entered the equation as predictors: higher skill in romantic flirting (b = .33), and higher skill in home flirting (b = .16).

6. Analysis revealed a significant association between flirting skill and friendship quality, R(8, 306) = .416, R2 = .17, p < .001. Two flirting settings entered the equation as predictors: higher skill in romantic flirting (b = .34) and higher skill in party flirting (b = .17).

As for predicting flirting skill itself, structural equation modeling revealed that flirting frequency was the greatest predictor of flirting skill, followed by social skills, nonverbal behavior, humor, situational awareness, and confidence. Flirting skill had a significant impact on life satisfaction but not on friendship quality.

Implications

This study has successfully proven that individuals flirt for various reasons outside of sexual and romantic contexts. Additionally, various correlations between flirting skill, frequency, life satisfaction, relational satisfaction, and personal qualities have been identified. These results can be of great benefit to psychologists, counselors, therapists, and partners in relationships.

Additionally, this study spawned a second flirting-related research study: Flirting for Me or Flirting for We? The Dark and Light Triads as Predictors of Flirting Motive. In this study, Braden, Toni, and several others examined how the usage of flirting in different contexts related to participants' measures of the Dark and Light Triads (which include psychopathy, narcissism, and humanism). That study has also been published and can be found using the link below.