The Verbal and Nonverbal Correlates of the Five Flirting Styles

Hall, Jeffrey A.; Xing, Chong

doi:10.1007/s10919-014-0199-8

Cited by 30 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…While flirtation utilizes a combination of both non-verbal and verbal communication and involve different styles (Hall and Xing, 2015 ) one of the most important verbal communication strategies is paying compliments. Paying compliments to others represents a ubiquitous flirting strategy to both start and maintain a romantic relationship.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Men Who Compliment a Woman's Appearance Using Metaphorical Language: Associations with Creativity, Masculinity, Intelligence and Attractiveness

Gao

Yang

et al. 2017

Front. Psychol.

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Language may have evolved as a signal of mental fitness. However, it remains unclear what language form and topic men use to covertly signal mate quality. In this study 69 men created compliments to impress unfamiliar women they chose to either date or work with and provided hand scans to compute 2D4D ratio as a proxy for prenatal testosterone exposure and masculinity indicator. Compliments were coded in terms of form (literal vs. metaphorical) and topic (women's appearance vs. non-appearance), with metaphorical ones being subsequently rated by 114 women for psycholinguistic features, indices of intelligence and willingness to have a romantic relationship with the author. Results showed that in a dating context, men produced more metaphorical form compliments targeting appearance compared to the working context and they were associated with men's art creativity and negatively with 2D4D ratio (i.e., positively with masculinity). Women preferred establishing a romantic relationship with a higher proportion of the men producing metaphorical compliments in a dating than a working context. Furthermore, in the dating but not the working context, women perceived men producing such compliments as being more intelligent, and importantly this correlated with the men's actual verbal intelligence. Overall, findings suggest that men may use metaphorical language compliments targeting women's appearance in a dating context to signal covertly their mate quality.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Men Who Compliment a Woman's Appearance Using Metaphorical Language: Associations with Creativity, Masculinity, Intelligence and Attractiveness

Gao

Yang

et al. 2017

Front. Psychol.

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“…She tried to maintain a certain style but had to adjust her attire depending on the changes in outside and inside temperatures during the year. Another possible limitation of our study is that our study sample-although similar in size to samples used in similar studies that worked with microanalysis of behaviour (Farley, 2014;Gonzaga et al, 2001;Hall & Xing, 2015;Renninger et al, 2004;Vacharkulksemsuk et al, 2016;Van der Meij, Almela, Buunk, Almela, Buunk, Fawcett, & Salvador, 2011)-was still relatively small and may have failed to confirm the statistical significance of effects, which are of merely a moderate strength. Aside from that, the use of one single experimenter who conducted all the interviews with all test couples may have led to some experimenter-specific effects.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Non‐verbal mate retention behaviour in women and its relation to couple's relationship adjustment and satisfaction

et al. 2019

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The function of mate retention strategies is to preserve the bond between romantic partners and to prevent desertion, which is also why such behaviours are often elicited by the presence of a potential rival. Most existing studies on mate retention are based on self‐reports, which are prone to various biases. In this study, we observed non‐verbal behaviour of 47 long‐term romantic heterosexual couples during their interview with a female experimenter, whom the women in the couples may have perceived as a potential rival. We measured non‐verbal displays of mate retention tactics (direct guarding, intimacy inducement, appearance enhancement, and love and care display), as well as relationship maintenance strategies of openness and positivity. We expected that relationship quality as reported by both partners in the couple would be positively associated with ‘benefit‐provisioning’ mate retention behaviours and negatively associated with a ‘cost‐inflicting’ mate retention tactic (direct guarding). Relationship quality was assessed by Spanier's Dyadic Adjustment Scale using both the total score of dyadic adjustment and a Dyadic Satisfaction subscale. We found a significant association between both partners' dyadic adjustment and satisfaction and woman's appearance enhancement behaviours (such as self‐touch, hair flip and primp) in the presence of her partner and a potential rival. We also found a negative association between partner's dyadic adjustment and woman's direct guarding of partner using short looks, and a positive association between woman's intimacy‐inducing behaviour using long gaze and her own dyadic satisfaction and her partner's dyadic adjustment. Our results highlight the specific role of female attractiveness in later stages of romantic relationships within the context of mate retention and draw attention to the significance of the use of observational techniques in addition to self‐reports.

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“…In a social situation, apart from verbal information, a variety of nonverbal dynamics such as eye gaze, facial expressions and gesticulations influence attraction. For instance, both smiling and laughing have been reported to reflect the degree of attraction to the other person, and subsequently cause the other to be attracted to the person expressing the smiles and laughter (5)(6)(7). Similarly, head nods and open body postures are associated with more self-reported feelings of love among newly met and long-term committed relationship partners (8)(9)(10).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similarly, head nods and open body postures are associated with more self-reported feelings of love among newly met and long-term committed relationship partners (8)(9)(10). In addition, dominant body posture, direct eye contact (5,11,12), increased skin conductance and heart rate responses have all been linked to the perception of more attractive, opposite-sex targets (13)(14)(15). People are often unaware of being influenced by others' affective displays.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Taken together, the current literature suggests that attraction emerges from the dynamic exchange of verbal and nonverbal signals (5,(9)(10)(11)22), yet the necessary empirical and analytic tools to directly address this hypothesis were not available until recent times. Consequently, the direct link between nonverbal behavior, physiology and attraction has never been directly verified.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The choreography of human attraction: physiological synchrony in a blind date setting

Prochazkova

Sjak-Shie

Behrens

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Humans are social animals whose mental wellbeing is shaped by the ability to attract and connect with each other. In a dating world, in which success can be determined by brief interactions, apart from physical features, there is a whole choreography of movements, physical reactions and subtle expressions that drive humans' sexual attraction. To determine what drives attraction, we measured nonverbal dynamics between people during real-life interactions outside the laboratory, where dating is most relevant. Participants wore eye-tracking glasses with embedded cameras, and devices to measure physiological signals including heart rate and skin conductance. Crucially, visible signals that can be controlled, such as facial expressions or gaze, did not predict attraction. Instead, attraction was predicted by synchrony in heart rate and skin conductance between partners, which are unconscious and difficult to regulate. Our findings suggest that shared emotionality is vital for mutual attraction. Moreover, physiological synchrony may provide a medium for translating visible expressions into embodied emotions, which can turn into intentions via somatosensory simulation. Significance StatementIn our modern world where millions of people meet online without interacting face-to-face, the question "what defines attraction" has become very relevant. In this study, we used modern technologies to lay down a foundation for the processes that drive human attraction during reallife interactions. Contrary to common belief, we found that attraction is not predicted by a frequency of expression or eye fixation duration, nor is linearly related to the participant's autonomic nervous system activity. Importantly, we found that the more a participant synchronized their heart rate and skin conductance with their partner, the more they felt attracted toward that person. This study reveals a fundamental physiological process that plays a role in the formation of romantic relations.

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The Verbal and Nonverbal Correlates of the Five Flirting Styles

Cited by 30 publications

References 29 publications

Men Who Compliment a Woman's Appearance Using Metaphorical Language: Associations with Creativity, Masculinity, Intelligence and Attractiveness

Men Who Compliment a Woman's Appearance Using Metaphorical Language: Associations with Creativity, Masculinity, Intelligence and Attractiveness

Non‐verbal mate retention behaviour in women and its relation to couple's relationship adjustment and satisfaction

The choreography of human attraction: physiological synchrony in a blind date setting

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