Is This Seat Taken? The Importance of Context During the İnitiation of Romantic Communication
Kerry Anne McBain, Lena Hewitt, Teagan Maher, Melinda Sercombe, Shannon Sypher, Grace Tirendi
Abstract
The current study, with a sample of 697 adults, examined individual differences in the communication of romantic
interest with a specific focus on the relationships between flirting styles and the context in which the flirting
interaction takes place. It also investigated gender differences in the use of flirting behaviors in a range of
environments. A series of behavioral descriptors based upon five styles of communicating romantic interest was
used to investigate individual differences in flirting behaviors utilized in eight different environments. Our results
indicated relationships between the five flirting styles and their behavioral descriptors and provided evidence of
the repertoire of behaviors utilized to communicate romantic interest in a variety of areas. Some gender
differences were elaborated
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