Another problem is that in some rather Puritanical cultures, such as Britain and North America, flirting has acquired a bad name. Some of us have become so worried about causing offence or sending the wrong signals that we are in danger of losing our natural talent for playful, harmless flirtation.

So, to save the human race from extinction, and preserve the foundations of civilisation, Martini commissioned Kate Fox at the Social Issues Research Centre to review and analyse all the scientific research material on interaction between the sexes, and produce a definitive guide to the art and etiquette of enjoyable flirting.

(emphasis mine) two interesting paragraphs to place after one another. however useful the article may be in the end, 100 bucks says a mayocide chud funded this. treating flirting as a subject of clinical study is also a very anglo thing to do.

but make sure that you are guided by the behaviour of the most highly regarded individuals in the company, not the office 'clown', 'groper' or 'bimbo'.

I will not stand for this. Bimbofy the entire company!

If you are mainly looking for flirting opportunities, avoid these high-flying groups, and seek out clubs full of happy, sociable under-achievers.

Failsons unite!

Research has also shown that men have a tendency to mistake friendly behaviour for sexual flirting.

only the pathetic or desperate would imagine that every passing exchange of flirtatious banter is a prelude to matrimony.

Couldn't be me. Never would I ever.

Most successful marriages and long-term relationships are between partners of more or less equal good looks.

I'd love to see the science on "good looks". I wonder if it involves calipers?

Evolution has favoured males who select young, attractive mates and females who select partners with power, wealth and status.

Have humans evolved notably since the introduction of power and wealth?

Once you have approached your target

listen for any disclosure of personal information

pick up artist vibes all over, maybe that's just how it must be in sciencey language but worth noting

racecourse etiquette

What's with the continuous horse race references?

The biggest mistake most people make with opening lines is to try to start a flirtation, rather than simply trying to start a conversation. If you think about your opening line as initiating a conversation, rather than starting a flirtation, use the IIC formula and pay close attention to the verbal and non-verbal response, you cannot go wrong. Even if your target does not find you attractive and declines your invitation to talk, you will avoid causing offence and you will avoid the humiliation of a direct rejection.

unambiguously good advice, especially when fear of rejection is at play

Negativity, for example, is real turn-off. If you talk too much about the bad side of things, and constantly complain about the world or your own problems, your partner will soon get bored and fed up.

bad news chapos

This is not a matter of 'political correctness', but of basic social skills.

goes for basically all PC discourse tbh. the fact that "don't be a dick" is seen as political is pretty bleak

(Males please note: 80% of women think that they are too fat. In one American survey, women were asked what were the three words they would most like to hear from a male partner. The most common answer was not, as expected, "I love you", but "You've lost weight". While you should not make any comment on a woman's figure unless you know her well, this compliment might please a girlfriend or close female friend.)

ok this advice is just plain abusing (and reinforcing!) beauty standards to manipulate women. "I see the bulimia is going great for you!"

Every salesperson knows that there is little point in establishing a great rapport with potential customers, attracting their interest, gaining their trust and so on, if you fail to 'close' – 'closing' being sales-speak for actually making the sale, securing the contract, getting the customer to hand over money or sign on the dotted line. Sales staff are specifically trained in 'closing techniques' to help them achieve this all-important goal.

In the same way, if you are genuinely attracted to your flirting partner, and want to see him or her again, none of the flirting skills in this Guide will be much use unless you can 'close' effectively. In this case, your goal in 'closing' is to secure not a contract or a sale, but the chance to meet again.

Love to use capitalist metaphors to guide human informal social life, very cool!

Despite the disapproval of 17th-century Puritans, Victorian moralists and their modern equivalents in both the 'moral majority' and 'political correctness' camps, these basic flirting instincts persist, and the human species survives.

No one self-identifies as PC. wtf. If basic flirting instincts persisted, you wouldn't be writing this guide.

Looks good to me. I'll have to read the whole thing :very-smart:

Desperate for anything that helps even a little