5 Flirting Styles Every Single Man Will Attempt On You
By: Mia Fornes
Tags: Relationships, Life, Life Lessons, Dating, Men

5 Flirting Styles Every Single Man Will Attempt On You

“The beginning of wisdom,” said Socrates, “is the definition of terms.” I agree, yet I’d twist it a little: the beginning of romantic wisdom is the definition of flirting styles.

Research shows there are five major flirting styles we’ve all used at some point in our romantic life: sincere, traditional, playful, physical, and polite. Someone hitting on you might be trying to be traditional without you fully realizing it. If that doesn’t get them where they want, they might switch to being more touchy, that is, physical, or they might crack some jokes on you, with the sole purpose of making you laugh.

Whichever the case, being able to tell which flirting style they are using might help you determine whether someone’s playing his cards on you. Here are five flirting styles every single man will attempt on you.

#1 — Sincere

Recent studies determined the seductive male voice is characterized by strong variations while flirting. This trait is often referred to as the “self-disclosure” voice, meaning men will pull an earnest and heartfelt persona during a date with you. Sounds familiar, isn’t it?

A few months ago, I went out with a guy whom I didn’t understand at all. Not because I disagreed with what we were talking about, but because I couldn’t hear a word of the low, deep tone his voice took on.

He didn’t talk about his feelings, which made me assume he wasn’t into it. Now I understand that was part of his flirtatiousness, but back then, I felt like an annoying date always repeating, “could you repeat that?”

#2 — Traditional

Remember the raining scene of Pride & Prejudice, when Mr. Darcy approaches Elizabeth after mass, declaring his love for her in the most refined and pompous arrangement of words? That’s more less how the traditional style goes — at least without the Victorian suit and the rain.

A guy approaches you, asking whether you have a minute. He wants to talk. You say yes, of course. And while you start to wonder what’s he’s going to say, he’s already acknowledging his feelings for you most logically and schematically manner.

Pros:

A sincere flirting style is often assertive and more verbal than others. If you love old-fashioned romance — a la Casa Blanca style — the traditional style will fit you like a chic cream handbag.

Cons:

If you’re looking for something less speechy, less structured, and recipe-wise, then maybe you’re dating the wrong flirter.

#3 — Playful

There’s a reason the word playboy exists. And no, it’s not because of Hugh Heffner. It’s because it’s perhaps the most used flirting style out there. Merriam-Webster defines a playboy as:

a man who lives a life devoted chiefly to the pursuit of pleasure

We’re all potential playboys. The only reason it’s a playboy and not a playgirl is that tradition indicated men made the first move. Only by being engaging and playful were they protected from rejection. It is most likely that your date is being playful because he doesn’t want to stop hearing from you.

#4 — Physical

It’s been a couple of months since I started seeing this guy three years my younger every weekend. He comes over, we have some drinks, and we make love. He never talks about his feelings. However, there are moments — when his toes reach mine, or how he tucks my hair behind my ears — when I’m he likes me more than he’ll ever tell.

Remember, flirting is like the moon’s facets: breathing, moving, being with different waning halves for every occasion.

Some express their love not by words but by getting physical. And that’s okay.

#5 — Polite

Last but not least, there are those men who like it like polite. Why? I’m not quite sure. Research suggests these people often show “reserved and distancing behavior.”

One thing we have to bear in mind is that these flirting styles do mix. In my experience, someone who starts as a polite flirter always turns out to be a player, which I don’t know if that makes them more attractive than they originally were.

Now that I think about it, it makes total sense that Christian Grey, from bestseller 50 Shades of Grey, is a businessman. He starts with polite flirts and then turns out to be this S&M addict with commitment issues.