There you stand in a crowded room, staring at the hottie near the bar.
Is she making eyes at you? Or is that just some weird tic? How exactly do you tell if you are being flirted with or staring at some poor hapless soul with an embarrassing condition? Flirting is a time honored tradition; it's been going on since Cleopatra waggled her asp at Marc Antony.
Although everybody has their own personal flirting style, there are three flirting signals that seem pretty universal.
These are eye contact, accidental touch and vocal cues.
Think about your last flirting encounter.
Did it start with a friendly wink? Maybe a little bit of subtle eye batting? The eyes are , after all, the windows to the soul so of course they are the first cue given to indicate interest.
Accidental touch is not accidental at all.
Each of those little arm brushes and hip bumps are slightly more aggressive cues to the bumpers intent.
Pay attention to your next casual conversation.
Does the woman you are speaking to keep reaching out to pat, or even squeeze your arm when she laughs? Has she walked past and trailed her fingertips over your shoulder? That might be your cue to ask her out - she is clearly establishing her desire for physical contact and bridging the gap between you.
(Of course, don't be an oaf and think that you can just reach out and kiss her or something.
) Vocal cues may be the hardest flirting signal to decipher, especially for men who have less sensitive hearing than women do.
A woman who is aroused will have huskier, lower tones to her voice, and she will often start speaking slightly slower.
A recent study showed that women started using words like "juicy", "wet" and other such adjectives more frequently when they were turned on, so listen carefully not only to what she is saying, but how she is saying it as well.
To conclude be on your toes and keep a look out for opportunities.