Abstract
Relationship initiation research supports the existence of 5 styles of communicating romantic interest in others: traditional, physical, sincere, playful, and polite. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses on a large adult sample (N = 5,020) supported the existence of the styles. Styles predictably corresponded with self-monitoring and a 5-factor personality model. Women scored higher on all styles, except the playful style. Predictive validity was demonstrated by correlating styles to courtship initiation behaviors and past relationship experiences. The physical, sincere, and playful styles correlated with more dating success. The physical and sincere styles correlated with rapid relational escalation of important relationships with more emotional connection and greater physical chemistry.
A previous version of this manuscript was presented at the 2008 International Communication Association conference in Montreal, Canada.
Notes
Note. N = 5,020. Values in boldface type represent grouped factor loadings.
Note. N = 5,020. Cronbach's alpha scores are on the diagonal, and female intercorrelations are below the diagonal.
*p < .001.
a N = 3,605.
b N = 1,281.
*p < .001.
a N = 3,622.
b N = 1,289.
*p < .001.
a N = 3,622.
b N = 1,272.
*p < .001.
a N = 3,561.
b N = 1,258.
*p < .001.
Flirting can be narrowly defined to only include behaviors that signal romantic or physical interest in another person, or it can be more broadly defined to include behaviors that mimic flirtatiousness but are intended to achieve other goals, such as making a third party jealous. Henningsen (Citation2004) separated these definitions by identifying the former as courtship initiating and the latter as quasi-courtship. This manuscript is concerned with different styles of communicating romantic interest; therefore, courtship, rather than quasi-courtship, is relevant.
Deviations from this norm for women can either put women at risk of making a negative impression (e.g., being seen as too desperate or too willing), and deviations for men are unlikely to lead to courtship initiation (e.g., women are unlikely to approach men who are unwilling to take a more proactive role).
The sociosexuality construct, developed by Gangestad and Simpson (Citation1990), measures the degree to which individuals require closeness and commitment prior to engaging in sex. The physical flirting style does not measure attitudes toward sex but, instead, individuals' willingness and ability to convey sexual interest to a potential partner.