Innocent flirting is a lighthearted and playful form of social interaction that involves casual, friendly banter, compliments, and teasing without any serious intent or expectation to pursue a romantic or sexual relationship.
Harmless Flirting
This can mean buying a drink in a social setting, freely giving compliments, side arm hugs or other non-sexual touches, a platonic friendship. The term “harmless” is only applicable if you are willing to disclose this behavior (without shame or concern) to your partner.
Is there such a thing as innocent flirting? Hopgood and Kotlarski both agree that yes, flirting can be innocent. You may not even realize you're giving off flirtatious cues. Ultimately, it's the intent behind flirting that determines if it's cheating.
Sometimes, flirting that seems innocent at first can become a "slippery slope" and eventually turn into cheating, says Susan Krauss Whitbourne, PhD, a professor of psychology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Still, she doesn't consider flirting a form of cheating "as long as it remains at that level."
Flirty: When a person is flirting with you, they might make prolonged eye contact with you. They will look deep into your eyes and will stare at you till you become slightly self-conscious. Friendly: If they are simply being friendly, they will look at you equal amounts of time as they look at others.
Subtle flirting involves using discreet, understated gestures or verbal cues to signal interest and attraction without being overt or aggressive. Subtle flirting can help create intrigue and maintain a sense of mystery during the early stages of a flirtatious interaction.
Enjoying a bit of flirting is absolutely healthy even when in a (monogamous) relationship. While a committed relationship may fulfil our needs for safety and love, flirting gives the promise of something novel and exciting.
For some, flirting can be deemed cheating when one partner is overly friendly with someone else, especially if this breaks previously agreed upon rules. For others, flirting is considered crossing the line into cheating when it risks turning into a physical or emotional affair.
Micro cheating refers to acts of seemingly trivial, inappropriate behaviors that occur outside of one's devoted relationship, often done unintentionally.
Flirting in your head could inadvertently turn to flirting for real if the other person picks up on the cues you believed to be ever-so-subtle.
They are interested in what you have to say and ask you lots of questions. They laugh at your jokes, even the lame ones. They initiate physical contact. They try to find space where you can talk more privately (this does not always mean sex, but it often means they wish for more quality time with you).
It is totally okay to want to flirt without ending up with someone. One way to not make this a messy situation is to be clear about what you want with others and make sure that you stick to your intentions.
For the person flirting without intent, they usually know that they have no desire for a sexual or meaningful relationship from the activity… it is 'just a bit of harmless fun'. Of course, they may not even realise they are actually flirting, they are just being 'friendly' in their mind.
Playful: Seeing the goal of flirting as fun (rather than trying to start a relationship) and just having a good time laughing, joking, and teasing. Polite: Behaving in ways that are moral, cautious, and reserved—in order to not embarrass oneself, avoid rejection, and be selective.
A flirty guy will talk about his love life, best date, romantic nights, and related topics. The reason is to allow you to have a glimpse into his romantic side. If he is friendly: A friendly guy will talk about his interests, hobbies, work, etc. They will rarely mention anything related to their love life.
Sincere. This is the most common flirting style, and that's probably for the best. Sincere flirts are direct and honest in their interest, and they aim to build emotional connections from the beginning. They'll strike up a conversation about the book you're reading.
The first stage is approach, in which one person approaches another person who must then respond in a positive way for the flirtation to continue. If the approach is not greeted warmly, the flirtation ends.