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Flirting Research Hits On How We Find Potential Mates

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kcur/local-kcur-945150.mp3

Lawrence, KS – A prolonged touch, a coquettish smile, a throaty laugh: Flirting is a part of the age-old dating and mating ritual. You might think of it as a playful and seductive form of communication, verbal or non-verbal, aimed at getting the attention of a love interest.

But according to a recent article by University of Kansas professor Jeffrey Hall, there's much more to flirting than that. It turns out that our style of flirting not only affects the partner we attract, but also the kind of relationship we have. Hall has taken a statistical look at flirting and recently co-authored an article in Communication Quarterly about his research.

KCUR's Susan Wilson asked the professor about the different flirting profiles his research has found and how they play out when one is on the hunt for a relationship. But first, Susan thought she'd get some ideas about what works in flirting in the middle of the scene at Houlihan's in Lee's Summit, a popular destination for singles in the eastern suburbs.

Find out how you flirt, and what it means about you, by taking the Professor Hall's Flirting Styles survey.

This story was produced for KC Currents. To listen on your own schedule, subscribe to the KC Currents Podcast.

A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Susan admits that her “first love” was radio, being an avid listener since childhood. However, she spent much of her career in mental health, healthcare administration, and sports psychology (Susan holds a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and an MBA from the Bloch School of Business at UMKC.) In the meantime, Wilson satisfied her journalistic cravings by doing public speaking, providing “expert” interviews for local television, and being a guest commentator/contributor to KPRS’s morning drive time show and the teen talk show “Generation Rap.”
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