Flirtation and conversational competence in cross‐sex platonic and romantic relationships

This study examined the reported frequency of flirtation behaviors in cross‐sex platonic and romantic relationships. Four types of flirtation behavior were revealed through factor analysis: display, stereotyped, attentiveness, and conversational behaviors. Results revealed that although both cross‐sex platonic and romantically involved partners report using flirtation to varying degrees, how flirtatiousness is actually displayed and how it relates to evaluations of appropriateness and communication competence differs between the two types of relationships. Discussion examines the nature of flirtation behaviors in cross‐sex platonic relationships and the ways in which these behaviors differ from those of romantic cross‐sex relationships.