Flirting. The thing that we might think we’re pulling off, but really we will always be stuck in those awkward teenage years tripping over our words – no matter how smooth we think we look. How do people do it?! No matter what we look like, our bodies have some pretty interesting reactions to this natural art.
Tell-tale signs
Have you ever been flirting and felt your face get hot? That’s because you’re brain is sending blood around your body to try and keep up with the adrenaline pumping through your veins! It’s time to decide on the fight or flight, or perhaps in this case flirt or desert.
Talking with the body
Whether you know it or not, your body will start to do all the talking for you – especially when your mouth won’t stop. There are many signs that your body is flirting back. It could be keeping your palms up in conversation, or even subtly copying their movements.
Rejection protection
Flirting is usually the start of a relationship, but what happens if they don’t feel the same way? Thankfully, your brain is clever enough to make sure you don’t give it your all too soon. In fact, it deliberately stops you from giving everything away just in case it doesn’t work out in the long run.
Addictive feeling
As with many aspects of attraction, flirting releases a whole host of hormones that get pumping around your body. Chemicals related to desire and fear begin to flow through our veins, and our bodies can actually get addicted to these feelings!
Slow things down
There is a good reason it feels as though you have butterflies in your tummy when talking to someone you like. Your body is taking blood away from your digestive system and pumping it into the muscles needed to fight. For this reason, your metabolism slows down while you are busy flirting away.
Laugh out loud
Have you ever sat there and thought you want someone that can make you laugh? That’s for more reasons than you want to have fun. Your brains will naturally only allow you to laugh comfortably if you trust someone as our minds use laughing to communicate. Very clever!
Eyes tell no lies
You may not notice that you’re eyes are changing, but secretly your peepers are giving away your true emotions. There may be even more reasons to look in someone’s eyes now when you’re flirting as you could see some telltale signs. If they’re into you, your eyes will begin to dilate.
Clammy hands
Getting sweaty palms is just another reaction from your body as it’s trying to work out just what’s going on. It could be the blood pumping around or the adrenaline. This is your body’s secret way of telling you you’re into someone before you even know it.
Feel good feeling
We haven’t had enough of the hormones just yet. Men release a chemical known as vasopressin, while women release oxytocin. When men release their hormone, their bodies are getting ready to become a protector, while women are learning how to build trust with others around them.
Whether we like it or not, our bodies have a natural way of reacting to certain situations, with finding a partner being just one of the many. Sometimes it might be embarrassing as your cheeks flush and you stumble with your words, but our bodies are brilliant machines that let us know what’s going on. You still to the flirting while your brains will do the rest!
