Editing Flirting (section)

==Covert and overt signaling==
Human flirting can be either [[Covert operation|covert]] or overt in contrast to the typically overt [[courtship display]] of animals.<ref name="covert_1"/> If the main purpose of flirting is to signal interest to another person, then one might expect that the signaling would be done clearly and explicitly. An explanation for the ambiguous nature of human flirting lies in the costs associated with courtship.<ref name="auto"/> According to Gersick and colleagues, signaling interest can be socially costly, such as risking existing friendship or affect social [[reputation]].<ref name="covert_1" /> The costs associated with interest signaling may be magnified in humans compared to the animal world, as the existence of language means information can circulate much further. For instance, information overheard by an eavesdropper can be spread to large social networks, thereby magnifying the social costs.<ref name="covert_1">{{cite journal | first1=Andrew | last1=Gersick | title=Covert Sexual Signaling: Human Flirtation and Implications for other Social Species | date=2014 | last2=Kurzban | first2=Robert | journal=Evolutionary Psychology | volume=12 | issue=3 | pages=549–69 | doi=10.1177/147470491401200305 | doi-access=free | pmid=25299992| pmc=10480930 }}</ref> 

Flirting can assess whether other person might be interested in reciprocating while maintaining [[plausible deniability]] to reduce social costs.<ref name="covert_1"/> Online flirting can reduce perceived risks.<ref name="i557">{{cite journal | last=Pinsky | first=Dina | title=Mediated risk: A qualitative exploration of students' experiences flirting online | journal=Sexualities | date=25 December 2023 | issn=1363-4607 | doi=10.1177/13634607231224159 | page=}}</ref>

=== Misinterpretation ===
Flirting is often performed subtly, and evidence shows that people are often mistaken in how they interpret flirting behaviors.<ref name="Motives to Remain Platonic, Equity"/> A 2015 study found that covert flirting is not detected in the majority of cases.<ref name="u730">{{cite journal | last=Hall | first=Jeffrey A. | last2=Xing | first2=Chong | last3=Brooks | first3=Seth | title=Accurately Detecting Flirting: Error Management Theory, the Traditional Sexual Script, and Flirting Base Rate | journal=Communication Research | volume=42 | issue=7 | date=1 October 2015 | issn=0093-6502 | doi=10.1177/0093650214534972 | doi-access=free | pages=939–958 | url=https://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/bitstream/1808/21524/1/Hall_2015_DetectingFlirting.pdf | access-date=22 April 2025}}</ref>

Without [[consent]] or [[implied consent]] by the receiving party, some flirting behavior, such as [[double entendre]]s, can be viewed as [[sexual harassment]].<ref name="l939">{{cite journal | last1=Henningsen | first1=D. D. | last2=Braz | first2=M. | last3=Davies | first3=E. | title=Why do We Flirt? Flirting Motivations and Sex Differences in Working and Social Contexts | journal=Journal of Business Communication | volume=45 | issue=4 | date=1 October 2008 | issn=0021-9436 | doi=10.1177/0021943608319390 | pages=483–502}}</ref><ref name="Marueen"/>