Could you be micro-flirting without realising it?

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**Joseph Chance** (1:05)
Could you be micro flirting without realizing?
Thanks for asking.
There are plenty of ways to get the attention of someone you're crushing on. It might come very naturally to some, but for others, flirting can be an intimidating proposition. Have you ever wondered if someone is flirting with you because of their somewhat ambiguous approach? Well, they may have been micro flirting, a technique that dating experts say is used by shy men in particular. And there are actually some pretty recognizable under the radar strategies that qualify as micro flirting, which is what we're going to shed light on today. It's been a topic of real discussion online in the last few months, with many social media users sharing their views on micro flirting and the likes of the Huffington Post and Yahoo running features on it. A report by Positives Dating said that micro flirting was set to be a big dating trend in 2024, with their relationship coach Jonathan Hartley observing that worldwide searches for micro flirting have increased over the last month, according to Google Trends. As with any social media trend, there's no shortage of opinions from both users and experts. How exactly does one micro flirt then?
According to Jonathan Hartley, micro flirting is flirting in a subtle, not so obvious way. And it's usually done to gauge if one person is interested in the other. Over on TikTok, relationship expert Dr. Kimberly Moffat shared her top three signs that a man is micro flirting. Let's take a listen to her talking about the first one.

**Kimberly Moffat** (2:44)
Number one, if he makes dirty jokes or innuendos, it is not just because he is looking at you in a sexual way. He is actually testing you to see if you will take that joke in a flirty way and run with it.

**Joseph Chance** (2:56)
And social media commenters were definitely in agreement that liking posts or ambiguous emoji use is a common form of micro flirting. She went on to talk about other classic micro flirting moves, like when a guy in a group setting directs all his attention to his crush, or in a one-to-one situation when he comes out with what seems like a pre-prepared monologue and is geared towards making a great first impression.
Observing body language is just as important when it comes to identifying micro flirting. Dating coach Kimi Seltzer told the Huffington Post that it can come in the form of repeated eye contact, standing a little closer than usual, or making certain micro facial gestures. Those tiny, sometimes unconscious gestures tend to be aimed at sparking an ambiguous connection without coming on too strong.
Why do shy people tend to veer towards a micro flirting approach then? Well, it's seen as a gentle way of testing the waters really. If you're shy, micro flirting might help ease your way in. You just need to be careful that it's not so indecipherable that your crush can't detect it at all. And if a tendency to micro flirt stems from deep-seated insecurities, it may be better in the long run to look at how you can build up your self-confidence. There you have it. Now you know whether you could be micro flirting without realising. In under three minutes, we answer your questions and help you understand the true meaning behind the trends, concepts and acronyms that are making headlines. Listen along and you will really know for sure.