Being flirty gives women an edge in negotiations

Using flirtation during a negotiation appears to create better economic outcomes for women, a new study has found. Flirtation as opposed to friendliness signals self-interest and competitiveness.

Using flirtation during a negotiation appears to create better economic outcomes for women, a new study has found.

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However, study leader Laura Kray of the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Management, said female negotiators only had an advantage if the flirtatiousness is perceived as above and beyond friendliness.

Researchers examined “feminine charm” in negotiations through four different experiments, looking at the balance between friendliness and flirtatiousness.

Flirtation as opposed to friendliness, the research found, signals self-interest and competitiveness.

The study appeared online in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.