Birds do it. Bees do it. In their way, even educated fleas do it. They flirt. Think of flirting as a silent but very visual language that creatures great and small use to indicate their interest in a particular member of the opposite sex. We flirt to announce attraction and to signal availability. It is a universal language spoken by all animals as well as humans, a kind of self-promotion advertising our fitness for a relationship and, sooner or later, for mating.
Scientists now know that we flirt by trying out our sexual sundries without having to go all the way with every potential prospect � it's pretty much risk-free. What's more, flirtation kicks in automatically, at the instant of attraction, driven by primitive, emotionally reactive parts of the brain.
While flirting can be viewed as important business with serious goals in mind, it's also just plain fun. Men and women do it regardless of where it may lead because it's pleasurable and erotic in its own right.