By Emily Gulanczyk, Editor

When your phone buzzes on a random night and you see your crush’s name on the screen, your heart skips a beat and your palms get a little sweaty.  Now, you have 160 characters to say anything you want–the future of your relationship is literally in the palm of your hands.

Of the 99 KHS students polled, 61 percent text their crush every day.  And it’s a nationwide phenomenon: research shows that one in three teens send more than 100 texts a day, many devoted to flirt texting.  Come across as confident with these flirt texting tips.

DO THIS

1. Use smiley faces or wink faces. 65 percent of KHS students flirt by using smiley or wink faces. These simple but powerful symbols show a happy emotion and contribute to the flirting. Be careful not to overuse them though, they will lose their effect if used in every text.
2. Tease them. Showing you’re witty and have a good sense of humor makes you seem easier to get along with and more fun to text. Show them your real personality and show them you’re funny and make sure you can take the teasing back. Just be careful if you’re using sarcasm over text because they might not detect the sarcasm through a phone screen.
3. Have enough confidence to text  your crush first. 53 percent of KHS students think the boy should text first, while 24 percent think the girl should text first and  23 percent don’t think it matters. If you act confident and make it seem like it’s no big deal to text them first, you’re going to be a lot more relaxed during the conversation which is super attractive! The worst thing that can happen if you text your crush first is that you won’t get a response; then just brush it off and text someone else.

NOT THAT

1. Don’t ask general questions. When you ask general questions like “How was your weekend?”  You can expect to get an answer like “good, you?” Which makes the conversation boring, predictable and doesn’t leave any room for flirting.
2. Don’t over-update your crush. When you fill your crush in on every little detail of your day or what you’re doing, you lose the mysterious effect that makes your crush want to know more. Put your phone down every once in a while and don’t bore your crush to tears!
3. Don’t send naked pictures. You may feel like it’s not a big deal to send a naked picture to your crush, but in reality there can be many consequences. The picture may circulate which can damage your reputation, you may feel anxious or guilty and it can even be illegal. It’s not worth the risk, so don’t send pictures to anyone.
4. Don’t use text to talk about deep subjects. If you text your crush a text about something deep or major, you kill the emotion and intimacy you need to keep your relationship growing and strong.  If you say your first “I like you” or talk about your future together through a phone screen, it loses all the special emotions and closeness of your relationship. Save deep topics for in person conversations.

5 DIFFERENT STYLES OF FLIRTING

What kind of flirt are you? A recent study of more than 5,100 dating adults, published by Jeffrey Hall in the Communication Quarterly Journal, found that there are five main styles of flirting, some of which are more successful than others.

Physical Flirts. This style shows sexual interest in a potential partner. They develop relationships very quickly, have a greater emotional connection to their partners and have more sexual chemistry.

Traditional Flirts. These flirts have the idea that men should make the first move and women should be pursued. Both people tend to be introverted, and this approach can cause women to have trouble attracting men’s attention and men to delay approaching women.

Polite Flirts. This approach isn’t focused on sex; they are more focused on proper manners. These flirters are less likely to approach a potential partner and don’t flirt very much because they don’t think it’s flattering. They tend to have a meaningful relationship.

Sincere Flirts. Based on sincere interest and want to create emotional connections. Relationships tend to have strong emotional connections and sexual energy. They are typically  in meaningful relationships.

Playful Flirters. These flirters have no interest in a long term relationships but use flirting as a way to boost their self-esteem. They are less likely to have meaningful romances.