The Verbal and Nonverbal Communication of Romantic Interest

How and where do individuals signal their desire to become romantically involved with another person, and who initiates this process? Although this is a theorized transitional stage in relationship-development models, answers to these questions do not currently exist because prior research has focused largely on the sexual-interest phase of human relationships (i.e., flirtation). Four independent samples of cisgender, heterosexual students at three universities (total N = 688) reported on who (man, woman, both) expressed romantic interest first, where it was expressed, and the cues (verbal, nonverbal) that were used. Men and women agreed on who signaled first, where, and the verbal and nonverbal cues that were used by each other. Our discussion focuses on how the expression of romantic interest is not only memorable to men and women, but also different from what has been documented in the literature about flirtation among cis-gender, heterosexual individuals.