You can learn a great deal from the first physical contact with a new acquaintance. His or her touch actually probes beneath casual words to true feelings. Touching another's body is the evolutionary true test of the relationship status. Since there are so many tactile nerve sensors connected directly to the brain, touching is one of the most meaningful and pleasurable experiences shared between two people.
Your touch can express agreement, affection, support or to emphasize a point. Even without words along with a touch, clear messages can be exchanged by silent touch. Touching is so powerful that it can evoke strong negative reactions as well as positive responses. Therefore there are many rules of conduct about touching another person -- or not. During your flirting project you can use touching to your advantage but there are precautions. Below are some general rules for touching generally followed in most western countries, but these rules are often modified by various cultures, religions, and ethnic groups.
- Strangers may shake hands but generally do not touch any other part of the body.
- Most western women are much less comfortable about being touched by an opposite-sex stranger than men are. Generally men avoid any touches, especially with another man, which may seem threatening or over-familiar.
- Men all too often interpret women's friendly gestures as sexual invitations. Women need to be clear and careful in giving touching signals to men without being over-familiar. The arm is the least sexual part of the body that women can feel relatively safe in touching on a man.
- A flirting first touch may not bring an immediate equal and return touch. However other friendly and more intimate body language may immediately increase, like moving closer and more eye contact with eye pupils getting larger.
- Although it is a relatively short distance from the arm to the hand, a touch is received very differently in each place.
[For advanced flirters only.]
If you want to start the passion juices flowing, move your touching down the arm gradually to the hand. Bare hand skin, with a little dampness, can be very sexually stimulating because of the huge number of nerves running to the old brain. Different nerves sense temperature, pressure, and rubbing. Stimulate all three. (Are you getting hot just thinking about it?)
| Close This Window to Return |
| Back to Body Language Home |
