People are usually not very direct when flirting, courting, etc.
For example, people usually do not just say "Do you want to have sex?".
Instead flirting and courting tend to be extremely complex processes
involving much ambiguity, subtle error-prone interpretation, and
complex analysis.
It is interesting to make up armchair explanations for this ambiguity.
1) Plausible Deniability - people want to flirt without being caught
flirting, or without clear evidence that can be reported to third
parties. This attached people to consider "cheating," and unattached
people to not look "desperate."
2) Social Ability Sorting - Ambiguity allows shoppers to sort for
people with the cognitive and social skills to read subtle signals
correctly. Such skills come from innate ability, and from more
successful experience in flirting/courting/mating.
3) Confidence Sorting - Ambiguity creates a cost of misjudging interest.
This cost is lower for those who are more confident that others
will be interested in them. Such people are more likely to play.
4) Cost Sorting - Ambiguity makes courting take longer, a cost which
might be larger for the attached and the poor, who are less desired.
Robin Hanson [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://hanson.gmu.edu
Asst. Prof. Economics, George Mason University
MSN 1D3, Carow Hall, Fairfax VA 22030-4444
703-993-2326 FAX: 703-993-2323
