The first ever survey into online flirting habits has found that 85 percent of men in Edinburgh are happy to have an online fling with women ten years older than them, making ‘Cougar hunters’ 24 percent more common than women looking for a Sugar Daddy. Commissioned by mobile flirting platform, Flirtomatic, the national poll of over nine thousand web users also found that women in Edinburgh are in fact less likely than men to be looking for love and commitment through online dating and the majority of people overtly flirt more than five times a day.
With Hollywood Cougars such as Demi Moore, Eva Longoria and Halle Berry in the media spotlight, only 15 percent of Edinburgh men would avoid chatting-up a woman ten years their senior. The stereotype of women being sensitive about their age is also undermined by the study, which found that fewer women lie about their age (9%) than men (12%) when flirting with the opposite sex.
Further shattering the conventional stereotypes, the inaugural Flirt Report also found that women are shunning the search for love and commitment in favour of informal flirting online and via mobile applications. Just 27 percent of females in Edinburgh said they were looking for love online, five percent less than the number of men (32%) seeking a long-term relationship.
Social Anthropologist, Jean Smith commented:
“There has been a shift in Scottish dating patterns over the past decade as women increasingly discover the joys of no-strings flirting and the single life.”
“Men, on the other hand, have not changed drastically and although some still remain attracted to promiscuity and no strings sex, most are still primarily involved in the flirting experience with one eye on the potential for a relationship.”
The Flirt Report also contains predictions about the future of online dating and CEO Mark Curtis believes the growing popularity of social media helps individuals to hone conversation and flirting skills, rather than detracting from them. Mr. Curtis commented:-“Virtual meetings are commonplace in the business world – but we’re seeing a rise in virtual parties and even virtual dates.”
“A conversation on a platform that mirrors the immediacy and transparency of ‘real life’ means that the ice-breaker date can take place online and help to improve the likelihood of a connection when people meet offline,” he added.
Established in 2005, Flirtomatic is a UK dating and conversation platforms with over 3.5 million members. The full Flirt Report is available online
