When single, you likely engaged in flirting as a way to introduce yourself to men and entice them to take a romantic interest in you. Based upon this logic, it would seem that, upon marrying, your flirting would stop. While for some, a ring on the finger does prevent them from engaging in playful flirtation, for many women, flirting while married is commonplace. Even though flirting while married may seem odd–or perhaps even wrong–a number of biological and emotional reasons explain why some married women fail to give up the flirt.

Dissatisfaction

While it would seem logical that women who flirt are unhappy in their marriage, as “Time Magazine” reports, this is not necessarily true. Many women who admitted to engaging in flirtatious behavior were happy in their current union and did not express a desire to leave their marriage. They simply could not resist the thrill of the chase and wanted the youthful feelings that flirting can induce.

Biological Response

According to Time Magazine, the basic drive to flirt is biological in nature. This urge stems back to the origins of the species, when the first humans had to work hard to ensure that they reproduced and the race continued. Even though the human race is clearly in no imminent danger of dying out any time soon, this primal urge is hard to reprogram. While married women have ostensibly found mates, they still have an instinctual desire to make themselves available and form romantic bonds.

Flirting Online

Many married women who would not dream of entering into a real life affair are willing to engage in a little, seemingly harmless, online flirting. These women often feel that their online flirtation is really only tantamount to reading a trashy romance novel and imagining themselves as the heroine. As reported by “Psychology Today Magazine,” this online flirting can provide a married woman with the pleasant emotions she feels she is missing in her marriage. By flirting, women can engage in a playful dance of flattery and experience the thrill of putting their toes on the line between appropriate and inappropriate. Women in unhappy, or even simply boring, relationships often seek this spark by logging on and finding a cyber-flirt-pal.

In the Flesh

Some women prefer face-to-face flirting over other, less personal options. By flirting in public, these women can achieve a thrill. When they engage in this prohibited behavior, they feel both wrong and excited at the same time, reports “Time Magazine.” This intoxicating mix of emotions can lead married vixens to push the envelope and see just how far they can go with their flirtatious behavior before being caught.

Significance

Boredom is most commonly the emotion that leads to flirting. As reported by “Psychology Today Magazine,” when women feel that they have discovered everything there is to know about their current partner, they often become eager to engage in flirtation with someone with whom they are less familiar. To keep the desire to flirt at bay, both women and men must work to maintain the mystery and excitement in their relationship. If these elements of intrigue can be maintained, flirting desires will likely not arise.