"Flirting is an art form. The accomplished flirt knows when to be subtle and when to be blunt," said Gettysburg College philosophy professor Steve Gimbel "But the game can be dangerous, especially if you are involved with someone. Does your lover have a right to be pissed at you for flirting? Like so much in ethics, the answer is it depends," he explained.

Gimbel defined flirting as the first steps of courtship without the intent of it going beyond that point. It is good-natured play. He equates flirting to romance as sparring is to boxing. And he adds that neither person will get hurt because both parties know that it is going nowhere.