Female flirtation is a plus in negotiation

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BERKELEY, Calif., July 19 (UPI) -- Using flirtation during a negotiation appears to create better economic outcomes for female negotiators, a U.S. researcher found.

However, study leader Laura Kray of the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Management, said female negotiators only had an advantage if the flirtatiousness was perceived as above and beyond friendliness.

The researchers examined "feminine charm" in negotiations through four different experiments, looking at the balance between friendliness and flirtatiousness.

The study, published online ahead of October print edition of the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, found flirtation -- as opposed to friendliness -- signals self-interest and competitiveness giving the flirty negotiator an edge.