Sex With Emily - How to Build Sexual Tension
Episode Date: February 23, 2022Let’s talk sexual tension and seduction, people. Maybe you’re single, and trying to brush up on your flirting skills. Or perhaps you’re in a long-term relationship, and frustrated that you don�...�t entice each other like you used to. Either way, I’m going to teach you how to build (or rebuild) sexual tension.At its core, seduction itself is about creating sexual tension, and to pull that off, we need a few things at our disposal, like confidence and radical presence. It’s a sexy sort of restraint, where your behavior is suggestive (not explicit), and your vibe is patient (not desperate). So today’s episode is all about sharpening our skills in the sexy and suggestive department. Plus, I take your questions, like how to make the first move, how to turn sexual banter into actual sex, and much, much more. Show Notes:Chemistry, Attraction & Connection w/ Matthew HusseyHow to Be a Master Dater w/ Matthew Hussey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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                                         Listening is not just about waiting for your turn to talk, it's about actually listening
                                         
                                         to the person who is saying.
                                         
                                         And how good is it feel when someone genuinely curious and asking questions?
                                         
                                         So remember, do more asking questions and less talking about yourself.
                                         
                                         Listen, a little bit of mystery goes a long way and curiosity is just hot.
                                         
                                         You're listening to Sex with Emily.
                                         
                                         I'm Dr. Emily and I'm here to help you prioritize your pleasure and liberate the conversation
                                         
                                         around sex.
                                         
    
                                         Let's talk about sexual tension and seduction people.
                                         
                                         Maybe you're single in trying to brush up on your flirting skills, or perhaps you're
                                         
                                         in a long-term relationship and just frustrated that you don't, you know,
                                         
                                         you don't entice each other like you used to.
                                         
                                         You just don't feel that same excitement.
                                         
                                         Either way, I want to teach you how to build or rebuild sexual tension.
                                         
                                         Listen, at its core, seduction itself is about creating sexual tension.
                                         
                                         But to pull that off, we need a few things at our disposal, you know, like confidence and radical presence.
                                         
    
                                         I know, not easy, but I'm gonna help you get there.
                                         
                                         Think of it like a sexy sort of restraint where your behavior is
                                         
                                         suggestive and light, not explicit, and your vibe is
                                         
                                         patient, it's chill, not desperate.
                                         
                                         So today's episode is all about sharpening our skills
                                         
                                         in the sexy and suggestive department. You feel me? That's what we're talking about.
                                         
                                         Plus, I take your questions like how to make the first move, how to turn sexual banter into
                                         
                                         actual sex and so much more. All right, intentions with Emily. For each episode, I want to start off by setting an intention for the show.
                                         
    
                                         I do it and I encourage you to do the same.
                                         
                                         So, when you're listening, what do you want to get out of the episode?
                                         
                                         Well, my intention is to get rid of any weird, outdated ideas about the section
                                         
                                         and help you think in terms of emotional intelligence.
                                         
                                         When we know how to read cues and body language, listen intently
                                         
                                         and offer just the right
                                         
                                         amount of sexual energy while you're golden.
                                         
                                         Please rate and review Sex with Emily wherever you listen to the show.
                                         
    
                                         My article, Ask Emily, how can I be more confident in the bedroom is up at sexwithemily.com
                                         
                                         and check out my YouTube channel for more sex tips and advice. If you want to ask me a question, call my hotline 559 Talk Sex or 559-825-5739.
                                         
                                         Leave me your questions or message me at sexwithemily.com slash Ask Emily. Oh, always include your name,
                                         
                                         your age, where you live, and how you listen to the show. And you can always change your name or choose to remain anonymous. I am cool with that. Alright everyone, enjoy this episode.
                                         
                                         I'm going to get into some of your questions about flirting and sexual tension. Before we
                                         
                                         get into it, let's kick off today's discussion with some just basic pointers, some refreshers. Listen, we're all coming out of a two years in COVID and to be
                                         
                                         understandable if we all feel a little rusty, whether we're in a relationship or not, not to worry,
                                         
                                         flirting and seduction and building tension is a muscle and we can strengthen it anytime
                                         
    
                                         anywhere. So let's do this. Okay, number one, focus on the other person.
                                         
                                         Listen, flirting at some spice to our life
                                         
                                         and supports positive attitudes towards other people.
                                         
                                         It might be flattery.
                                         
                                         I love a compliment.
                                         
                                         It's a subtle and enjoyable flattery.
                                         
                                         And it's more of a praise.
                                         
                                         You know, it involves curiosity and humor and imagination.
                                         
    
                                         When you feel attracted to someone and you're like,
                                         
                                         what was that?
                                         
                                         You are feeling stirred inside and it's not because of anything sexual happened.
                                         
                                         And you want to both be able to respond to that.
                                         
                                         So flirting is sort of putting the spotlight in someone else, making them feel like they're
                                         
                                         the only person in the room.
                                         
                                         It's creating that tension, that back and forth, which I totally understand is easier said
                                         
                                         than done.
                                         
    
                                         So here's some ways to get it going.
                                         
                                         Compliments.
                                         
                                         Here's the thing about compliments.
                                         
                                         You want to go beyond looks and you want to make them interesting because you can say
                                         
                                         you're really hot or god, you're beautiful or you're so sexy.
                                         
                                         But letting someone know that you appreciate their fashion sense
                                         
                                         or their insight shows that you get them on a really personal level.
                                         
                                         Don't you want to feel seen by the person you're dating, like they get you and they know
                                         
    
                                         you?
                                         
                                         So you could say you're cute or really like your dress, but maybe you could try to give them an unusual compliment.
                                         
                                         Like, you're a really confident sounding voice.
                                         
                                         I love the sound of your voice.
                                         
                                         Or, I really like the way you talk to people.
                                         
                                         You really seem like you're somebody who knows how to get the best out of people.
                                         
                                         Or, I really enjoy your personality.
                                         
                                         You're so quirky and offbeat.
                                         
    
                                         I love listening to you laugh, right? It's
                                         
                                         specific and it has to do with that person and you could do that with anybody. Now, even
                                         
                                         if you're not interested in them sexually, how good is it feel to be seen from people
                                         
                                         across the board? So remember that next time you're giving a compliment, you could say
                                         
                                         great shirt, but God, I always love your style. You're such a unique style. I love the
                                         
                                         buttons on your shirt.
                                         
                                         Specific, specific, specific.
                                         
                                         Remember, this is a practice and we can all do this.
                                         
    
                                         Use their name in a conversation.
                                         
                                         If you learn their name and I'm really bad with names sometimes,
                                         
                                         so I try to repeat it.
                                         
                                         Hey, John, nice to meet you.
                                         
                                         Oh, really, John, you think so?
                                         
                                         And I do this when I'm texting with a lover,
                                         
                                         I always use their name. Not every time I'm like, so really, John, you think so? And I do this when I'm texting with a lover, I always use their name, not every time I'm like,
                                         
                                         so really, John, tell me more about that.
                                         
    
                                         And it just doesn't feel good to hear your name.
                                         
                                         And also our brains light up when we hear
                                         
                                         our name spoken in conversation.
                                         
                                         Think about it.
                                         
                                         TV anchors do it, politicians do it.
                                         
                                         It's a classic trick, but we hear our name.
                                         
                                         This reward center is in our brain.
                                         
                                         We stand up, we pay attention. Somebody's using our name and it feels good.
                                         
    
                                         Be curious.
                                         
                                         Ask questions.
                                         
                                         If you don't know what to say, ask a question.
                                         
                                         Think of who, what, where, when, why?
                                         
                                         What made you come to this place?
                                         
                                         Why did you start to get into that career?
                                         
                                         When did you arrive?
                                         
                                         How did you get to this certain place in your life?
                                         
    
                                         How did you get into this room?
                                         
                                         I mean, those are the basic questions
                                         
                                         that will allow you to be curious.
                                         
                                         So when I say curious, ask questions and listen.
                                         
                                         Listening is not just about waiting for your turn to talk,
                                         
                                         it's about actually listening to what the person is saying.
                                         
                                         And how good is it feel when someone is genuinely curious
                                         
                                         in asking questions?
                                         
    
                                         So remember, do more asking questions and less talking about yourself.
                                         
                                         Listen, a little bit of mystery goes a long way and curiosity is just hot.
                                         
                                         It really is.
                                         
                                         And I feel like I've said this a lot over the years to be a really great listener on a date,
                                         
                                         but I can't tell you how many people I talk to go on dates and people and they're like,
                                         
                                         well, they were a nice person, but they talked about themselves the whole time.
                                         
                                         And I always think to myself, didn't people get the memo?
                                         
                                         Don't people know this?
                                         
    
                                         They were supposed to on a date ask questions.
                                         
                                         It's a gentle dance of giving and receiving information.
                                         
                                         All right, the next point here is it's all about body language.
                                         
                                         Body language is so important for building sexual attention.
                                         
                                         Let's start with eye contact.
                                         
                                         Eye contact is huge.
                                         
                                         It really just allows us to feel connected, feel seen,
                                         
                                         and I don't mean you gotta stare into someone's eyes
                                         
    
                                         for 60 seconds, but just more so than not.
                                         
                                         And this is also practice.
                                         
                                         I noticed there's some things that I do
                                         
                                         where I look away or I'm thinking certain things
                                         
                                         or I look down when I'm not quite sure what I want to say, but I'm so aware of my eye
                                         
                                         contact now that I make sure that I bring it back.
                                         
                                         And this has also become a habit.
                                         
                                         Now, when I don't make eye contact, I am very aware that I'm not making eye contact.
                                         
    
                                         So think about it.
                                         
                                         If eye contact is hard for you, think about why it's hard for you.
                                         
                                         Think about what it feels like.
                                         
                                         And then start to practice.
                                         
                                         You can do it with a checkout person.
                                         
                                         You can do it when you're walking down the street.
                                         
                                         You can do it with your family.
                                         
                                         Just practice making eye contact again and remember this is all muscle and you will learn
                                         
    
                                         how to do it.
                                         
                                         Alright, that's the first thing about body language.
                                         
                                         Okay, then let's talk about just touch.
                                         
                                         When it's appropriate, it's a very effective form of flirting for all genders.
                                         
                                         Like, it's light touching shows interest beyond a doubt.
                                         
                                         Now, you might not be as obvious as you think, so sometimes you might think,
                                         
                                         while I asked him out for dinner, we had a long meal, we put on three dates right now,
                                         
                                         how did this person not know I was interested? But when there's an absence of touch or an
                                         
    
                                         absence of eye contact, your person might not know. And there's different kinds of touch.
                                         
                                         Think of the first being friendly.
                                         
                                         Friendly is like a light shoulder touch, shoulder tap or a handshake.
                                         
                                         That's not really flirting, but it's good to test the waters.
                                         
                                         And then there's like obvious romantic touch, like a soft face touch or brushing someone's
                                         
                                         hair.
                                         
                                         It might feel too forward for flirting if you're not really into somebody like you touch their face. What I'm recommending here is a middle ground where you lightly touch
                                         
                                         their arm or you lightly graze their thigh and put a hand on their thigh. That's more
                                         
    
                                         like informal touching around the shoulder or the waist or really on the forearm. There
                                         
                                         was a study that showed that a light touch on the forearm increased the chance that somebody
                                         
                                         would go out and date with someone and give up their phone number. The forearm, a light touch, a
                                         
                                         graze, because you're thinking about it. If most of connection isn't about words
                                         
                                         at all, but it's about body language, someone feels your fingers on their
                                         
                                         forearms for the first time or your hands on their skin, that's going to send a
                                         
                                         message. And hopefully it's going to be the right message that's going to allow
                                         
                                         you to take it to another level.
                                         
    
                                         I remember that so much of sexual touch is a suggestion that a sexual encounter might be possible.
                                         
                                         In other words, this is sexual tension.
                                         
                                         Another thing about body language is how you are presenting yourself.
                                         
                                         Are your arms crossed? Are there arms crossed? Are you leaning in? Are you leaning towards them?
                                         
                                         I mean, since we have these unconscious self-protection habits that we're not aware of, Are there arms crossed? Are you leaning in? Are you leaning towards them?
                                         
                                         I mean, since we have these unconscious self-protection habits that we're not aware of we close our arms off I remember I used to do that a lot and now I notice again you guys this is a practice even when I'm in a meeting with somebody
                                         
                                         I don't allow myself to sit with my arms crossed
                                         
                                         Maybe if I'm alone and I'm reading or I'm focusing on something
                                         
    
                                         But when I'm out in public even with my family or with a lover, I make sure that my body language is open, my arms are down, and I'm leaning toward somebody.
                                         
                                         It just makes you more receptive and more open, but arms crossed, that self-protection,
                                         
                                         and that is not at all showing that you are interested. And in fact, pay attention right now when
                                         
                                         you're out with someone. So let me cross our arms because it allows us to feel more protected,
                                         
                                         or maybe it's the way that we listen or maybe we were mimicking our
                                         
                                         parents. A lot of times the body language that we do is because something that we learned
                                         
                                         from our parents because our parents always cross their arms. So remember, uncrossed your
                                         
                                         arms and when your arms are open, your posture is more attentive, it's easy, it's relaxed,
                                         
    
                                         it's confident, it's less protective. And then finally, ask yourself, what steps can you take today?
                                         
                                         Today, to make you feel more confident.
                                         
                                         Remember, this is that thing that you're going to study, like you're going to go home
                                         
                                         for eight hours and study it.
                                         
                                         It is a moment by moment day by day practice.
                                         
                                         So whether you're single or in a partnership, what can you do?
                                         
                                         So remember, attraction is still visual.
                                         
                                         You don't need to change how you look
                                         
    
                                         or cut your hair or wear something,
                                         
                                         go out and buy a bunch of new clothes,
                                         
                                         but taking care of yourself,
                                         
                                         being attentive about self-presentation, grooming, hygiene,
                                         
                                         all these things matter.
                                         
                                         So pay attention to your appearance, your breath,
                                         
                                         your body hygiene.
                                         
                                         Listen, you might be adorable and fascinating. But if
                                         
    
                                         your hygiene is off, you're not going to second date. You really just won't. And
                                         
                                         regardless of what you heard, if you don't take any pride in your appearance and
                                         
                                         how you look, you may be dealing with some insecurity and low self-esteem. You
                                         
                                         might be saying, oh, I don't really care about that stuff. But how does that
                                         
                                         truly make you feel? Is there a reason why? You can go
                                         
                                         into a apartment store and ask for help. I'm not really sure what looks good on me. Listen, that
                                         
                                         is not a skill set that we all have. We all don't know how to dress. Maybe we didn't go open
                                         
                                         an environment where it was important, but I'm telling you, it is part of attraction to going back
                                         
    
                                         to the point here, attraction is still partly visual, so we got to pay attention to our parents.
                                         
                                         I would do it in a long term relationship. Never stop trying. You always hurry to go out and just wear sweats
                                         
                                         around the house especially if the last few years we had. Maybe we stopped. We
                                         
                                         never changed out of our sweatpants. But even just for ourselves, we want to make
                                         
                                         an effort. That is going to help with confidence. Doing things that make us feel
                                         
                                         good. I feel so much better when I do my hair or puts a makeup on, get dressed,
                                         
                                         wear something new,
                                         
                                         it just feels good.
                                         
    
                                         So remember you want to keep trying in your relationships and trying in your day-to-day
                                         
                                         life.
                                         
                                         If you're single and you're looking for someone, think about the next time you go to the
                                         
                                         store.
                                         
                                         I know it's so much easier just to grow out of bed and go somewhere, but listen, we're
                                         
                                         going to meet people out in the real world.
                                         
                                         So maybe you brush your hair, brush your teeth
                                         
                                         Put in something that makes you feel good because when we're wearing stuff that makes us feel that we walk more confidently Like I know when I'm just throwing on my clothes and wearing my sweats and my uggs and walking my dog
                                         
    
                                         I put my sunglasses on it put a hat on. I don't want to see anybody. I'm not feeling great or I'm just feeling like I'm going inward
                                         
                                         I'm listening to a podcast. I'm talking on the phone
                                         
                                         I'm not open to receiving or to meeting anybody,
                                         
                                         which is totally fine.
                                         
                                         I'm not looking to meet anybody,
                                         
                                         but if you would like to meet someone,
                                         
                                         then think about how many times you put yourself
                                         
                                         out in the world as somebody who's open
                                         
    
                                         for that experience to meet someone.
                                         
                                         So pay attention to your visual appearance
                                         
                                         when you're out there.
                                         
                                         So even though confidence is an inside job, remember that it's also about patience, right?
                                         
                                         It's about being patient and planting seeds.
                                         
                                         Like planting ideas in the person's mind or your partner's mind and letting them blossom.
                                         
                                         It's like creating anticipation, giving them reasons to think about you.
                                         
                                         Like a well-timed wink, right?
                                         
    
                                         If you're out with somebody, like a love a wink.
                                         
                                         I love when someone's sitting with someone at table
                                         
                                         and they look over and they wink at you,
                                         
                                         you're like, oh, I feel really, really seen.
                                         
                                         You can also be that touch I'm talking about.
                                         
                                         If you're out with someone and they're dating
                                         
                                         or you're on a first date,
                                         
                                         touching their cheeks softly,
                                         
    
                                         that is gonna be lingering.
                                         
                                         That's gonna be planting the seed.
                                         
                                         You're not doing it for the next hour.
                                         
                                         You're not groping them,
                                         
                                         but you're just planting these little seeds,
                                         
                                         whether they're physical or they're verbal.
                                         
                                         And remember, people like to talk about themselves.
                                         
                                         And if they share something personal with you
                                         
    
                                         that you can tell might have made them really uncomfortable,
                                         
                                         it's okay to tell them like,
                                         
                                         that's really hot.
                                         
                                         Thank you for sharing that.
                                         
                                         God, when you share something about yourself like that, I find that even more attractive
                                         
                                         because they feel like I know you in a more authentic way right now.
                                         
                                         I had a partner to it to be recently.
                                         
                                         I shared something that was so personal and he literally said that because God, that's
                                         
    
                                         hot.
                                         
                                         And I was like, oh my God, I can't believe it. You think this weird thing about me is hot.
                                         
                                         I was being vulnerable.
                                         
                                         Vulnerability is sexy people.
                                         
                                         I'm telling you, go there, do this, try it.
                                         
                                         And also remember this, if you're making out with somebody
                                         
                                         and the vibe is right, it's feeling good.
                                         
                                         Maybe a little bit of suggestive touch.
                                         
    
                                         I mean, the kisses just have to be with your lips.
                                         
                                         You can put your hands on their hips. You know, maybe if your hands were right around their neck, maybe you move your hands down.
                                         
                                         But remember, you want to still be chill about this.
                                         
                                         You don't want to escalate too quickly.
                                         
                                         This is the problem we see in a lot of relationships.
                                         
                                         There are a lot of dating, is that someone goes too quickly.
                                         
                                         So remember when you're paying attention
                                         
                                         and you're going slow and you're lightly dropping these suggestive things,
                                         
    
                                         whether it's a word or a touch,
                                         
                                         you're going to escalate when the time is right.
                                         
                                         Because remember, someone's not gonna have that
                                         
                                         opportunity to participate in any of this sexual tension
                                         
                                         and flirting if you go from zero to 100.
                                         
                                         And that is the case that happens a lot.
                                         
                                         How often have you been making out with someone
                                         
                                         indexing your other hand or down your pants?
                                         
    
                                         You're like, what happened to the making out?
                                         
                                         I love the making out.
                                         
                                         I love the slow seduction of the kiss.
                                         
                                         And I love like, leave me wanting more.
                                         
                                         Like, let's leave each other wanting more.
                                         
                                         So that's what I'm talking about,
                                         
                                         being suggestive instead of explicit.
                                         
                                         It's kind of a difference between biting your lip
                                         
    
                                         and grabbing their face.
                                         
                                         You know what I'm saying here?
                                         
                                         Finally, no one to make your intentions known.
                                         
                                         It is totally cool and sexy to let a date know.
                                         
                                         I'd like to see you again.
                                         
                                         Let up know that at the end of the date
                                         
                                         and signalling your intentions.
                                         
                                         That yes, you are definitely into them.
                                         
    
                                         This is a date and you are nowhere interested
                                         
                                         in climbing into the friend zone.
                                         
                                         I'm gonna take a quick break
                                         
                                         when I come back onto your emails.
                                         
                                         Let's get into your questions.
                                         
                                         This is from Jewels 31 in Iowa.
                                         
                                         Dear Dr. Emily, my name is Jewules and my pronouns are he, him.
                                         
                                         I'm 31 years old from Iowa.
                                         
    
                                         At the start of COVID, my relationship of five years ended and it left me devastated
                                         
                                         to say the least.
                                         
                                         However, after some therapy and working on myself to be a better me, I believe I'm ready
                                         
                                         to date again.
                                         
                                         The problem I believe is, I'm too much of a nice guy who's kind of shy in the first
                                         
                                         date. I'm a gentleman to the ladies who's kind of shy in the first date.
                                         
                                         I'm a gentleman to the ladies, which has put me in the friend zone on my first date in
                                         
                                         six and a half years, which is fine because I still made a new friend, but that isn't
                                         
    
                                         why I got on a dating app.
                                         
                                         Honestly, I may have forgotten how to flirt, as I don't think I showed I was into her.
                                         
                                         But what I think about it, it's like what Matthew Hossie said in his last appearance on your podcast.
                                         
                                         There were no signs of romantic interest,
                                         
                                         so how could she have known I was into her?
                                         
                                         Do you have any advice
                                         
                                         and how I can show my next first date
                                         
                                         I'm interested without coming off too strong?
                                         
    
                                         Well, first jewels, love the self-awareness here.
                                         
                                         The fact that you have gotten so specific
                                         
                                         on exactly what it is and what
                                         
                                         went wrong and you're not beating yourself up for being a bad person, you're just like, okay,
                                         
                                         I didn't flirt. Really shows great self-awareness and I'm proud of you, Jules. Okay, let's talk about
                                         
                                         the friend zone real quick. Why do we get into the friend zone? Typically, it's because we act like a friend. We offer to help. We offer to drive them somewhere or do
                                         
                                         something for them or we listen to other problems. We start to give advice. And so when you act as a
                                         
                                         friend, before you act as someone who's interested or you flirt, you're going to go right into that friend's
                                         
    
                                         own. I think at the end of the day, we want a lover who's also a friend. Of course, I want my lovers to care about me and to do things that a friend would do and
                                         
                                         help me out, but not initially.
                                         
                                         Not first thing.
                                         
                                         You don't want to lead with your friend's skills is what I'm saying, because then they just
                                         
                                         see you as a friend.
                                         
                                         And then they don't even know the romance part.
                                         
                                         So leading with the romance.
                                         
                                         Let's start with the basic 31-01.
                                         
    
                                         Body language. So much of what we say is nonverbal. Has nothing to do with the romance, let's start with the basic 31-01 body language. So much of what we say is nonverbal has nothing to do with the words.
                                         
                                         So be sure to just try some of these simple things next time you're out of first date.
                                         
                                         You want to lean in, not lean away, not with your legs turned towards the side or your arms crossed,
                                         
                                         but open, leaning towards, making eye contact. And remember, you want
                                         
                                         to touch lightly with appropriate, not too much gropeing or anything aggressive, but
                                         
                                         even just a light touch of the wrist, a playful touch on the shoulder, you know, your hand
                                         
                                         on their thigh, just briefly, but something to show that I'm interested. And then there's
                                         
                                         compliments.
                                         
    
                                         You want to get specific with your compliments too.
                                         
                                         Although I know this is new for you, can you even just say you look great or wow, I love
                                         
                                         your dress.
                                         
                                         But the more specific we get in our compliments and this is for everybody.
                                         
                                         The better, no, someone could say to me, Emily, you really pretty eyes, which I get sometimes,
                                         
                                         which is lovely.
                                         
                                         But when someone says, what an interesting color.
                                         
                                         You have that dark ring that goes along.
                                         
    
                                         You have such a dark ring that goes along
                                         
                                         the outside of your pupils, that's so pretty.
                                         
                                         So it's like someone specifically notices
                                         
                                         the color of my eyes, or they're just,
                                         
                                         it's an unusual compliment.
                                         
                                         But even just saying you look great,
                                         
                                         or I love your hair, or you have a great smile,
                                         
                                         is I don't wanna stress you out here, Jules. You don't have to also master compliments and
                                         
    
                                         master flirting. But let me tell you why this is important. So I went out with somebody and I really
                                         
                                         wasn't sure if he was interested. We touched your grade for a state, we were talking, and we were
                                         
                                         really ahead of Latin common. But I was waiting and it was subtle. But I was like, well, there hasn't been
                                         
                                         a compliment, there hasn't been a lean towards,
                                         
                                         there hasn't been a touching,
                                         
                                         you know, there hasn't been any of those things.
                                         
                                         I mean, those are really the direct signs
                                         
                                         that let us know that this isn't somebody
                                         
    
                                         who you're gonna be friends with for life.
                                         
                                         So it was almost like a requirement
                                         
                                         and it's not like I had really thought in that moment,
                                         
                                         it was more when I got home,
                                         
                                         I thought well, there wasn't any of these signs
                                         
                                         because this is what I do. I studied it
                                         
                                         So I even said something after I remember we were going on another day and I said
                                         
                                         Well, I don't know I said something like is this a date because I wasn't sure it is like, of course
                                         
    
                                         I'm so tried something like oh my god. Yes, I hope so I haven't stopped thinking about you
                                         
                                         And I just needed those words and of course it goes. Any gender, any gender can definitely send the compliment
                                         
                                         their way, but I was just sort of,
                                         
                                         you know, wanting to see where they were bringing it.
                                         
                                         Listen, we're always waiting for somebody else to make the move.
                                         
                                         Now, maybe people that you were dating,
                                         
                                         they weren't confident either.
                                         
                                         They weren't ready to show it, but for a lot of us,
                                         
    
                                         we want to know that the person that we're with is interested.
                                         
                                         So making a move, leaning in, giving a compliment, asking questions, and making eye contact.
                                         
                                         And being a great listener, those are all the places to start. So what I'm saying is that suddenly,
                                         
                                         even not consciously, we're all looking for these little signs, that's exactly where I would
                                         
                                         recommend you to start jewels. And that is really what I think is going on here. And I know you're
                                         
                                         going to have plenty of second dates in your future. I feel good about this one. Thanks, Jules.
                                         
                                         This is from Nikki, 24 in Massachusetts. Hey, Dr. Emily, I love this show and finally
                                         
                                         the courage to write it in for some advice. I really like this guy in my friend group.
                                         
    
                                         He's three years older than me. I've asked him to hang out at least 10 times and we always
                                         
                                         have a great time. I've done as much as I can to make it obvious that
                                         
                                         I like him without actually telling him. He's a pretty anxious shy person and one of his
                                         
                                         friends told me that he thinks he likes me but I'll have to make the move because he's anxious
                                         
                                         and shy. How can I make a move without making it awkward? I don't want to lose this friend
                                         
                                         group and even if things don't work out with us romantically, I still want to be friends
                                         
                                         with him and don't want things to become awkward between us.
                                         
                                         Please help, thanks for the show.
                                         
    
                                         I love listening and hearing how you've helped
                                         
                                         so many people.
                                         
                                         All right, thank you for your question.
                                         
                                         Okay, there's a few things going on here.
                                         
                                         You've hung out 10 times.
                                         
                                         That's a lot to hang out with someone
                                         
                                         and not really know.
                                         
                                         Now, his friend says he's anxious and shy.
                                         
    
                                         So I think on the 11th day, you can just say to him, Hey, so what do you think this is? You want to keep
                                         
                                         hanging out or I think you're hot. I want to kiss you. I can't stop thinking about kissing
                                         
                                         you. Lean towards him. Put your hand on his face. Put your hand on his thigh. Say, so
                                         
                                         we're going to make out. I mean, make it fun. Make it flirty. Let him know that you're
                                         
                                         interested. Now, back to him know that you're interested.
                                         
                                         Now back to the thing that you said about, I don't want to ruin this because if we're friends
                                         
                                         and how to make it outward, listen, if you're in a friend group with somebody or your friend
                                         
                                         with somebody and you're worried about making the move, are you really friends?
                                         
    
                                         Like, is it really a true authentic friendship?
                                         
                                         If you have feelings for them, if you're feeling an attraction, if you're feeling you can
                                         
                                         go beyond friendship, then it's important
                                         
                                         for you to let that be known because otherwise it is not a true authentic friendship, right?
                                         
                                         And your friend group, if they're cool and awesome, which I'm sure they are, your friends
                                         
                                         won't get hung up on it.
                                         
                                         I think we make it awkward and we make it weird.
                                         
                                         So to circle back, if his friends let you know that he's anxious and he's shy, then just
                                         
    
                                         make a move.
                                         
                                         So, we've been out so much right now, and I've been thinking about kissing you.
                                         
                                         Let them know you're interested.
                                         
                                         And remember, everyone, it is great practice to learn how to flirt.
                                         
                                         We are not born knowing how to flirt.
                                         
                                         It is not a natural skill set for many of us, so if you just start with the basics, eye
                                         
                                         contact, compliments, body language, you're
                                         
                                         going to be well ahead of the game here.
                                         
    
                                         This is from Olivia, 27 in Oklahoma.
                                         
                                         Hey, Dr. Emily, not super sex-related, but close.
                                         
                                         I got out of a toxic long-term relationship in 2021 and I haven't been dating.
                                         
                                         Mostly because I haven't been interested in the fuss and I just like focusing on me,
                                         
                                         but also partly because I don't know how to put myself out there.
                                         
                                         Recently I started talking to an older man.
                                         
                                         He's about 13 years older.
                                         
                                         We clicked and I was very forward when we first began talking.
                                         
    
                                         I was actually sipping a wine cooler and asking my friend for flirting advice.
                                         
                                         I got his number and all that.
                                         
                                         Needless to say, I haven't continued to be that forward and our conversations are brief
                                         
                                         but frequent.
                                         
                                         I like him a lot.
                                         
                                         He's really the only person I'm interested in.
                                         
                                         He turns beyond by some of the things he says, his flirting is subtle, which I enjoy, but
                                         
                                         how do I know if he's interested in more than the banter?
                                         
    
                                         Would he have done something by now?
                                         
                                         He's like me.
                                         
                                         He's not a fan of casual hookups, and I'd like to explore things with this man, but I don't
                                         
                                         know how to get over myself and hopefully under him.
                                         
                                         I hope you can help.
                                         
                                         And I hope that this is a question you could answer.
                                         
                                         Alright Olivia, thanks so much for your question.
                                         
                                         So what I hear you saying is, this guy, we don't know, you met him once, you were little
                                         
    
                                         buzzed and a wine cooler, your friend was helping you out, and now you're having this really
                                         
                                         great exciting banter.
                                         
                                         That's building sexual tension, but you haven't seen him again.
                                         
                                         You deserve to see this guy again.
                                         
                                         But here's the thing about banter.
                                         
                                         Well, it's exciting.
                                         
                                         And there's a dreadling that comes from that.
                                         
                                         Banter does not make a relationship.
                                         
    
                                         Banter can't take you to a movie or hold your hand or cuddle.
                                         
                                         Banner is fleeting.
                                         
                                         All the texting and the sexting.
                                         
                                         Now, it's a necessary component for many.
                                         
                                         Like, we want to feel that connection through text
                                         
                                         because that's how most of us initially connect these days.
                                         
                                         But it's not sustainable.
                                         
                                         So it's totally okay for you to live to say to him,
                                         
    
                                         Hey, let's go out and do something.
                                         
                                         What are you doing Saturday night?
                                         
                                         I've got tickets to something or want to go for a hike.
                                         
                                         You want to go for a walk.
                                         
                                         Let's grab dinner.
                                         
                                         You need to know right now how you can know if you have real chemistry
                                         
                                         if you don't see him.
                                         
                                         And I don't think you need to worry that you're going to ruin some great banter unless you're just looking for a relationship
                                         
    
                                         That's all about texting, but if it goes on for a week and you're just texting and there's no room for a plan
                                         
                                         It is time to step up and say hey, let's find out if this is you know
                                         
                                         We actually like each other you can make a joke about it like well
                                         
                                         We know we got this banter thing down. Let's see how we do in person
                                         
                                         And I always think it's great to give someone a second chance like if you go out of first date with someone about it. Well, we know we got this banter thing down. Let's see how we do in person.
                                         
                                         And I always think it's great to give someone a second chance. Like if you go on a first
                                         
                                         date with someone, it sounds like you met him once, but you go on a first date. And you
                                         
                                         think it's good and not great, but there's some kind of connection, but you're not sure,
                                         
    
                                         why not go one more time and see what happens? You know, and the second date's good, you
                                         
                                         know, and you're like, oh, maybe go three times. But I like a three-day rule. After three
                                         
                                         dates, that's enough to know if this goes
                                         
                                         the distance, but remember, you've just been texting with this guy for a while now. So,
                                         
                                         I wouldn't worry about ruining something that you don't have right now. Let's figure
                                         
                                         out if there's some chemistry and this could be your guy. Okay? Let me know. Go. Thank you.
                                         
                                         This is from Jake, 21, in England. Hey Dr. Emily, recently found your podcast after ending a long-term relationship of two
                                         
                                         years.
                                         
    
                                         Pre-relationship, I always had issues with attracting girls.
                                         
                                         It's not that I'm an unattractive person, but it's more so my confidence.
                                         
                                         I lack such self-confidence.
                                         
                                         How can I approach somebody in person or over text?
                                         
                                         How do I make the first move?
                                         
                                         What can I do to win a girl over?
                                         
                                         I'm not looking for a relationship.
                                         
                                         It's more of a hook up to put it bluntly.
                                         
    
                                         This isn't to get over the recent breakup,
                                         
                                         as I'm not ready.
                                         
                                         It's more for when I am.
                                         
                                         Thanks for your advice.
                                         
                                         All right, Jake.
                                         
                                         So it's a lot of what we've been talking about here
                                         
                                         is that confidence, it's an inside job, and it's something
                                         
                                         that we work at every single day to feel like we show up as the best version of ourself,
                                         
    
                                         and really not worrying so much about what other people think.
                                         
                                         So there aren't any special pick up lines here at all.
                                         
                                         I mean, practice saying hello to someone.
                                         
                                         Just say hi.
                                         
                                         In fact, there have been studies that have shown that really saying hi is the most effective
                                         
                                         way to meet someone.
                                         
                                         Not hi beautiful or is this seat taken or do you come here often?
                                         
                                         Just hello.
                                         
    
                                         Be interested.
                                         
                                         Ask questions.
                                         
                                         Making eye contact with somebody.
                                         
                                         Using someone's name.
                                         
                                         When you find their name, you can repeat it.
                                         
                                         Hi, well Emily, tell me more about, so Emily, what's in the bag?
                                         
                                         What did you get to drink?
                                         
                                         So let's say you're waiting in line or you're both in an environment.
                                         
    
                                         You want to observe something going on in the environment.
                                         
                                         You could be in a coffee shop.
                                         
                                         You could be waiting in line at the grocery store.
                                         
                                         You could be at the grocery store.
                                         
                                         You could be in a restaurant, observe something going on.
                                         
                                         Well that's interesting, or how often is it usually rain here? I didn't think it was ever going to stop raining. God, the traffic today was
                                         
                                         insane. How long it take you to get here? I mean, really, this casual conversation,
                                         
                                         observing something in the environment and asking question. That doesn't sound like flirting
                                         
    
                                         right, but just a way to get to know somebody. And you get to connect them in a non-threatening
                                         
                                         way. Because what's way more threatening is coming off as like, creepy or do you come
                                         
                                         here off when they're using one of these pickup lines
                                         
                                         that's just not going to work for you Jake. That's really not going to work for any of us. I'm just going to repeat this.
                                         
                                         Body language. Your body language is going to indicate whether you are confident or not. So just be confident. Smile. Have a positive attitude.
                                         
                                         Don't overdo flirting and you don't want to flirt with everybody. And also, it'll be a good listener,
                                         
                                         show that you're interested in your date.
                                         
                                         And you want to feel relaxed.
                                         
    
                                         Remember, your body language should be calm and relaxed.
                                         
                                         You want to have a welcoming disposition.
                                         
                                         You have your arms open.
                                         
                                         Your body language is open.
                                         
                                         Turn off your phone.
                                         
                                         Stop looking at your phone and be yourself.
                                         
                                         The more we are ourselves, the more we are truly ourselves.
                                         
                                         And we stop
                                         
    
                                         censoring what we're going to say, you're the more people can authentically get to know us.
                                         
                                         So it's a practice. And let me tell you this, Jake, we can practice flirting every single day.
                                         
                                         There are people walking on this planet. You go out, you're walking, you're on the bus,
                                         
                                         going to work, you're in the store, you're at the gym. There's always an opportunity for you to
                                         
                                         smile and strike up a conversation with someone
                                         
                                         Even if you're not interested. In fact, I think it's a great practice to do with people that you don't even want to have sex with,
                                         
                                         but you're not even attracted to practice flirting in your day-to-day life with everybody and then it becomes a skill set.
                                         
                                         It helps you get over the fear you have of maybe talking to people or approaching. And it really is do with personality too. It just makes you more likable, makes you more approachable as well.
                                         
    
                                         And then it becomes more of a habit.
                                         
                                         So, all we want, right, we want to do things that make us uncomfortable enough so they
                                         
                                         become a habit.
                                         
                                         That's secret, all right, Jake?
                                         
                                         Best of luck to you and let me know how it goes.
                                         
                                         That's it for today's episode.
                                         
                                         See you on Friday.
                                         
                                         Thanks for listening to Sex with Emily.
                                         
    
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