Paris, Feb. 13 (AFP): Brits are boorish, French flatter and Scandinavians play it cool. Everyone does it, but how we flirt depends largely on our culture and a host of unspoken rules.

“Basically we are descended from a long line of successful flirts and it is hard-wired into our brains,” social anthropologist Kate Fox said. “If we didn’t initiate contact with the opposite sex, then we wouldn’t reproduce, and the species would die out.”

With Valentine’s Day tomorrow, those searching for a soulmate or just for a bit of fun will be sharpening their skills, ready for a bit of banter and eyelash battering all in the hope of catching one of cupid’s arrows. But beware of injury to tender parts. For, the subtle rules of flirting vary.

In the Netherlands, touching strangers is a big no no, as is approaching or complimenting a stranger in the street. In Britain, flirting tends to be alcohol-fuelled to cover up fears of intimacy and rejection.

“Frenchmen are less sexually obvious, there is less banter and they are more direct. They’ll say cheesy things like ‘you have really nice eyes’,” said a journalist. It’s acceptable in France for men to walk up to a stranger and ask them to go for a coffee, even at the risk of being knocked back.