Bumbling around by semi-randomly trying behaviors learned from pop culture and from other kinds of interactions, discovering empirically what works in what cont

Bumbling around by semi-randomly trying behaviors learned from pop culture and from other kinds of interactions, discovering empirically what works in what contexts, is actually the normal way to do it. Most people start a lot younger, though. If you make the same mistakes at 18 that other kids did at 13, people aren't going to be very impressed, just like you wouldn't be impressed by a college student taking remedial algebra classes. The good news is that flirting is a lot like math: most people don't learn any new concepts after the first two years of college. Once you've caught up to that point, it's just a matter of getting from the point where you understand the concepts, but have to think very hard while applying them, to the point where you apply them automatically without thinking about them. It's the difference between understanding the principles required to solve x^2 + x - 6 = 0 but having to think your way through each step of the solution, vs. just looking at the problem and letting your mind produce the solution out of habit.