Is self-touching always a flirting signal?

[Anonymous]

I'm often in a reading room (or is study hall the appropriate term? English isn't my first language, so any correction would be nice :) ) in college.

I often sit near the doors, so girls have to walk past by me.

Many touch their face (cheeks, lips, ears etc etc) as they are passing me by.

I've googled it - but I want to ask you girls here, is it always 100% flirting?

[Anonymous]

I have no real answer, but for something like this, it is impossible to say with 100% certainty, as each person is different. I wouldn't call it "flirting", but it could be some kind of unconscious reaction, like a poker tell.

[Benvenutta]

Hard to tell. Just self-touching when they pass by doesn´t mean anything.. I´m doing this when I feel nervous or self-councious. Do they slightly smile at you and hold eye contact as well?

[Asker]

Up close you girls almost never hold eye contact or even glance in an obvious way; far away you girls have no problem letting me catching you looking at you. A slight smile is very difficult to observe.

But self-touching happens with almost every single girl that passes me by, and according to what I've googled I find it somewhat hard to believe that it's a flirting method. I do get "preening" methods on clothes, but not touching the face ..since I would only try to adjust my clothes.

[Asker]

"I do get "preening" methods" meaning I can relate to that being a somewhat flirting method, as I do that sometimes when I see a girl I like.

I could understand why self-touching the face would be classified as a flirting method, if it were done as cats do when they are grooming themselves :) ...guess I'm trying to figure out why self-touching is a flirting method amongst girls when they see a guy

[OccamZRazor]

not always

but sure