When men mistake women’s politeness or friendliness for flirting, this is known as sexual misperception. And it’s incredibly common. However, it’s relatively rare for this to go in the opposite direction (i.e., women mistaking men’s friendliness for flirting). Why is that?

In the video below from our friends over at Science of Us, they break down what scientists believe is going on here. Specifically, they focus on an evolutionary theory suggesting that it’s adaptive for men to error on the side of over- rather than under-perceiving women’s sexual interest. Check out the full video to learn more.