Its about teasing and if done correctly it works and it works on those with or without a healthy sense of self-worth. The only difference is that the ones with a healthy sense of self won't stick around long if the banter turns into actually being treated badly through actions. The low of self-worth will.
If done correctly you likely won't even react negatively. To sit here knowing that the technique is being applied is one thing, to be in the midst of it is quite another.
It's like that crush you had on your best friend's older brother.. After hanging at their house long enough he likely teased the crap out of you with possitive putdowns until you thought you loved him. Dad's do the same thing to their daughters in a loving and teasing type demenour. It's in our psychology to try harder or have some kind of a comeback. That's all a self confident guy needs is to get the dialogue started. If a girl doesn't laugh at it then it's not a neg... it's an insult.
What this type of article does do is give the dreaded self proclaimed "nice guy" yet another excuse to say "Why do woman like bad guys."
*ducks*
P.s. That article is a biased assesment from the writer on what "negging" actually is. It's not about "hurling insults." Hurling insults is abuse.
P.P.S.. Even the title of this thread psychologially is manipulative and automatically makes people think that negging is about treating woman badly and woman enjoying the mis-treatment thereby making guys that are not good with woman think that we like assholes who treat us like shit.. Only damaged women like assholes that treat them like shit, women who have only known abuse tend to cling to abuse if they haven't gotten help for their low self-worth because it's the only thing they know.
“The willingness to accept responsibility for one’s own life is the source from which self-respect springs.” ~Joan Didion