How to Tell if a Guy Likes You
There’s a pretty unfortunate stigma out in the dating world that offers a lot of misinformation about whether or not a guy likes you. The stigma propagates some bad advice that if a guy likes you, they’ll ignore you, be mean to you, tease you, or not treat you with the respect you deserve because they’re ‘testing’ you. Let’s just knock that stigma aside right off the bat because if anybody treats you that way, even if they do like you, that behavior shouldn’t be rewarded with returned affection. In fact, it should really come across as a series of red flags to how the relationship might turn out.
When a guy likes you, really likes you, everything that was just listed might as well be the direct opposite. They shouldn’t ignore you, be mean to you, tease you, and they should never ‘test’ you to see if you’re a good ‘fit’ for them. You’re worthy of any relationship and deserve to be happy—don’t let anybody, especially a potential romantic partner, make you think otherwise.
With all that out of the way, there are a few ways to tell if a guy really does like you. But these ways are only applicable to the guys that respect you first and foremost, and want what you do in a relationship. That said, here are a few tips to help you notice if a guy is interested in you:
1. He Actively Tries to Be Around You
A guy who goes out of his way to be around you is likely one that’s interested in you. Of course, there’s a distinction between enjoying company on a platonic level and romantic level, but actively just trying to be with you is a great sign. When it comes down to it, every guy can be a little different in their love languages, but reaching for company shows that whatever energy you’re giving off puts him at ease, makes him feel good, and he wants to explore that wonderful feeling as much as possible.
Put in the real world, maybe he has plans with friends but offers to change them because your schedule is tight. Maybe he reaches out to see what you’re up to on an otherwise relaxing day. He enjoys your company for everyday things, not always just the special events. It doesn’t matter the activity, if you become his go-to person to be around, feelings could be growing.
2. He Makes Eye Contact When Speaking, Directs Himself Toward You
When you hang out together, guys can sometimes be subtle or overt when they look at you. There’s something to the ‘can’t keep their eyes off of you’ trope. It’s not ‘checking you out’, it’s almost ‘drinking you in.’ Analyzing quirks and small nuances to your character and expressions.
They want to know more about you because they’re interested in you. How you speak, how you laugh, how you smile—or what they can do to make you laugh or smile. Their body language might be engaged with you, more open, or give off more movement. Sometimes they can be nervous because, as strange as it seems, how much they’re interested in you might intimidate them.
So, if you notice a guy looking in to your eyes when you speak or when he does, directing his entire frame towards you, or giving off body language that displays interest—don’t overthink it, he’s probably interested.
3. He Offers to Help You with Mundane Things
This definitely falls in line with actively trying to be around you but there is a clear distinction. If a guy offers to go with you to get groceries, to run errands with you, walk the dog, or just help you with projects for work or home—he might be interested in you.
He’s going out of his way to be helpful to you, to make your life a little easier or give you company on every day, mundane tasks. There might be a little selfishness in his act of being helpful, hoping you’ll see that helpfulness—but there’s also an earnestness to just, wanting to be in your company.
To do simple tasks with you and laugh while doing them.
4. He Picks Up on Changes to Your Appearance or Demeanor
Another tip for seeing if a guy is interested in you is what he notices about you. Did he notice that you changed your hair, or are wearing a nice outfit today? Did he give you a compliment, did he ask what was wrong when you left some event early? Did he notice that you left?
A guy who is interested can’t help but notice small changes because he can’t help observing. He wants to know more, to understand more about you and, at the moment, this might be his only way to.
5. He Tries to Impress You, as Awkward as it Comes Across
It doesn’t matter who the guy is or what he happens to be good at, he’ll likely try his best to impress you. Maybe he lifts weights and tries to lift heavy things to show his strength. Maybe he knows his way around tools and does a small house project to earn some of your praise. Maybe he’s an artist, or a singer, an athlete, or even a gamer, and he tries his best to show off anything he feels himself to be good at to see if you’ll acknowledge any of it.
Sometimes those attempts to impress you fall short and he ends up looking a little ridiculous with how much he tried—but that’s a good sign in and of itself. Just as he is observing you, he wants you to see him—who he is, what he likes, what knows and what he’s proud of or thinks he’s good at.
6. He Takes Initiative to Keep Conversations Going
Lulls in conversation are among the most natural thing about conversation, but they can also be the longest, most unbearable wait in a guy’s mind when they happen.
If he senses that the conversation might be coming to an end with you, and he doesn’t want it to, you can expect him to bring up any question about any topic just to keep you there. To keep you around and talking and laughing at dumb jokes.
If he goes out of his way to text you more, to keep the conversation alive even if it’s well in to the night, he loves hearing what you have to say. He wants to know more, read more, or hear more—and any opportunity to do that, he’s going to take it.
7. He Can’t Help Smiling, Laughing, or Joking
To add on to body language, a guy’s mood can be a good way of determining interest. If he’s laughing when he’s around you, can’t help smiling and goes out of his way to make you laugh—he’s probably developing feelings. Maybe you bring out a smile on a rough day, maybe on those days he wants to be around you because of that.
The reason he goes out of his way in any regard is the hope that you feel the same way he does. He wants you to want to laugh, to want to smile along with him and enjoy the time as much as he is.
8. He Feels Comfortable Close to You
And to push body language further, sometimes a guy expresses interest through the love language of physical touch. It’s not always something overt, or even sexual. Sometimes it’s something as small as sitting closer to you when you guys are out with friends at a bar. Sometimes it’s just hoping to get a hug when you say ‘hello’ or ‘goodbye.’ Sometimes it’s offering to dance just to have an excuse to hold you.
Comfort in closeness is a great measure of a guy’s interest. If he wants to be around you, to be close to you, he might just naturally move closer to you. He doesn’t want to make you uncomfortable, but he still wants to be a part of the energy you’re giving off that he can’t seem to get enough of.
9. He Opens Up to You
One final way to tell if a guy is interested in you is if they feel comfortable enough to open up to you. Maybe they can tell you about what’s happening in their lives, they can talk about what’s stressing them out, or their hopes for the future. They can let you in on dreams and fears. They can laugh until they cry around you and they can feel comfortable enough to cry for something more emotional around you.
If a guy opens up to you, it shows that they can let down their wall with you. You make them feel safe, unjudged, and someone they can just be themselves around.
Conclusion
There’s no cut and dry way to know if a guy is interested in you. Just like all girls, all guys are different in their own idiosyncratic ways. A lot of times you can tell by a natural chemistry that you share, but other times it isn’t so easy.
If a guy shows interest in you, sometimes he won’t be able to hide it and other times he’ll go out of his way to try to. But if he just wants to be around you, to know more about you, respects you, and works to understand who you are as a person—odds definitely are that he’s interested, and hopes you are too.
