Pearl Nash
Have you got a sneaky suspicion that a married man likes you?
Some of the ways a married man will behave when he wants to sleep with you are the same as any man acts when he’s interested.
But a married guy can be more cautious at keeping his cards close to his chest. So it’s not always so easy to tell. You may have to pay closer attention to his cues.
The signals he gives off are likely to build over time.
Here are 25 clear signs a married man is sexually attracted to you.
25 signs a married man is sexually attracted to you
1) He compliments you
As I’ve just said, the signs a married man is sexually attracted to you may start out small and intensify over time.
This article will track that progression, so you know what to look out for at each step.
His interest in you may start off with little compliments.
It may be seemingly innocent, like saying that color looks great on you, or telling you that “you scrub up well”.
But he notices your appearance and comments on it.
2) He notices how good you smell
It’s not only the way you look that grabs his attention either.
He may also say something about how good you smell.
As well as being a compliment it can allude to something even deeper.
Smell is significant for humans, and a big part of attraction.
3) He tries to make you laugh
Laughter is often a fundamental part of courtship between two people.
Research shows that women are attracted to funny men. Meanwhile, men are attracted to women who laugh at their jokes — aka who find them funny.
Studies have also highlighted how sharing a joke together is a strong sign of mutual attraction.
The more two people laughed together, the more interested they were in one another romantically.
4) He totally avoids talking about his wife
Particularly in the early stages, if a married man is sexually attracted to you, he may avoid talking about his wife.
This may be subconscious or intentional. But either way, he doesn’t want to put you off by reminding you of his relationship status.
He prefers to act like a single man around you and present that image of himself.
5) He does little favors for you
Another common behavior you might start to notice at first is how kind and generous he is towards you.
He goes out of his way to help you out or do you small favors.
That might be anything from picking you up a coffee without you even asking, to bringing you little gifts.
Or it could be offering to help you with certain tasks, giving up his skills, effort, and free time for you.
In love language terms, these are acts of devotion. And they show that he is making more of an effort for you.
6) He holds eye contact
Eye contact is an innate way that we humans communicate powerful messages to one another.
And it’s another classic that is used in romance to signal our attraction to one another.
As explained in the Science of People:
“Eye contact triggers the release of oxytocin. When someone is attracted to you, they subconsciously will try engaging in lots of mutual eye contact. They do this to feel closer to you, and because they are interested in you and what you are saying.”
7) He spread his legs
I said at the start that some signs were going to be more subtle than others, and this is definitely one of them.
It all comes down to the subconscious ways our bodies give the game away without us even knowing.
Believe it or not, displaying his crotch to you may be a behavior trait picked up by his ancestors.
Sitting wide-legged or putting his thumbs in his belt loops to highlight this region is a power stance. He is attempting to show his manliness in all its glory.
8) His voice deepens
Studies have found that we are more likely to lower our voices when we’re with someone we find attractive.
Perhaps even more surprisingly this goes for both men and women.
Researchers noticed that:
“Both sexes used a lower-pitched voice and showed a higher level of physiological arousal when speaking to the more attractive, opposite-sex target.”
So if he puts on those deep sultry tones when you are around it could be a clue that he is into you.
9) He raises his eyebrows
In the beginning, the signs a married man is attracted to you are usually more subtle largely because they are more subconscious.
As attraction (and potentially his confidence) grows, they may become clearer and more overt.
Until then it’s these little signs you’ll have to watch for. Another of which is him raising his eyebrows.
According to reader’s digest, the so-called sudden eyebrow flash reveals what he may not be saying out loud:
“When you catch sight of your date across a crowded room, watch their eyebrows: if they give a brief, sudden lift, they’re attracted to you. The “eyebrow flash” is an incredibly reliable signal of sexual attraction, but you have to watch it closely: most eyebrows flashes are over and done within one-fifth of a second.”
10) He gives off “manly” body language
When a guy is sexually attracted to you, even a married one, he wants to give off confident and manly energy.
He does this in the way he holds himself.
That can include standing up straight and pushing his shoulders back, maybe putting his hands on his hips, and always trying to face you and point his feet toward you.
He is essentially trying to improve his image.
11) He shows off
If a married man puts on some bravado around you then this is another indication of image control.
Guys can do this by trying to show off around you and impress you.
It might be that he brags about certain accomplishments or achievements. He may go out of his way to let certain things be known to you.
He wants to show you his “best” side.
12) He acts embarrassed or awkward when you’re near
Of course, not all men are the same, and so not all married men will give off the same signs that they’re attracted to you.
If he is the shy type or feels embarrassed about his attraction, he may be more awkward around you.
These emotions are uncomfortable for him and so he might blush, act tongue-tied, or totally strange whenever you are close.
13) He tries to get to know you better
It’s not surprising that the people we are most attracted to, we show the most interest in.
Whether he has any intention yet of trying to take it further doesn’t really matter.
He will still feel that magnetism that makes him want to know you more.
That will mean asking you questions, showing an interest when you speak, and trying to find out what makes you tick.
14) He breaks the personal space barrier
We all go through our day with an invisible yet important bubble of space around us.
This personal space is not something people usually invade and is exclusively saved for the people we feel more intimate with.
Just standing too close to someone means a lot.
So if he starts to creep increasingly closer to you or leans in towards you, it is significant.
15) He checks you out
We can often notice a man’s wandering eyes and they mean only one thing:
If a married man is sexually attracted to you, then you might catch him looking at you.
It could be when he doesn’t think you are looking, or he may be more obvious about it.
But if you see his eyes scanning your body, it’s likely to be in appreciation of it.
16) He’s all about the flirty banter
Depending on the guy and on the relationship you two have, you might notice an increase in how flirty things get.
Of course, flirting is an art and not a science. It can be difficult to know whether he is being flirty or just friendly.
But flirty banter often involves witty, slightly risky, or naughty comments that are playful.
Teasing is perhaps one of the most old-school flirtatious tactics in the book!
17) He treats you differently
He is way more attentive toward you than he is to other women.
That’s a really good way to gauge when a married man is actually sexually attracted to you, and not just generally a big old flirt with everyone.
He treats you differently and his behavior towards you stands out.
18) He tests the water
As his attraction grows, he may decide to try to gauge how well his attention toward you might be received.
And so you might find he increasingly “tests the water” with you.
Maybe he makes “jokes” that aren’t really jokes, to see what your reaction is.
He might become overly flirty, a bit naughty, or make comments about things like having an affair or how monogomy is overrated.
19) He makes excuses to contact you
If a married man is sexually attracted to you and wants to take things further, he’s going to try to get your contact details.
Whether that is by adding you on social media or getting your phone number. And once he has a direct line to you, he’ll be dropping into your inbox.
He may make casual excuses to connect, by reacting to your stories, sending memes, or forwarding certain stories to you.
He may send you chatty messages that try to engage you in conversation.
20) He’s very touchy-feely
Touch is incredibly powerful.
We use it to communicate so much with one another.
Studies have shown how significantly it can impact both our emotional and physical health:
“It activates the body’s vagus nerve, which is intimately involved with our compassionate response, and a simple touch can trigger release of oxytocin, aka “the love hormone.”
If he reaches out to make light touches, perhaps your arm, your knee, or your back — it suggests attraction.
21) He splashes the cash
One way of trying to impress you might be through so-called tokens of love.
He might buy you gifts or insist on paying for things — whether that’s offering to get your drink or buying you dinner.
Sure, he could just be a generous man, but it’s more likely that he wants to boost his status in your eyes.
22) He opens up to you
There are levels of emotional intimacy that are probably inappropriate between a married man and another woman.
If you start to develop a connection and he opens up freely to you, this highlights a close bond forming.
Often we try to connect on a deeper level with the people who we are attracted to.
This may feel like the safest route for a married man to take as he inches closer to having an affair. Emotional intimacy can lead to physical intimacy.
23) He complains about his wife to you
Whilst in the beginning it can feel easier to ignore the existence of his wife altogether. As time goes on he may try to make you an ally by bad-mouthing his wife to you.
He may complain about difficulties they are facing in the marriage. Or he might paint himself out to be the victim of unreasonable behavior.
He is making it clear to you that he isn’t happy at home.
24) There’s some serious chemistry in the air
You can check out all of the practical signs a married man is attracted to you but often it is still going to come down to something more undefinable.
It’s an energy, a certain chemistry that appears between two people.
Attraction is often not something we see from another person, it’s something we feel.
25) He wants to hang out alone
If a married man tries to get you alone, there’s a very good chance it isn’t for innocent reasons.
He may try to orchestrate scenarios where you get to spend time on your own together.
If he asks you to hang out, just the two of you, he is paving the way for something to happen.
