18 subconscious signs a guy likes you (complete list)

Verbal language can be deceptive.

People are great at saying one thing and meaning something completely different.

This is why many of us have to rely on observing body language, micro-expressions, posture, and other subconscious signs that indicate a person’s true intentions.

Interpreting someone’s body language correctly isn’t only beneficial for your interpersonal relationships and professional pursuits; an excellent grasp of nonverbal signs can even help you recognize if you have any admirers.

So what are the subconscious signs that someone likes you?

Men have been taught at a young age not to express their emotions as freely as women do, it can be tricky to get to the bottom of their intentions.

However, you can still figure out if a guy likes you based on these signs:

  1. He mirrors you.
  2. He positions himself towards you.
  3. He always looks and smiles at you.
  4. His pupils dilate when he looks at you.
  5. His voice shifts in tone.
  6. His skin grows flushed.
  7. His friends often leave you alone.
  8. He fixes his appearance for you.
  9. He’s a little nervous and awkward when you’re around.
  10. He always initiates the conversation.
  11. He is very attentive when you’re around.
  12. He finds excuses to touch you.
  13. He looks to you for approval.
  14. He asks a lot of questions.
  15. He stands taller around you.
  16. He’s jealous when there are other guys in the picture.
  17. He minimizes distractions and barriers when you’re together.
  18. He talks about his future plans with you.

Let’s go into detail about what each of these signs mean:

18 Subconscious Signs A Man Likes You

You’re probably much better than an expert at reading into subconscious signs and body language from people you know.

Maybe you’ve just met this guy or you simply haven’t gotten the chance to know them well yet — in either case, it helps to know common, subconscious signs that someone is attracted to you.

These are:

1. He mirrors you.

When you had a crush on someone as a child, you might have tried to find out what they liked and claim that it was your favorite too.

Maybe you tried to appreciate their hobby, their favorite color, or their favorite band in order to get closer to them.

Something similar can happen with body language.

This is called mirroring, where you adopt your manners and behaviors to create a bond, establish rapport, or impress someone.

If a guy likes you, he may try to ‘match’ your posture or mimic your stance.

Maybe he’ll use similar phrases and slang as you do.

Or if you’re sipping your drink, he’ll take a sip at the same time.

Mirroring often happens when someone finds you attractive and feels comfortable around you.

They mimic what you do subconsciously because they want to show they’re engaged while interacting with you.

Even if people say opposites attract, people always tend to like those they have more in common with.

2. He positions himself towards you.

When you watch a TV show you’re invested in, you probably like to lean forward to get a better view of the screen or listen to the dialogue more closely.

Body orientation is indicative of what people like or dislike; we lean towards what we’re interested in and distance ourselves from something we don’t care about.

Of course, this means that when a guy likes a girl, he’ll always try to stay closer to her.

He’ll maintain a respectful amount of personal space, but he would lean or tilt his body towards her — whether they’re sitting or standing.

Leaning inwardly increases as rapport does, so a guy who is always angling himself towards you is likely to be romantically interested.

3. He always looks and smiles at you.

Most of us have good control over our facial expressions because we’ve been taught how to manage our feelings to be polite.

We’ve learned how to use fake smiles that use only the mouth to convey pleasure or approval, even though we’re probably thinking of something else.

On the other hand, genuine smiles engage every facial muscle and indicate that we’re happy to be with the people around us.

How often do you find yourself giving a genuine smile to someone you dislike or are indifferent towards?

Probably not very often.

So when a guy likes you, they can’t control how happy they are when you’re around them — so you probably get a lot of genuinely excited smiles from them.

And they’re likely to be staring too.

When we like something or think it’s attractive, our eyes are always drawn to it.

If you catch a guy staring at you from across the room and then suddenly looking away, it’s likely he has feelings for you.

4. His pupils dilate when he looks at you.

Although we often associate dilated pupils with drug or alcohol use, the eyes can actually be a powerful sign of attraction.

The pupil is right in the center of the eye’s iris, which lets light pass through. In order to help the eye focus and adjust to the lighting, the pupil often tends to dilate.

For example, you’re on top of a mountain and you’re taking in the gorgeous view — your pupils would dilate to help you get a better look around.

Dilating pupils are also a physiological response to attraction or sexual excitement.

When you see someone you like, your brain releases a surge of happy chemicals like oxytocin and dopamine, which can affect pupil size.

The pupils dilate as they process attraction, so if his pupils look bigger than normal when you’re around, he definitely feels something for you.

Of course, it’s important to note that the pupils naturally dilate when the lights are dim too.

Aside from pupil dilation, maintaining your gaze through prolonged eye contact also indicates strong feelings.

5. His voice shifts in tone.

Being around someone you like can make you feel as though you have no control over your voice.

Women, for example, tend to talk at a higher pitch when they meet a guy they like.

They may sound more like a little girl than a grown woman without noticing it.

It’s the same for guys, as their voices can change when they’re near a girl they’re attracted to.

Sometimes, they’re aware of the change and it’s intentional.

They try to deepen their voice to appear more masculine or talk louder so the object of their affection pays attention to them.

It’s also possible that their voices subconsciously go up a pitch because they’re nervous around the girl they like.

If it seems like a guy wants to catch your ear and help you distinguish his voice from the rest, consider that he is attracted to you.

6. His skin grows flushed.

Often, we associate a red, flushed face with shame, anger, or embarrassment.

In a different context, however, a soft, pink tinge can actually signal that you’re head over heels for someone.

Blushing is an involuntary, honest, emotional response to attraction.

Usually, people blush because they feel ‘caught’ being sexually excited by another person.

The attraction, excitement, or adrenaline of seeing the woman they like can send blood rushing to a man’s face, causing the cheeks to grow red.

A guy who always blushes around you possibly wants you to be more than a friend to him.

7. His friends often leave you alone.

When you first meet his friends, they act as they already know you because he’s been talking to you.

And if they’re really nice to you, it means they’re trying to make a good impression to help you see his good side.

Now, you won’t talk about someone you’re indifferent about at all, nor would you say positive things about someone you hate.

So if his friends are aware of you and treat you well, it’s because you’re a significant part of his thoughts.

In fact, this may even be more obvious if his friends suddenly start to disappear one-by-one to give you guys some alone time. It definitely means he has made his attraction to you obvious.

8. He fixes his appearance for you.

As anyone who has ever had a crush would tell you, you always want to look and smell your best for the object of your affection.

When a guy likes you, they can’t help but preen and fuss over their clothes and hair while you’re around.

They might spritz on some cologne, smooth out their shirt, or run their hands through their hair to make themselves visually appealing to you.

Much like how women act around men they like, they’ll keep adjusting their appearance to please you.

9. He’s a little nervous and awkward when you’re around.

Sometimes, we want to play it cool when we’re around people we like — especially if we have a crush on someone so it doesn’t look obvious.

However, the more we want to make a good impression, the more we put pressure on ourselves which leads us to do the exact opposite. We become awkward and nervous.

If a guy likes you, he may tense up when you walk into the room.

He’ll crack weird jokes, drop a few things, fuss around with his clothes, or simply become tongue-tied.

Other signs of nervousness include frequently touching his face, blinking repeatedly, compressing his lips, or playing with his hair.

As he grows more comfortable around you, these nerves may disappear and you’ll notice subtle changes in his personality.

He may seem to have more energy around you or treat you special, compared to others.

10. He always initiates the conversation.

Truthfully, men aren’t great at initiating conversations.

However, a man who is interested in you romantically would make an effort to talk to you, in hopes that an awkward conversation blooms into something more.

He’ll even go out of his way to extend your conversation and ask you more questions.

This is a positive sign that he likes you, wants to get to know you better, and possibly build a connection that goes beyond the surface.

11. He is very attentive when you’re around.

Men who are in love would notice every detail about you — but not in a creepy way. They’ll recall what you share with them easily and try to put it into action.

He may surprise you with a food you mentioned in passing, send an encouraging text on a day you’re going to give a presentation at work or ask you about how your weekend plans went.

Attentiveness is a sign of attraction; this guy is concentrating on you because he wants to build a connection.

He’ll keep track of your likes and dislikes, laugh at your jokes, bring you coffee, or compliment you about your personality and skills.

Overall, it just feels like he treats you nicer than everyone else like he’s softer and in a better mood whenever you’re around.

12. He finds excuses to touch you.

Humans touch what we like.

Conversely, we get repulsed and pull away when we’re around something (or someone) we dislike.

When a guy is constantly finding excuses to touch you, like brushing lint off your shoulder, these seemingly innocent actions may mean something more.

Physical touch is a common love language, especially among men.

When women are interested in someone, they may straighten out a crooked tie or lightly touch the guy’s arm.

Men would find more opportunities to touch you politely, often framing it as an accident.

It’s a good sign if he always:

  • Bumps his hand against yours when you reach for the same thing
  • Brushes against your shoulder when passing by
  • Grazes his knee with yours under the table
  • Places a hand on the crook of your elbow
  • Tucks your hair behind your ear
  • Places his hand on the small of your back while crossing the street

13. He looks to you for approval.

Does his man always look at you whenever something funny or touching is happening?

If so, he probably likes you and enjoys seeing your reactions. He may even try to get your approval whenever he draws attention to himself.

You can test this whenever the two of you are in a group and he makes a comment or a joke. If he immediately looks at you to see if you’ll laugh, he’s interested in winning you over.

14. He asks a lot of questions.

To know someone is to love them. When we like a person, we tend to get curious about them.

We want to know everything, from their favorite color to their best childhood memories.

A man who is attracted to you would likewise have a keen interest in you, your life, and your thoughts.

He’ll ask personal questions to build your bond because he’s genuinely interested in you.

No matter how inane the topic is, he won’t just listen absentmindedly to your answers — he’d remember everything.

He may also follow up with another question or redirect your questions back to you; it’s not just something done out of politeness, but more of a telltale sign of attraction.

15. He stands taller around you.

If the guy you suspect likes you suddenly strut around like they’re on a catwalk, there’s a good chance your guess isn’t far off the mark.

As a nonverbal cue, an open and expansive posture is found to be more attractive because it often hints at dominance.

And we want to appear more attractive to the people we like. We want them to notice us in a good way.

So if you see him standing or sitting with an impeccable posture, he’s probably trying to catch your attention – and it worked.

In terms of body language, this guy would carry himself taller and straighter.

He’ll pull his shoulders back, push his chest forward, and suck in his stomach when you’re around.

He won’t slump forward because he wants you to think he’s manly and dependable.

16. He’s jealous when there are other guys in the picture.

He’s not your boyfriend, but this guy always seems to have very strong feelings whenever he sees you talking to other men.

Even if he is fully aware that he has no right to feel jealous or act on his jealousy, he isn’t able to rationalize this situation.

And because he knows he’s not entitled to publicly display his emotional pain, you’ll only notice it because he suddenly shifts in mood or behavior.

One minute he’s fine talking about one subject, the next minute he seems flustered and upset when you talk about how much you enjoyed your date with someone else last weekend.

And if you ask him for his opinion about a certain guy, he manages to find their flaws and tells you that you can do better.

Even if he tries not to reveal the green-eyed monster lurking underneath, he slips up and says petty comments about all your potential boyfriends.

He can’t help being jealous — so pay attention to those little signs of aggression against other men in your life.

If they exist, his feelings probably do too.

17. He minimizes distractions and barriers when you’re together.

People tend to use space and objects to convey meaning, even if they don’t really think about it.

A physical barrier like a purse, newspapers, magazines, menus, cups, or cushions don’t really mean you dislike someone, but it may subconsciously indicate that rapport has yet to be established.

If you’re meeting someone new, for example, you can monitor how much they grow to like you by whether or not they set their cup or class aside to ‘remove’ this barrier.

Men who are romantically interested in you would remove these “obstacles” out of the way so you both have a clear pathway to the other’s personal space.

This is a sign that they want to physically draw closer to you.

Even the barrier that is his smartphone would be safely tucked away in his pocket so he can focus completely on you.

18. He talks about his future plans with you.

Have you ever had a conversation about the future?

And not just his plans for next weekend or his next job promotion, but more of what he wants to do with his life?

Maybe he mentioned he wanted to settle down with someone or move around to travel.

If so, then there’s a chance that he genuinely likes you.

He may not realize it yet, but he potentially sees a future with you and wants to see if your plans and goals align with his.

And in general, he’s really open with you.

You have long and deep conversations about his hopes, fears, dreams, and other intimate insights into his character that he doesn’t share with anyone else.

This means you’re someone special to him.

Subconscious Signs: Are They Real?

Body language such as gestures, posture, and facial expressions are the most important form of nonverbal communication we have.

Our body language directly shows others how we feel, as we send these signals subconsciously and without pretense.

Even for a fraction of a second, and impatient exhale or an eye roll can give away our true emotions to others.

Of course, body language can have different implications in romance.

A shy person and a more outgoing one would have different approaches when they’re with someone they’re in love with, so it’s important to pay attention to these subconscious signs.

How real are subconscious signs?

Science tells us that if we want to look at a person’s emotional intent, we should watch their body language first.

When we feel something, it first shows up in the body and only appears in the conscious minds a few nanoseconds later.

Our brains aren’t the first to register feelings like hunger, impatience, anger, happiness, and attraction; it’s the body that signals these feelings automatically.

And we aren’t great at disguising how our bodies feel.

Unlike the face, which we have taught to mask our true feelings, the subconscious signs and gestures conveyed by the body are definitely more honest, more reliable, and more significant than words.

Stop Looking For Signs and Make Him Yours

While there’s truth in the subconscious signs a guy likes you, if you want him to like you, I have a better idea:

Trigger his hero instinct.

A guy’s hero instinct is what drives him in relationships, which is ingrained in his DNA. It makes him feel better, love harder, and commit stronger to you – if you know how to trigger it.

If you succeed, you won’t need to question his feelings for you and look for subconscious signs he likes you. You’ll know because he won’t be able to hide it.

Watch this free online video now.

The video reveals the best way to trigger this guy’s hero instinct so you can take your relationship to the next level.

As soon as you know exactly what to do, you can seal the deal and make him yours.

So if you’re ready to take that step with him, take the plunge and watch this simple and genuine video by James Bauer.

Did you like my article? Like me on Facebook to see more articles like this in your feed.

Lachlan Brown

I’m Lachlan Brown, the founder, and editor of Hack Spirit. I love writing practical articles that help others live a mindful and better life. I have a graduate degree in Psychology and I’ve spent the last 15 years reading and studying all I can about human psychology and practical ways to hack our mindsets. Check out my latest book on the Hidden Secrets of Buddhism and How it Saved My Life. If you want to get in touch with me, hit me up on Facebook or Twitter.

What to do when your boyfriend ignores you in a long-distance relationship?

My “break up” story (and how I got her back)