Photo: Getty
Love + men = idiocy.
By Ossiana Tepfenhart
Written on Apr 08, 2022
Guys do very strange things when they like a girl, and sometimes those signals can come across a little mixed.
In fact, it can be really easy to think a guy hates you if you don’t know how to tell if a guy likes you and pick up on things the proper way.
Crushing itself can be a bit confusing. When you are crushing on someone, it means you have a feeling of romantic love, especially for someone you might not know too well. So, you may not know exactly what you want out of the prospective relationship.
Crushes also have a shelf life, lasting as little as a few weeks or as long as four months.
How do you know if a guy is crushing on you?
Guys can be so confusing and make it really hard to tell if they are into you or not. But every guy is different, so there's no obvious answer.
One thing to be aware of is if he pays attention to you, specifically. Does he turn his body toward you and make eye contact (or not if you make him nervous)? Does he laugh when you didn't even say something funny? Does he want to spend time with you?
Most of the time, if a guy seems off or is acting a tad weird around you, he may be crushing on you... hard. And make no mistake about it: if a guy does any of these things, he’s been hoping you’d ask him out on a date.
15 Sure Signs A Guy Has A Crush On You.
1. Any time he’s around you, he breaks out into a sweat and avoids eye contact.
Does he look like he’s about to be interrogated by the CIA whenever he’s around you? Guys who are really crushing hard can get nervous or intimidated by you, and this can actually lead them to bug out.
2. He gets really angry and annoyed whenever you mention other men.
This is often a sign of jealousy, and he might also try to play it cool by saying he’s not interested in you anyway. If he wasn’t interested, why would he get angry?
3. He laughs after everything he says.
This is called nervous laughter, and it happens when he’s really freaking out about a girl. If he's laughing about everything from hating soft drinks to his mother's car, he's probably really worried that you think he's a nerd.
4. You catch him backpedaling on things when you disagree with him.
Yes, this is a red flag. But it’s also a sign that he’s too spineless to disagree with a girl he likes.
5. He 'phone spazzes'.
This is when guys say really bizarre, seemingly out-of-the-blue statements when you stop replying. It may be anything from telling you that he wishes you the best of luck, to telling you that he’s just got a new work promotion, to just sending cat memes.
Whatever it is, he’s trying to talk. Give him a little encouragement if you're into him, too.
6. His behavior has turned into attention-seeking insanity.
Is he making a point of lifting weights, talking about his degrees, or doing stupid stunts that will likely get him into triage at the nearest ER? He doesn’t have a death wish — he’s just trying to impress you.
Unfortunately, this guy crush move can be extremely dangerous for certain men. You might want to ask him to reel himself in before he ends up breaking a bone.
7. He makes fun of you on a near-constant basis.
This is one of those acts that guys might put on when they are interested in you but are too scared to actually say how they feel.
Immature as it may be, this classic middle schooler behavior is often a guy's last defense against admitting he has a crush. Shakespeare said it best: “Thou doth protest too much!”
8. His game reminds you of a yo-yo.
Does he pull you in a little, then push away, then admit his feelings, then push away again? This is often a sign that he’s testing the waters to see if you’d be open to dating him.
Unfortunately, this also can mean he has crippling insecurity and is probably not worth dating.
9. If you ask him if he’s into you, he turns beet red and denies it.
Guys don’t generally blush if they’re being hit on by girls they’re not interested in.
10. You get the feeling that he’s trying to play 'too cool for school.'
Does he seem really preoccupied with looking cool? Does he go out of his way to name-drop, flaunt popularity, or show off his knowledge of all the cool events in town?
If so, he’s trying to play himself as one of the “cool kids” in hopes of getting someone interested in him. It might be you!
11. His friends make fun of him a lot around you.
The most common reason a guy's good friends poke fun at each other is because of a crush.
If they keep ribbing him, then it’s one of the signs he likes you. This is especially true if it seems to get under his skin.
12. His friends keep telling you what a great guy he is.
They’re playing wingman, and it's almost certain that the guy in question has begged them to put in a good word with you. Give the guy a chance!
13. Any time you mention what you like in a guy, he tries to come up with ways he fits that qualification.
This is a subtle way of showing that he’s trying to earn your approval, and it’s often hard to spot.
For example, let’s say you really like one guy’s sense of humor. He might shrug and go, “Oh, well, I can be funny, too.”
14. He makes a point to try to dispel stereotypes and assumptions you’ve made about him or guys like him.
This is similar to the last point in the sense that he’s trying to present himself to you in a certain light. A good example of this would be him saying, “Don’t think I’m not a bad boy type just cause I’m an accountant!”
15. You just have a hunch.
Our guts are rarely ever wrong. That’s why we should listen to them.
How do men act when they have a crush?
Usually, when a man has a crush on you he will make you a priority in his life. He will go out of his way to help you or spend time with you. He will start paying attention to your interests in an effort to know more about you. He might even act nervous or show off around you.
In today's world of technology, he may be super-engaging with you on social media, liking, commenting, sharing, and looking at all your posts.
He might make up random reasons to touch you and will seem jealous if you spend time with other guys. His body language can also give you subtle signs that he's crushing on you.
Psychological tip: Where are his feet pointed? Research says that where his feet are pointed tells you where he subconsciously wants to go, and if they are pointed towards you, he wants you.
How can you tell if a guy has a crush on you?
If a guy is acting different around you, it's a sure sign they want to impress you, so they may do things for you or with you that they may not do with others. A guy with a crush might make accidentally touching you a habit — tapping your shoulder or brushing up against your arm to get your attention, or hugging you every chance he can.
Sometimes, you get lucky and the guy will tell you outright that he likes you and you'll start dating; other times, you may have to play Nancy Drew to figure out all the hints he's dropping, consciously or subconsciously.
More for You:
Ossiana Tepfenhart s a writer based out of Red Bank, New Jersey who writes primarily about lifestyle, food, finance, and relationships. You can follow them on Twitter.