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Can you tell if someone likes you?

According to research, one of the most common signs someone likes you is they do their best to keep a conversation going. In particular, they search for new conversation topics and find things in common. If you think about it, that's an obvious sign someone likes you.

thetrulycharming.com - How to Tell if Someone Truly Likes You: 9 Signs of Attraction
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In this article, we will talk about how to tell if someone likes you and the signs you should look out for. Disclaimer: this post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links. The clues someone likes you are often easy to miss, however, when someone is interested in you, they tend to be there, right under your nose. “Remember when we used to hang out with our college friends? I liked you a lot. But you never noticed me.” “Whaat? Seriously? I liked you too and tried to give you some hints, but you never made a move. So, I assumed you weren’t interested after all and didn’t make a move either.” I don’t know about you, but I have heard of a lot of conversations like this. And I also had this type of conversation at least twice in my life.

However, each time, it was too late.

You liked someone, they liked you back, but you didn’t see the signs they sent you — or they didn’t get your hints.

Then, you later realized that there was a mutual interest. Typical.

There is a funny conversation between Nicole Kidman and Jimmy Fallon, where they clearly had no clue they liked each other when they first met, which is a great example of this. Talk to a coach now (let the page load, it may take a few seconds)

It’s not easy to understand if someone is into you or not. In fact, it’s almost impossible to know it for sure – unless they tell you directly or you ask them. Right?

However, there are a few signs that can help you understand if someone actually, genuinely likes you. And the common denominator is this: when someone is into you, they will show it through their actions and behaviors, rather than empty words. What follows are some clues that can help you figure out if the person you’re interested in likes you back.

1. Proximity

When someone likes you, they may subconsciously lean towards you when you are together.

If they do it, it’s generally a good sign.

As Jack Schafer Ph.D. explains in one of his articles, people tend to lean toward people they like.

And inward leaning increases as rapport increases.

Also, as Sadie Leder Elder, Ph.D. explains in an article published in Psychology Today, for more than fifty years, relationship researchers have consistently found that one of the most powerful predictors of attraction is proximity — that is, physical closeness. When we like someone, we like being close to them. In fact, the closer we get to them, the more we like it.

Sometimes, we may even make physical contact.

When we don’t like someone instead — and they get too close to us — we tend to feel uncomfortable and distance ourselves from them.

2. They remember the small details

I experienced this multiple times.

For example, a few years ago, I was dating a guy, James. A few weeks after we started dating, I noticed he remembered many details of what I had told him during our first dates. I didn’t know if he had a good memory or if he was more into me than I expected. Then, he eventually told me he was interested in a more serious relationship. He was a great guy, but unfortunately, I realized I didn’t quite feel the same about him, so we ended up being just friends. A few months later, I was interested in a guy, José, who hung out with my group of friends. Unfortunately, he couldn’t remember anything about me — basic things like the city I came from, the neighborhood where I lived, and my job. Nothing. Then one day, I saw him with a gorgeous blond, tall, curvy lady, and I understood why he remembered almost nothing about me.

I was just not his type.

The point is this: we tend to remember the things we care about and to forget things that aren’t important to us. When someone consistently remembers many details about you, they might genuinely like you — especially if they display other signs. Remembering so many details about you usually means they paid close attention to what you told them in the past.

Someone who is not into you instead, won’t notice the small details.

Their brain won’t bother to retain information about you.

3. They make an effort to find conversation topics

Years ago, I went to a party on a Sunday night. There was a friend of mine, Simon, with whom I had many things in common. We liked each other, but we were both particularly shy. That night, we were sitting next to each other in silence. Then he looked at me and asked me out of the blue: “Are you watching some series lately?” Then, after a while we were talking, he asked me: “What are some countries you would love to travel to?” And later, he asked: “What book are you reading?”

Yes, he was asking lots of questions.

At that moment, I understood he was trying to keep the conversation going and was using some conversation starters.

I loved that.

We ended up talking for three hours until I had to go — or I would have missed the last bus to go back home. According to research, one of the most common signs someone likes you is they do their best to keep a conversation going. In particular, they search for new conversation topics and find things in common.

If you think about it, that’s an obvious sign someone likes you.

And it’s probably one of the best ways – if not the best way – to understand your special person likes you back. Think back to the last time you were with someone who was clearly into you.

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Did they try to spark up conversations? Did they actively keep the conversation going?

Or did they passively answer your questions without showing much interest?

I guess the answer is one of the first two — or maybe a mix of the two. Important note about this This goes both ways, too. If you can keep a conversation going, as well, then it’ll encourage them to do their part. But it’s not always easy to have a conversation with someone you like. Consulting a professional Dating Coach will go a long way toward perfecting your conversational skills. And if you use this link, you will get $50 off on your first session. A bunch of our readers have tried the service and it’s doing wonders for them.

Recommended read: Emotionally Intelligent People: What Makes Them so Attractive

4. You will see the “Duchenne Smile”

As Ronald E Riggio Ph.D. explains, when someone feels attracted to you, they typically smile, making direct eye contact, often with a slow glance away, but still holding the smile. Also, even if we frequently smile when interacting with people we like, when we are really attracted to someone, the rate of smiling tends to increase. There is a way to distinguish between a genuine and a fake smile. When a smile is genuine, more face muscles will be involved. This is also called the Duchenne smile, which is a movement produced by the joint action of two facial muscles. The zygomaticus major muscle lifts the corners of your mouth while the orbicularis oculi raises your cheeks, causing the subsequent laugh lines at the outside corners of your eyes. This kind of smile is often one of the signs someone likes you.

5. They are nervous around you

According to research, there is a link between feelings of anxiety and attraction. That’s why most of us tend to get nervous, blush, or even sweat when we see someone we like. In particular, one of the most common signs of nervousness is blushing. Physiologically, it occurs when an emotional trigger causes your glands to release adrenaline in your body. Since blood is then brought closer to the surface of the skin, it causes you to blush. So, it’s something you can’t control. The point is this: when someone blushes, stutters, or sweats when in your company, their body is basically having a reaction to something, and it’s a reaction they can’t control. It might be an emotional reaction to seeing you. This is why this is one of the clearest signs someone likes you.

So, it’s always a good idea to pay attention to the context.

6. They are curious about you, more than you expected

This goes hand in hand with the third point.

When I feel interested in someone, even if only as a friend, I want to know more about them. When I have a romantic interest in someone, that feeling of curiosity multiplies by ten — maybe more.

Consequently, a lot of questions pop up in my mind.

Psychologist William James (1899) called curiosity “the impulse towards better cognition,” meaning that it is the desire to understand what you know that you do not. Most of us tend to be curious about what we can’t completely understand, especially if there is some mystery around it. Because our need to know drives our behavior. In fact, according to research, curiosity is a critical motive that influences human behavior. And a clear sign someone is curious about us is they will ask a lot of questions, not only to us but also to our friends. For this reason, curiosity is also often one of the most important signs someone likes you.

Recommended read: 4 Qualities of People Who Are Highly Respected

7. They always find the time to see you

As Rick Warren once said,

“When you give someone your time, you are giving them a portion of your life that you’ll never get back. Your time is your life. That is why the greatest gift you can give someone is your time.” See, when someone has a genuine interest in you, they make time to see you. In fact, it’s one of the most common signs someone truly likes you. If you are dating someone who is into you, they will try to meet you frequently.

This also applies to when you are not dating

In this case, you will notice they will find ways to see you, for example, joining group gatherings or attending events where they know they’ll find you. An example of this is Bob, a friend of mine, who liked Giulia, a girl who used to hang out with our group of friends. We all understood he was into her. Before meeting Giulia, Bob wasn’t hanging out with us a lot. He probably came once a week or every two weeks. After they met, he started to join us twice a week — to talk with her almost all the time. And we were right. He was clearly head over heels for her. Fast forward to today, they live together and are waiting for a baby.

8. If they can’t see you the day you suggest, they’ll reschedule

This goes hand in hand with the previous point. And when it comes to know if someone likes you it’s one of the main thing you should pay attention to. As I explained in a recent article about the signs a girl likes you, it can happen someone can’t see you the day you suggest.

This doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not into you.

The thing you should keep in mind is this.

There’s a big difference between telling someone “I can’t, I’m busy,” and saying “I’m sorry, I already had plans for today, but I would love to see you as soon as possible. What about this Friday?” As a rule of thumb, if someone shows they want to see you and hang out with you, their interest is probably genuine.

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For example, you want to see them today, but they can’t because they have a job interview. If they genuinely like you, they’ll proactively suggest another day – or time. Instead, if someone makes you feel like you’re disturbing them, they’re probably not that into you.

Or they might have lost interest.

In this case, have some self-respect, never bother them again. Move on.

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9. Their body always points towards you

As explained in an article published in Better Help, people tend to point their feet in the direction of what interests them. Someone’s feet pointing toward you doesn’t necessarily mean they’re in love with you, however, it does mean that they are at least interested in the interaction and in the present moment with you. Instead, if their feet are pointed toward the exit, they are probably thinking about leaving. Also – and this is more unexpected – as therapist and relationship expert Margaret Stone explains, when someone is into us, they tend to angle their bellybutton towards us. In fact, knowing for sure if someone in into us is almost impossible — unless they explicitly tell us. However, small signs such as how close to us they sit, how much they remember about us, how much they keep a conversation going, the way they smile, nervousness, curiosity, and the amount of time they spend with us, can help us understand if someone is into us or not. A person interested in you may show these signs or at least a few of them. However, if they don’t make a move and you’re still wondering whether they like you or not, the best thing you can do is to take the first step yourself and ask them. Life is too short to waste time overthinking. And it’s totally natural to second-guess things, especially when you’re invested in the result. Even if all the signs point towards them liking you, I think most of us can relate to still feeling unsure. A second opinion can be invaluable in situations like this. Your friends/family can be a good sounding board. But oftentimes, they’re not as helpful as you’d like them to be. They can often tell us what they think we want to hear, or what they think is best for us, rather than the objective truth. There’s also the fact that they’re not professionals, and even if they try their best to give you sincere advice, they can still make mistakes. And that’s exactly why we recommend getting in touch with a professional Relationship and Dating coach. They can help you analyze your situation, figure out exactly what is going on through the guy’s head, and guide you on what to do next. While you can probably find a decent Dating or Relationship coach online with a little google searching and perusing reviews/testimonials, we would recommend getting in touch with one of our partners – Relationship Hero. Relationship Hero is an online platform that has 100+ coaches from all over the world available 24/7. It doesn’t matter what kind of dating or relationship help you need, they have someone on their team that can help. A bunch of our readers already use this service and have high praise for them. And if you use our link, you will also get a $50 discount on your first session!

FAQs

What to do when someone likes you? If the person you like clearly likes you back, let them come to you. Send them some clues you are genuinely interested in them too and, if you think they are shy, make the first move. Ask them out for a coffee date and see how they react. How to tell if someone likes you or is using you? If you want to understand if someone genuinely likes you and is not using you, pay attention to what they do for you.

Do they like to help you even when you don’t ask them to?

Do they contact you even if the don’t need anything from you?

Are they enthusiastic of making future plans with you?

If the answer to all these questions is yes, then their interest for you is authentic and they’re not using you. How to tell if someone likes you but is hiding it? When someone likes you but is trying to hide it, you need to focus on two things: their body language, and if they search for excuses to talk to you or to spend time alone with you. For example, if you often catch them staring at you, and pointing their chest and feet towards you, their body language is telling you they are probably interested in you. Also, if they randomly contact you to send you a link to an article about a topic you were discussing during a party, that’s probably an excuse to talk to you.

A Summary

They lean towards you and make physical contact; They remember the small details; They make an effort to find conversation topics; You will see the “Duchenne smile”; They are nervous around you; They are highly curious about you; No excuses, they always find the time to see you; If they can’t see you the day you suggest, they’ll reschedule; Their body consistently points towards you.

Read this article in Italian.

thetrulycharming.com - How to Tell if Someone Truly Likes You: 9 Signs of Attraction
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