Anyone who has braved the dating scene will know that deciphering whether someone likes you can be nigh on impossible.
Luckily for Femail readers, dating expert Susan Quilliam, together with dating site OkCupid.com, has put together an essential guide on how to suss out a man’s real feelings by analysing his body language.
He’s interested and he wants to see you again
Leaning in, tilting the head to one side and fully facing you are all good signs if you meet a guy!
Pose 1: Leaning in, hand on hip
Look at the model’s body. He has turned it fully towards his date, he is interested in the way she looks and he’s leaning in to have a clear grasp of what she’s saying and wants to understand her so he can articulate a good response.
His head is very slightly on one side, showing that he is listening so he is showing more than just sexual attraction and is romantically interested. His slight smile is a universal signal of approval and interest and his direct eye contact underlines his interest in this girl.
His slight curve of his torso angles in towards the female and he’s trying to literally ‘bridge the gap’ between her and him by leaning forward.
He is trying to stress his masculine shape of a wide upper body by positioning his left arm in a ‘display position’, these poses are effectively male peacocking and trying to showcase sexual prowess.
He is trying to show off his strong body in front of the female and has done this by angling his elbow out and anchoring this position in place by tucking his hand into his pocket. In turn, this also draws attention to his hips, another ‘display’ tactic in the hope of drawing the female’s attention to his upper body and emphasising his masculinity.
His right arm is angled out and reaches towards his date, again to bridge the gap. It’s so close it’s nearly touching her and he’s reaching right into her personal space. He is definitely keen!
Now look at his feet, another clear signal that he likes this girl. Without thinking about it, he has positioned them very slightly open and one is pointing towards the female.
A man who deliberately moves his feet nearer yours is most probably interested in seeing you again
Pose 2: Feet pointing towards you and close to yours
Here, both feet are angled towards the female in a V that encloses her feet. This is a rather erotic pose and shows sexual intent.
Again, the model’s right foot is so close to the female’s that it looks like they’re touching. The angle of the right foot with the heel on floor and toe upwards shows forward movement intention, for example, he’d like to move towards the female.
Watch your date’s hands! Relaxed finger and open upward palms are all good signs
Pose 3: His hand outstretched to yours
Here, our man has broken into the female’s intimate space, his fingers are pointing towards her.
His relaxed hands show he feels comfortable in her company and there is a solid rapport.
An upright posture most likely indicates that while he likes you, he is not interested in a romantic sense
Just friends
Pose 4: Male standing tall but with smile and open left hand
Here, the male is clearly just hoping to be friends. He has turned his body towards the female which shows his interest but his straight posture shows that he probably isn’t interested in ‘bridging the gap’ between them because he is not leaning forward.
Unlike in the previous pose, there is no ‘display position’ so he’s not bothering to emphasise his masculine shape or draw attention to his hips. It could be said he’s simply standing in neutral.
He has his right arm pulled back and has his hand within his own, not the female’s personal space.
His fingers are curled and not pointing towards the female unlike in the previous pose.
With his left arm by his side, there is no ‘display’ but his open arm and hand shows an ‘openness’ to the female’s ideas and he intends to include her in the conversation. The way his head and neck are angled forward and the slight tilt of his head are also signs of this. His legs are together and straight, there are no ‘display’ signs and ‘no bridging the gap.’
Again, while this body language might mean he thinks your are just swell, he probably doesn’t want to date you
Pose 5: Man’s hand on table but not stretched out towards you. His elbow pulled back into slightly towards his body
The male’s hands clearly show that he likes this girl, his fingers are angled towards her but he is not ‘indicating’ which is when extremities such as fingers and feet show the direction of interest. His fingers are curved round back towards his body and not pointing towards the female which shows interest but not clear sexual intention.
There is also no touching which is another sign he is not romantically interested. His arm is back into towards his body, again indicating that he’s keeping a ‘friendly’ distance between her and him.
Wandering eye
Pose 6: He keeps looking away and doesn’t keep eye contact
There are some very conflicting signals here showing that he isn’t really interested in this girl as a person but there is some sexual interest.
His body and torso are turned towards his date which shows a slight focus on her, his right arm is slightly intruding into her personal space which shows some sexual interest. Meanwhile, his left arm is in a ‘display position’ with his elbow out and fingers hooked into his waist which are emphasising his masculinity and underline his sexual interest.
While physically looking away obviously means greater opportunity to actually spot another woman, it also signals a deeper disinterest in you
His head and neck are lowered away from the female showing a clear lack of interest in what she’s saying and much more focus on his own thoughts. Whatever he wants her for, it’s not her conversation!
There is also no smile and no chemistry between the couple and no eye contact – he’s certainly not into her and is lost in his own thoughts.
Pose 7: Thrusting his torso forward but keeping his shoulders back
The male model’s upright posture emphasises his masculine shape and his elbows are extended to show off his broad torso but with his head up and his shoulders slightly back, this suggests he doesn’t want to ‘bridge the gap’.
While a man in this stance is keen to be seen as attractive and masculine… but not necessarily by you!
There is no real smile, he has a flat, expressionless face which shows no interest either as a friend or a potential lover.
The eye contact is sliding away from the female so it’s likely that the torso display is not meant for her at all but someone else in the room. Check out where his feet are pointing to find out who’s the real object of his attention!
Pose 8: Hand on his hip and a foot out to the side
We tend to try to control upper body signals, particularly the face, because we know that’s what people most pay attention to, but our legs and feet often give the game away; however much he’s trying to pretend interest, the man’s lower body shows lack of it.
This man may be showing all the right signals above the waist, but his feet give away his real feelings
His left hand is giving a display signal, emphasising hips and drawing attention to them but the fact that torso and hips are angled away shows display is not aimed at this female and the fact his left leg is stretched out as if he is walking shows he probably wants to leave.
Pose 9: Both feet pointing away from you
Here, both of the man’s feet are angled directly away from this female almost in the opposite direction and is a very clear signal of wanting to be out of her space. His legs and feet are not enclosing hers, so she is not the object of his desire.
The raised foot and the fact the feet are pointing away means this man secretly wants to leave the situation (i.e: you!)
Again, his left foot is raised, a sign of wanting to ‘walk’. That foot is probably giving a clear signal to another woman in the room that he’s interested in her. Somewhere nearby there’s definitely a woman who is subconsciously getting all the interest signals that this man’s date would prefer.
