Expert-Backed Signs Of Male Body Language Attraction

Are you getting mixed signals from a guy? Are you constantly wondering, “Is he attracted to me?” If you are, well then, you need a lowdown on the male body language signs of attraction because their mannerisms and facial expressions are a dead giveaway of their feelings. The body language of men in love will help you figure out if they are romantically interested in you or not. 

Patty Van Cappellen at Duke University, who led a research on postures, says, “The expression production of emotions is a full-body experience.” She adds, “Our faces are not doing all of the heavy lifting when it comes to expressing feelings. Our body posture also plays a role.” To find out more about powerful signs of male attraction, we reached out to life coach and counselor Joie Bose, who specializes in counseling related to abusive marriages, breakups, and extramarital affairs. With her insights, let’s decode the male attraction signs.

18 Male Body Language Signs Of Attraction

When men feel attracted to someone, they are pros at hiding their feelings, especially from women. They will not let you know how they feel until they are sure of it themselves. Women, naturally gifted with the sixth sense, can pick up the cues but still cannot be certain. To spot the signs of deep attraction, the first thing you need to know is the right places to look. The obvious signs a guy secretly likes you are hidden in plain sight: In his body language. Read on for 18 such signs that will help address your dilemma of whether or not a guy likes you:

1. He will make eye contact

Some clear signs he finds you adorable: You see his pupils dilate and his lingering gaze is focused on you. Men love to look into the eyes of the women they like. If he is maintaining eye contact with you throughout your conversation, it shows a genuine interest in knowing you better. If you have been giving him a radiant smile, it’s one of the things guys find attractive in women — No wonder he can’t resist staring at you respectfully.

Speaking of one of the most common signs of hidden male attraction, Joie says, “If a guy is secretly attracted to you, he will want to notice the small details about you and flirt with the eyes. The rest of the world is immaterial to him. His heart is racing and he wants to be with you but may be unsure of your intentions. He will try to see if you feel the same way or not. A fixed gaze between two people is powerful. It conveys a lot. So, he uses it to make sense of your feelings for him.”

2. He will shyly pull away from eye contact when caught

This is the biggest tell among the most powerful signs of male attraction in shy men. He might show a second’s courage to make eye contact and then quickly pull away because of either fear or awkwardness. When you talk to him, if he shyly looks down and gives a slight smile, he is interested in you but just doesn’t know how to take things forward. 

Even though he might not say it outright, you will definitely feel a warm pleasant vibe from him. This will tell your gut that he is secretly attracted to you but is unable to express it. Explaining why that is, Joie says, “If you catch him looking at you, he’d go red in his cheeks. You have found out his intentions. This makes him unsure of the future. What if you reject him? What if you don’t like him romantically? That’s why he might pull away nervously.” Probably one of the loudest body language signs he likes you but is hiding it.

Related Reading: 20 Brilliant Tips For Dating A Shy Guy

3. You make him smile

One of the subtle signs of deep attraction is that no matter how bad your joke is, he will smile. Such signs of attraction are pretty easy to spot as you’ll see his cheeks flushing and his smile extending as wide as ever when you say something adorable around him. 

“If a guy likes you, he will laugh at your jokes – Even the dumbest ones. Your presence makes him want to smile like a fool. He also wants you to know that you make him happy,” says Joie. This sense of joy that you bring into his life is the driving force behind his potential emotional attraction.

4. He will go out of his way to give you attention

“I pay attention to you at the expense of not only other women, but everyone. You have my focus” – That is going to be the body language of a man secretly in love with you. All the secret signs of male attraction will convey his sentiments unequivocally when he is giving someone attention like this:

• You see him chatting with his close friends and he leaves them just to talk to you
• He keeps finding excuses to spend time with you. He is trying to show you whom he would rather be with
• If he is making a mental note of little things about you, there’s a very good chance that he has a crush on you
• You will sense attraction signals from him even when he’s across the room. This is a pretty powerful indicator that a man likes you

5. Signs of male arousal body language: He will take a deep breath

If he lets out a few deep breaths when you pass by, it is one of those subconscious signs a man likes you a lot. This is his body’s way of telling you that you take his breath away. When the way you look knocks the wind out of him, he will take a deep breath to let it sink in. He is blown away. He might not compliment you but that deep breath is one of the ways guys hint that they like you.

Joie explains, “He will imagine what it would be like to kiss you. That will definitely take him away from the present, and the moment reality strikes, he will take a deep breath. You see, he had forgotten to breathe for a second when he was thinking of you.”

Related Reading: Confused About A Guy? 18 Tips To Help You

6. He fixes his hair all the time

Although not all men, most have a tendency to act nervous and subconsciously fix their hair when they see a woman they like. They want to make an impression in front of you. Among the various reasons for fixing their hair, one could be because they want to see if you are paying attention to them. This tendency is one of the nonverbal signs of attraction.

“Hair is something many guys pay a lot of attention to, whether or not they show it. When a guy is in the company of a woman he is secretly attracted to, he will touch his hair often for support and reassurance. To see if it’s in place. This is the way his vulnerability comes out in front of someone he likes. This is among the sure-shot involuntary signs of attraction. In front of his friend, he wouldn’t care two hoots about how his hair looks,” says Joie.

7. He touches his face a lot

When a guy is interested in you, he’ll touch his cheeks and chin a lot. Some men get conscious and are unusually nervous while talking to the one they’re interested in. Since they’re feeling self-conscious, they tend to touch their face a lot. This is one of the unmistakable body language signs he likes you but is hiding it.

“Guys tend to pay more attention to how they dress when there is a chance of running into the person they like. Even if they don’t care about what they usually wear, men think that women care. Hence, they put in extra effort to ensure that their clothes are in order and that they smell decent,” says Joie.

8. Signs of attraction from a man: He will make himself noticeable

You both could be involved with different groups of friends, work in different departments, or in different social settings, but a guy will go above and beyond to make sure he catches your eye if he’s interested in you. He will do his best to stand out in the crowd and leave a lasting impression on your mind. This is his way of sending out attraction signals.

One of the many signs guys show they like you is by finding ways to make you notice them. They might start talking a little louder or try to laugh noticeably. Such subconscious yet undeniable signs present themselves in a lot of situations, without them even realizing it fully. So, even in a crowded room, your guy would want your attention to be on him. He’d do a lot to win a woman’s heart, clearly.

9. He will look at your lips

The involuntary signs of sexual attraction from a man are your best bet at figuring out whether he likes you or not. There are some things that men cannot hide, even if they think they are pros at it. For instance, his gaze will inadvertently shift toward your lips parting and closing. While talking to you, he will look at your face and most importantly, your lips. Joie shares. “The expressions of love for men are typically more physical. If you find someone’s gaze resting on your lips even for a brief moment, he is genuinely interested in you.”

Whether it’s a split second or longer, depending on the intensity of his feelings for you, this gaze makes it one of the foremost signs a man is attracted to you sexually. So, if he looks at your lips, you are not just a friend or a colleague to him; he is attracted to you. We’d say it’s a good sign if you’re interested in him too. We hope you now agree that the signs of male attraction at work or of a friend developing a crush on you are not hard to spot. You just need to know what to pay attention to.

Related Reading: Signs A Man Is Sexually Attracted To You

10. His feet will point toward you

In order to develop a better understanding of how to read powerful signs of male attraction, you need to pay attention to the little details when he is with you. One lesser-known area to focus on when decoding the signs he is secretly attracted to you is his feet. A study says that we subconsciously point our feet in the direction we want them to go which is one of the biggest signs of physical attraction.

Pay close attention to where and how he points his feet. If they are directed toward you, then he is planning on coming to you or thinking about it in his head. It is also a good reason for you to be alert because you already know where his feet are heading.

11. Body language sign that he likes you immensely: He will lean in

While having a one-on-one chat with you, he will often lean in. His body signals that he wants to be close to you, and he is also checking if you are okay with it. Do you feel the spark? Are there any signs of chemistry between the two of you? Notice how his nostrils flare and he has sweaty palms. All of these are love signals from a man and indicate his true feelings.

If he’s physically bent in your direction, even from a considerable distance, he’s waiting to see how you react. This need for physical proximity is one of the signs he finds you adorable.

12. He will fix his clothes

He may not be sure that you like him. Despite that, he will leave no stone unturned to impress you. He will fix his clothes and make sure that his shirt is tucked in. He might also nervously play with his buttons or cufflinks. He may adjust his tie, pull his socks up, and tuck his shirt or t-shirt in. It is because he doesn’t exactly know how to behave when you are around. This is one of the attraction signs this guy likes you. 

Here are more secret signs of male attraction:

• Perhaps he will ask about your favorite color, and try to wear it more often
• He will also wear the scent he thinks you like. It means he finds you irresistible
• He will not only pay attention to your preferences but his actions will also show that your likes and dislikes matter to him
• When he sits, he will sit tall, not slouch. Being conscious of his appearance around you comes reflexively to him

13. One of the signs of physical attraction is that he raises his eyebrows

Out of all the male body language signs of attraction, this is the least obvious one. That is why we must remind you to take careful note of it. Most people tend to raise their eyebrows when they see something that attracts them or something that they like.

Does he raise his eyebrows when he sees you too? If you haven’t noticed this so far, pay attention the next time you’re with him. Such involuntary signs of attraction are hard to rein in and can be a dead giveaway of his feelings for you.

Related Reading: 10 Reasons He Suddenly Stopped Chasing You – Even When You Wanted Him To

14. His lips part a bit

Such signs of physical attraction are not just obvious, they are also hot. This usually happens when you lose control of your thoughts and drift away from the present moment. It is possible that he is fantasizing about you. Perhaps he is imagining what your first kiss would feel like, only half-listening to what you’re saying to him. Imagine if you come across such signs of male attraction at work. Scandalous but also delicious if you are into him too. If his lips are not listening to him, he really wants to kiss you.

15. There will be many ‘accidental’ touches

Your hands didn’t brush against each other accidentally, but because he carefully engineered it. When these little accidents of physical touch become far too frequent, it is one of the signs a man is attracted to you sexually. He’ll touch your arms and face. But not in a creepy way. A casual hug will be prolonged, even if for a second more. Touching your shoulder or lower back is also a sure-shot sign of attraction. The touches might be an innocent attempt to make you feel comfortable but deep down, they stem from an urge to develop physical intimacy with you.

16. He will let you see him checking you out

Sounds hot, doesn’t it? There is a term called visual voyaging, where he will look around and check you out till he stops at one particular body part or aspect of you that he adores the most. You catch him checking you out and smile to yourself thinking that you caught him. He got caught because he wanted you to notice that he was checking you out. It is his way of hinting that he likes you a lot and that he secretly wants you. It is also one of the most intense signs of male arousal leading to a loads of sexual tension as well.

17. Involuntary signs of attraction: His nostrils will flare

Now, this part is one of the most unromantic and unsexy nonverbal signs of attraction, but truth be told, his nostrils will flare when he sees you. Most guys don’t even realize this, but this is indeed one important body language sign that indicate their affection for you.

Flared nostrils don’t exactly scream sexy but it is one of those involuntary signs of attraction (that he cannot consciously control). On the bright side, if your guy has been masking all the other signs of hidden male attraction really well, then this could give you the answers you’ve been looking for.

Related Reading: 20 Signs He Is Not Into You – Don’t Waste Your Time!

18. He will not touch his phone

This is another great indicator that a man likes you. If a guy is attracted to you, all of his attention would be directed at only you and he’d put his phone on silent and keep it upside down when he is around you, unless he is expecting an important call. The lingering gaze and total attention are his way of letting you know how important you are to him.

If he is addicted to his phone but does not look at it when you are around, it is a good indicator of his feelings and his desire to connect on a deeper level with you. This gesture indicates a lot more than just an infatuation or a fleeting attraction. And if there is unspoken mutual attraction from both ends, then let the fireworks begin.

He Likes You — Now What?

These powerful signs of male attraction make his feelings clear as day. The question is, what are you going to do with this knowledge? Will you wait for him to ask you out on a date or are you bold enough to make the first move? Some men find it extremely hot and progressive when a woman makes the first move.

When he has shown you clear signs that he is into you, why not do the same for him? Show him you are interested in him as well. If he plays the gaze game with you, play along. If he touches you, you touch him back. If he leans toward you, lean in to show that you’re enjoying this growing physical proximity. If you want to express your affection more directly, try using long paragraphs for him to express your feelings.

When he gives you full attention, let him know he has your undivided attention as well. Basically, mirror the attraction signals he is sending your way to get this love story off the ground. The technique is called mirroring behavior and it lets the other person know that they are not alone in this business of attraction.

Physical signs like the ones listed in this article make it clear that you both like each other. Now it’s up to you if you want to ask him out on a date or directly jump into bed with him. Life is short. Don’t wait around for more powerful signs of male attraction to take the lead. 

This article has been updated in September 2023.

22 Signs A Married Man Is Flirting With You

How Do Men Show Love – 9 Subtle Hints

Confessions Of Five Women Who Say, “My Husband Cheated But I Feel Guilty”