Having a crush can be an exciting yet nerve-wracking experience for many guys. When a guy develops feelings for someone, he may find himself acting differently around that person and going out of his way to get their attention. While every guy handles crushes differently, there are some common behaviors and signs that a guy likes someone. Here are some of the key things guys do when they have a crush:
They Make Efforts to Talk and Be Around the Person
One of the most obvious signs a guy has a crush is that he goes out of his way to be around the person and interact with them. He’ll look for opportunities to start up conversations, ask them questions to get to know them better, and find excuses to be physically close to them. Guys are often nervous around someone they like, so they may stumble over their words or say awkward things when trying to talk to their crush. Nonetheless, they’ll pursue any chance to talk and be around their crush, whether it’s between classes, during lunch breaks, or in social settings after school or work.
They Ask Mutual Friends About the Person
Since a guy is eager to learn more about the object of his affection, he may fish around for information by asking mutual friends about their crush. He’ll want to find out if their crush has mentioned him at all or expressed any interest. Guys will try to slyly bring up the person they like in conversation to see how friends respond and analyze any reaction. They may ask about details like what the person’s interests are, who they have crushes on, what their schedule is like, and what friends think of them. This gives guys more material to spark conversations with their crush.
They Make an Effort with Their Appearance
In an attempt to impress their crush, guys will often put extra care into their physical appearance when they know they’ll be around that person. They may style their hair, upgrade their wardrobe to look sharper, invest in fashionable accessories, or wear cologne or body spray. Even guys who are generally laidback about their style will take the time to look their best around someone they’re trying to pursue romantically. They want their crush to find them attractive, so they’ll do what they can to improve their looks.
They Display Signs of Nervousness
It’s common for guys to feel anxious and display nervous behaviors when interacting with someone they like. Just being around their crush can make their heart race, palms sweat, voices shake, and minds go blank. A guy with a crush may stumble over his words, say something embarrassing, or knock things over accidentally. He may shove his hands in his pockets or fidget when talking to his crush. Blushing frequently around that person is also a giveaway. These nervous habits manifest involuntarily because the guy feels pressure to impress their crush.
They Find Excuses to Touch or Be Physically Close
Many guys will find subtle ways to initiate physical contact with their crush or position themselves closer physically. This could involve high-fiving them when excited, sitting or standing next to them whenever possible, playfully teasing or nudging them, leaning in close to point something out, or putting an arm around their shoulder casually. Touching is a form of flirtation that feels tantalizing when someone has a crush. The guy is hoping such gestures will be reciprocated as a signal of mutual interest. Even minimal physical contact brings excitement when emotions are involved.
They Act Protective and Chivalrous
Guys are often chivalrous around someone they like, going out of their way to protect them or assist them. They’ll offer to carry the person’s books, give them a ride home, help them study, save them a seat at lunch, lend them a jacket, or check they get home safely. Some show protectiveness by confronting anyone who treats their crush poorly. While modern women don’t require this paternalistic treatment, guys instinctively want to serve as a guardian for someone they care for deeply. The “damsel in distress” somehow brings out their heroic side.
They Show Off or Grandstand
To advertise their merits, guys will often showcase their talents, knowledge, accomplishments, wealth, or other desirable traits around their crush. For instance, he may brag about his athletic prowess, gaming skills, musical talents, intellectual abilities, or other areas of competence. Guys may also grandstand by telling stories that show them in an impressive light, talking about their exciting future plans and dreams, or emphasizing their popularity. By highlighting their qualities in this way, they hope to gain their crush’s admiration and signal they would make a good romantic match.
They Express Interest and Attentiveness
Guys make an effort to signal interest and pay close attention to the object of their affection. They maintain eye contact during conversations to show they’re fully engaged. They respond positively and enthusiastically to the person’s comments and stories to indicate they enjoy their company. Guys ask their crush lots of questions to keep the conversation flowing and learn more about them. They’ll also remember small details, like the person’s schedule, preferences, interests, family members’ names, etc. This conveys they care about what’s important to their crush.
They Get Competitive or Show Off Around Other Men
When other males are pursuing the same woman, a guy will often exhibit competitive or jealous behaviors around the “romantic rival.” He may interject himself into their conversations, try to one-up the other man’s comments or accomplishments, point out the man’s flaws behind his back, or stare him down intimidatingly. This shifts into protective mode if the other man is being too aggressive in pursuing the woman. While immature, these competitive displays stem from the guy’s fear that the “alpha male” will win the woman’s affection first.
They Find Excuses to Compliment the Person
Sincere compliments are a direct way guys express their affection and admiration for someone. They’ll look for ways to praise their crush’s appearance, talents, personality traits, accomplishments, style, or other attributes. A guy may compliment his crush’s outfit, hairstyle, smile, sense of humor, intelligence, creativity, athleticism, musical talents, etc. It’s a feel-good way to communicate “I like you” without being too upfront initially. Plus, they hope to make their crush feel confident, admired, and deserving of romance.
They Gauge if the Person Likes Them Back
Ultimately, guys want to know if the attraction is mutual before revealing their true feelings. So they’ll test the waters in subtle ways, such as playfully teasing their crush to see how they respond, asking leading questions, or observing body language for clues. If she laughs at his jokes, seems comfortable around him, texts back quickly, and finds excuses to be near him, the guy may take that as a green light to get serious about pursuing romance. But if she seems aloof, he’ll hesitate making overt romantic gestures to avoid embarrassment.
They Open Up and Reveal Personal Details
Opening up shows emotional investment, so guys will reveal personal details, views, dreams and insecurities to someone they feel really connected to. The conversations become deeper and more meaningful when there’s a crush involved. He’ll share stories from his childhood, family issues, future goals, and other intimate topics once trust is established. This private self-disclosure demonstrates a desire to be vulnerable around that person. It also invites reciprocation that forges an emotional bond outside of small talk.
They Initiate Inside Jokes and Shared Experiences
Guys often try to build rapport with their crush by initiating inside jokes only the two of them understand and share. This could involve teasing each other using funny nicknames, bringing up embarrassing moments as ongoing punchlines, sending humorous memes back and forth, or reminiscing about adventures or misadventures they shared together. They may also quote lines from movies, songs, or shows they both enjoy. These inside jokes strengthen intimacy between them.
They Offer Thoughtful Gifts and Favors
Gift-giving allows guys to convey their feelings for someone without a direct confession. They may give homemade gifts that show effort, like mix tapes or playlists of their crush’s favorite music, personalized poetry or drawings, baked treats, or other DIY presents. Store-bought gifts like flowers, jewelry or the person’s favorite snacks also work. Guys also do favors like volunteering to wash the person’s car, help them with projects, give them rides, or do their part of shared work. These acts of service demonstrate devotion.
They Make Playful Bets to Get Rewards
bets are a playful way for guys to interact with their crush. For example, they may bet who can score the most basketball shots. If the guy wins, he’ll say “If I win, you owe me lunch tomorrow!” Other bets could be who can complete a task faster or get a better grade on a test. The reward is usually something that gives an excuse to spend more time together. The competitive nature of bets also allows good-humored teasing and showing off skills to impress their crush.
They Get Jealous and Territorial
It’s common for guys to experience jealousy when their crush shows interest in someone else. They may confront the “romantic rival” passive-aggressively telling him to back off. When their crush speaks fondly about another guy, they may sulk, make sarcastic remarks, or try to convince her that the other guy isn’t right for her. Some jealousy stems from the fear they’ve misread signals from their crush and don’t have a real chance with them. Other times it’s purely a territorial reaction to “competing” males approaching “their” crush.
They daydream about them
Guys tend to let their mind wander when thinking about someone they like. They imagine going on romantic dates together holding hands, cuddling while watching movies, slow dancing together, traveling the world together, and all the other fantastical things couples do. Daydreams allow guys to escape to a world where they’re already dating their crush. It’s an enjoyable mental exercise even if the daydreams never materialize into reality. This harmless cringey habit demonstrates how smitten he is.
They Get Tongue-Tied and Mess Up Words
Conversations don’t always flow smoothly when speaking to someone you’re crushing on hard. The excitement and pressure to impress make the guy’s mind go blank. He may stumble over words, mess up phrases, or even call their crush by the wrong name on accident. Moving the topic along quickly is the best recovery tactic when they verbally stumble. But these conversational flubs demonstrate how easily the guy gets flustered around his crush. It’s endearing how someone can turn him into a bumbling, tongue-tied mess without even trying.
They Find Ways to Be Helpful and Charming
Guys shift into charming gentleman mode when interacting with someone they like. They’ll help carry heavy objects, open doors, give up their seat, lend out belongings, repair things that are broken, run errands, let them cut in line, and various other polite and helpful behaviors. Some offer to assist with homework, give free tutoring in their area of expertise, help polish their crush’s resume, offer career advice, or otherwise mentor them. These thoughtful gestures aim to win their crush’s heart by being as charming as possible.
They Get Extra Giddy and Laugh More Frequently
Having a crush can make guys feel giddy, slap-happy, and constantly on the verge of laughter around that person. They’ll get excited and burst out laughing over minor jokes, funny stories, or random quirky moments between them. Spending time with their crush elevates their mood, puts them in a euphoric state, and everything seems more hilarious. When a joke only elicits a mild chuckle from others, the guy with a crush may erupt in over-the-top hysterical laughter. Their body produces natural opiates when around their crush, so everything seems funnier.
They Request Hanging Out One-On-One
When a guy works up the nerve, he’ll try arranging time alone with his crush outside of school, work, or social group outings. This may start under the guise of work (“Let’s study together at the library”), productivity (“Want to hit the gym/go for a run together after class?”), or convenience (“I can give you a ride home after school”). But the ultimate aim is to hang out one-on-one in a dating scenario. If the crush agrees, it gives him a perfect opportunity to bond, reveal his feelings, and gauge if she’s open to something more romantic.
They Settle for Being Friends, at Least for Now
When romance isn’t working out immediately, some guys play the “long game” by building a friendship first. This allows them to gradually get closer to their crush until the timing might be better for a relationship. They may bide their time until after finals, a big work obligation, or after their crush ends things with a current partner. Remaining friends also keeps hope alive if both people are single down the road. For shy guys, the friendship route feels safer than risking asking the person out and being rejected outright.
They Work on Self-Improvement
Some guys respond to an intense crush by trying to better themselves in hopes of becoming more desirable. They may start eating healthier, working out more often, reading books, exploring new hobbies, learning new skills, focusing more on school or their career, or finding constructive ways to build confidence. While the motivation is their crush, improving themselves in areas like physical fitness, education, career, and character will ultimately help them mature into an admirable person ready for a real relationship when the time comes.
They Eventually Confess Their Feelings
Harboring a secret crush is exciting initially but emotionally draining over time. The uncertainty eats away at a guy until he feels compelled to act. So eventually, most guys will gather up the nerve to confess their romantic interest in the person. They may directly ask their crush on a date or to be their girlfriend/boyfriend. Dropping less overt hints by asking “What do you think about me?” and gauging their reaction can also test the waters. One way or another, the truth will eventually come out if the infatuation becomes overwhelming.
Conclusion
While every guy handles crushes differently, pursuing romance initiates a host of behaviors, emotions and thought patterns most guys experience. Nervous excitement, increased attraction gestures, and going out of their way to impress their crush allow guys to nonverbally signal their interest. But actually verbalizing those feelings directly or making overt romantic moves involves facing potential rejection head-on. That vulnerability keeps many guys stuck crushing from afar rather than finding out if it could develop into something real. However, getting the nerve to open up despite uncertainty is often necessary to turn a secret crush into a mutual romance.