Texting can be a daily struggle. Sure, it’s easy to whip out a few lines to your friends, but trying to impress a guy with a witty message is stressful. I know girls who agonize over the correct reply as if one actually exists. One night, an entire dinner with my friends revolved around deciphering a text conversation. I remember debating the merits of the smiley emoticon and if three ys in “hey” was overkill. To regain sanity in your life, remind yourself that guys think differently than girls. It’s that simple.
Everyone wants to find that elusive perfect phrase to catch the attention of their latest romantic interest. Girls are so worried about making a mistake in a text that their message turns out all convoluted and cryptic. For the simple reason that guys never consult their friends about texting demonstrates that a text is only a text. Guys love flirty banter but the precise wording doesn’t matter–what matters is clarity.
After consulting a guy friend, I gleaned a few more texting tips. He advised to refrain from overthinking your message but to speak what is on your mind. When attempting to decode a guy’s response, do not think too much into it. Their texting style is straightforward. A guy appreciates a clear text and will like you better for it. It’s not that guys don’t care, they just think differently. If you do tease or make fun of a guy through a text, be sure it’s very obvious that you are being playful. Sarcasm can easily go so wrong in writing, and no one wants to bruise the ego of a potential hookup. The same clear texting style should apply to flirty comments, too.
On VH1 show, Tough Love: Miami, eight women are sent through a dating boot camp. The latest episode, “Dating in a Digital Age,” showed how cryptic flirting can skew your message. The host supplied the women with phones to text their dates but the texts actually went to him, allowing him to see where their messages got lost in translation. One woman while discussing an upcoming fishing excursion with her date, texted him and requested that “he bait her hook for her.” From this, a guy wouldn’t know if the woman was trying to be flirty or if she was needing assistance. A simple text about her excitement would have clued the guy in on her emotions.
Another thing to remember is that if a guy doesn’t text you, then he really is just not that into you. That’s not to say that he hates you if he doesn’t respond to your texts within two seconds, but guys tend to go after what they want. If they don’t make the effort to at least text, then they aren’t worth it. Girls are usually not so good at conveying their interest. If you like a guy, it should be apparent. Boys need a little hint of your thoughts to keep making an effort. So the next time you compose a text, relax and don’t worry about making it perfect. Oh and forget about waiting a certain amount of time before you text back; I promise you, guys will not notice!
Sources:
Freak out (photo): Crushable.com, http://crushable.com/relationships/textual-healing-how-to-stop-a-text-stalker/
Phone circle (photo): Rita Ohai, http://ritaohai.blog.com/2011/04/22/phonemania-as-published-in-the-nation-newspaper-on-the-17th-of-april-2011/texting-group/