We’ve all seen the movie ‘He’s Just Not That Into You’ which offers us Hollywood’s opinion on how to avoid making all the wrong moves. But in the real world, is it that simple for girls to know when a guy is into them? This week, Exeter Lad’s Opinion On… asks some real-life university boys their thoughts on how a guy will let you know he likes you. Be prepared for both sentimental and ‘laddish’ answers…
When you’re on a night out: One of EUMHC’s finest stated simply that his way of showing a girl his intentions was “gunning her on the ledge” (how charming – his words not ours!) It’s fair to say that most girls would be pretty offended at this. However to give you hope for the hockey club, one more sentimental member said “Buy them a drink. Talk to them. Chat to them. Dance with them. Message them.” So despite the contradictory advice given by the thousands of dating guides out there, if you’re dancing the night away, it really is as simple as someone making that extra effort to enagage with you.
Beyond the nightclub: This extra effort seems to manifest itself in all aspects of life. It really is as simple as the boy making the effort to text you or contact you after that first meeting. One guy also said that “finding mutual friends or mutual interests and similarities” was significant marker in making the effort to go the extra mile and learn more about you. The reasoning behind this was “to see how compatible” they were. Making the extra effort to see the girl outside of nights out was also key as it showed that the boy was interested in seeing her in situations that didn’t involve alcohol.
One of the recurring points that came up in our discussions was the issue of introducing the girl to their friends. An Exeter engineer stated that “introducing a girl to his friends was highly important!”. Another boy said that discussing the girl and their relationship with his friends was also a key point as it showed that the girl was important to him. For his friends to be made aware of her indicated that an introduction in the near future might occur. The engineer went onto say that “complimenting the girl alone and perhaps more importantly in front of his friends” was always a good sign that the guy was into her.
Body language is another area to look out for: one boy said that “when he’s interested in a girl he will make any attempt to touch her discretely on a night out.” A smile can also say a lot about how your love interest feels about you, especially as one boy stated if he’s into you “it’s a constant smile!”. So remember to not overlook the simple things!
It appears that the subject of how a boy shows his interest in you is still a minefield. Some will throw a horrendous chat up line your way, whilst others may suggest a date to Firehouse for their finest pizza.Whilst this select insight into the minds of a few Exeter students could seem a little simplistic, it’s quite refreshing to hear that good old conversation, body language and a smile work far better than all the cryptic and often infuriating pieces of advice given by dating manuals and cheesey films.
Different methods are used by different people, so there really is no ‘standard’ way for someone to declare their interest. However I can say that after my plentiful chats, it appears that guys are just as confused about how a girl shows that she’s interested! The overriding point seems to be as simple as this: if a guy likes you he will make that extra effort to show you.
Picture Credits: www.sodahead.com, www.livluv.com