So Valentine’s Day is well and truly over, and the horrible pink lights in Loughborough town centre might actually be taken down soon. So maybe you had a date for Valentine’s, maybe you didn’t. Maybe you’re still with them, or maybe it didn’t work out. Maybe you just find it difficult to find the right person to date.
One of the only ways we have to figure out whether anyone is actually interested though is by reading body language: It makes up around 80% of our communication so it’s pretty darn important! So next time you’re out at the union reversing all the effects of makeup and hairspray, take the time to watch the people around you and see if you spot any of these tell-tale signs…
- Distance – If someone is interested in you, they will keep the distance between you smaller compared to other people.
- Orientation – Watch their shoulders and feet. If either or both are pointing in your direction, it means they’re focused on you , even they’re talking to someone else.
- Mirroring – We naturally copy the body language of people we like and respect, so if you notice someone cross their legs just after you, or rest their chin on their hand in the same way as you, you’re onto a winner.
- Voice – Weirdly, if we like someone, we copy the pitch of their voice in conversation. So next time you’re chatting to someone you fancy, try lowering your voice slightly and see if they bring theirs down to match.
- Smile – It’s an obvious one but smiling is a clear sign that someone likes you and it makes you a more likeable person too.
- Eye Contact – It’s all in the eyes, so try this: If you catch them looking at you, quickly look away, wait a few seconds and look back again. If you catch their eye again, hold it a bit longer than you would usually and smile. They’ll be cuaght hook, line and sinker.
- Dilated Pupils – Your pupils dilate (get bigger) when you look at something you like. Perhaps something you’re less likely to notice in the darkness of a club, but look out for it during the day.
- The Triangle – Imagine a triangle with their mouth and eyes as the three corners, now let your gaze travel around the triangle. You subconsciously look at a person’s whole face if you like them, not just their eyes. If you’re trying to intimidate someone, don’t look below their eyes but keep your gaze alternating between looking them in the eye and at their lower forehead.
- Puffing Out and ‘Crotch Signalling’ – Here’s one that only men do. They puff out their chests to look more masculine and hook their thumbs into their belt loops, pointing to their crotches. Subtle…
- Eyebrow Raise – When someone looks at you, if they like you they raise their eyebrows for a split second. It’s called the ‘eyebrow flash’, but it really is over in a ‘flash’ so you might just miss it if you’re not careful.
- The Touch Barrier – This is possibly the most obvious of all clues. Breaking the touch barrier could simply mean touching their arm when emphasising a point or laughing at a joke. They could hug you for no apparent reason or compare hand sizes. Either way, any excuse to touch you implies that they sort of like you. Good stuff!
