Male Body Language - What He Is Really Trying To Say

As I mentioned earlier, men and women often display different body language.

In order to understand each other better, it’s helpful to recognize these differences.

There is one thing that you’ll notice when you start to study male body language.

Men’s body language tends to be more dominant.

Many male gestures are meant to signify “Hey, I’m the boss!” or “Don’t mess with me!”

Men tend to occupy more space when they’re communicating.

They will often show dominance by spreading their legs while sitting.

A man will often stand much further away when he’s first talking to another person. Men also tend to recline back when they are listening.

This allows him to remain in full control and observe the situation from a distance. That or else he’s hinting that you forgot your deodorant this morning!

Once he has established “control”, he will often stand much closer to the other person that a woman would. This is also a non-verbal gesture meant to signify dominance.

Many men keep their fingers together or point their fingers while speaking.

Our mothers all taught us that it’s impolite to point, but he probably doesn’t mean it as a negative gesture. Finger pointing often comes naturally to men.

The only time you need to worry is if he’s pointing his finger at you in a police lineup!

Men usually display less warmth and emotion in their faces. They use more reserved facial gestures.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that they are not interested in you or what you have to say. Women need to realize that this is a normal part of male body language.

Just remember, we said men tend to display “less warmth” – not “no warmth”. If a man is shooting daggers at you with his eyes, it’s probably not a good sign.

When is the last time you watched a man’s entire face light up? Well, other than when he buys his first expensive sports car…

Men just tend to show less emotion than women. Women need to learn to recognize and accept this fact.

A man will often tilt his head when he’s talking to you. This is a normal gesture common among males. Women shouldn’t interpret this as a sign he’s trying to check out the women behind you. Although we can’t make any promises…

Men usually face confrontation directly.

If a man finds himself in a heated discussion, he will often take a more direct approach than a woman. He may stare intently at the other person.

Or just walk away. But that won’t help our discussion so let’s stick with the staring!

His direct male body language signals that he is ready to face his fears and accept a challenge. Another common trait is for a man to take a step forward and then just stand there.

This is often interpreted by the other person as threatening.

Men tend to fidget more and change body positions more often than women.

Yes, we did say that fidgeting can be a sign of nervousness and anxiety. And it is.

But you also need to realize that men tend to fidget a lot more with their hands and feet.

A man will often pick up a pencil and toss it in the air or shift his body in the chair several times during a conversation. This doesn’t necessarily mean he’s bored – just a typical male!

Men often need more time to be able to focus on something than a woman does. Unless, of course, the “something” is a woman!

They may be displaying a long tradition of trying to “entice” the woman by showing off.

Have you ever noticed how a man will often fiddle with his new cell phone in front of a woman?

He may be subconsciously trying to show her “Hey, look at me. Look what I have to offer!”

For all of you women out there, take note of the following male body language:

• Dominant body gestures
• Reserved facial expressions
• Faces confrontation directly
• Tendency to fidget

These gestures may be typically annoying to women, but they’re also typically male!

Learning to recognize some common male body language, especially how men flirt, will improve your communication with the opposite sex.

This article is about male body language. To return to Body Language, click here.