Actions speak louder than words, no matter how subtle.
And when it comes to having a crush, you wonder what’s going on in their head after any interaction with them. We’ve all wondered what they’re really thinking outside of what they tell you.
Fortunately, there’s another way to tell if your crush likes you outside of their words. It’s through their nonverbal behavior. Whether it’s facial expressions, body movement, or the direction of their eyes — it can be a telling sign of their interest. Here are 4 common nonverbal behaviors that can signal that your crush likes you back.
Mimicry
One tell-tale sign that your crush is into you is through mimicry. When you raise your voice, do they raise their voice? When you touch your hair, do they touch their hair? The list goes on. According to Sally Farley (Division of Applied Behavioral Sciences, University of Baltimore), “A wealth of literature supports the general tendency for individuals to mimic the gestures, postures, idioms, accents, vocal style and pitch of their interaction partners.” So if you find your crush copying you, take it as a compliment.
Eye Contact
Heavy eye contact is another cue that your crush likes you back. When you’re talking to each other or sitting near each other, do they maintain eye contact? Or, to put it in romantic terms, do they tend to gaze into your eyes? Denise Solomon, Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences at Penn State, says “People rate partners who make a lot of eye contact as more intimate, more attracted to one another and more trusting than partners who make less eye contact.” Next time you’re having a conversation with your crush, try to pay attention to their eyes and where they wander.
Smiling
This may be self-explanatory, but if you catch your crush smiling at you, that’s a good indication he’s into you too. Susan Jones (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, assistant professor in the Department of Communication) and Laura Guerrero (Arizona State University, associate professor in the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication) say that smiling is one of multiple behaviors that signal positive liking and communicate interpersonal warmth. If smiling is a common theme throughout the conversations with your crush, then this is good news.
Direct Body Orientation
You may have heard of the theory of crossed legs, the one that implies if they’re crossed towards you they like you and if they’re crossed away from you they’re not interested. Turns out there’s truth to this! Jones and Guerrero also stated that direct body orientation towards someone can signal relational intimacy and psychological closeness. Pay attention to the way your crush’s body is positioned and if they have the option to direct it towards yours.
Will you be looking out for any of these nonverbal cues? Let us know @VALLEYmag on Instagram.
