The science bit

Throughout the history of mankind, whenever there’s been a seemingly unanswerable question, science has always tried to step in and quantify the unquantifiable, attempting to solve some of life’s greatest mysteries like “Why were we put on this planet?”, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” and “Does he like me?” is another one of those questions.

According to anthropologist David Givens, who did a study male and female behaviour in bars, male baboons on the grasslands of East Africa swagger when they foresee a potential sexual encounter. According to Givens, the equivalent in humans would be an over pronounced walk. Either that or he’s got a chronic condition in which case it’s probably best not to mention it.

Similarly, caution and shying away may be a sign he likes you. We can learn this, apparently, by observing what happens when a male wolf spider wants some female wolf spider action. To get to her he has to crawl into her living quarters down a long, dark entrance and he typically does this slowly. And you would too if over eagerness meant she’d eat you alive! So the human equivalent, acting all cool, could well mean that he, just like the wolf spider, does in fact like you, he’s just erring on the side of caution because he’s scared you’ll eat him and he’ll end up not getting any. Making sense? We hope so.

 The real world

When we look at something we’re attracted to, our pupils dilate, allowing us to take as much of it in as possible. So if you notice his pupils appear larger than normal when he’s looking at you, assuming he’s not under the influence of anything intoxicating or you’re just standing in the dark when that happens, it may mean that you have an admirer. Or stalker. If he's looking at your face, that helps too.

Men are visual creatures so any lingering eye contact is positive. If you catch him sneaking a cheeky peek at you and then drastically changing his gaze when you catch him, this means that he’s obeying the man part of his brain and seeing what’s on offer. That paired with a raised eyebrow or a wide smile must be certain signs that he at least likes what he’s seeing. Again, the face and not the boobs are key things to consider here.

Holding eye contact with you when you’re talking suggests that as well as liking the exterior, he might just be listening and actually interested in what you have to say, who you are and what you do and don’t like. Breaking eye contact or being reluctant to look you in the eye doesn’t necessarily mean that he doesn’t like you, it could just be shyness. Or he could be lying about something. It’s tricky to judge.

The verdict

To put things simply, all the things which indicate that he might like you can also equally be signs that he doesn’t, or that he only likes you as a friend. Wouldn’t life be a lot more simple if you just cut out all the rubbish and wondering and deconstructing his every micro behaviour and just asked him?

After all, he’s the only one who’s going to be able to tell you definitely whether he does or doesn’t like you. If you have any tips, add them below...