How did your last date go? Just okay? Or, are you uncertain as to how much the other person enjoyed themselves? Listen, not all of us are naturally attuned to the cues others give off that signal attraction. Others of us may also default to thinking that people secretly can’t stand us.
Well, forget everything you think you know and start paying close attention to the subtler signs. Here are five small ways to tell whether or not your date is really into you.
1. They ask questions
At first, this may not seem like a sure sign someone likes you. After all, small talk is the stuff average encounters are made of. But consider the questions they ask you. Do they ask multiple questions about a single topic? Do they ask you how you feel about the topics you’re discussing, or do they just want straight facts?
If their line of questioning goes beyond “What do you do for a living?”, There’s a decent chance they’re into you. Because dating these days is fast and casual to suit super-busy schedules, taking the time to learn about someone is a sign they’re getting to like you.
2. Similar body language
It’s probably not worth it to get too into body language, which is a very imprecise and easily mistranslated “science.” However, mirroring is one sure sign that your date is all wrapped up in your interaction.
Mirroring is where your posture and mannerisms match up reasonably well with your date’s. You may make similar gestures, respond with like speech patterns, and maintain similar postures. Next time you’re on a date, consciously shift your posture and see if your date adjusts their posture in response. If they do, it means they’re present and focused on you.
3. Eye contact
Eye contact may not tell us whether or not it’s true love, but it does tell us whether or not a person is remotely focused on us. Honestly, if a date is looking down at their phone half of the time, we can gather they’re not that interested.
But if your date makes easy, natural eye contact frequently, it’s much more likely they’re into you.
4. Laughing and smiling
Has your self-esteem taken some hits recently? If so, you might think that people who laugh at your jokes are just trying to be nice. But modern dating truly doesn’t leave much room for disingenuousness – we no longer feel obligated to appease someone we only plan on seeing once.
If you shared some laughs with your date, or you notice that they smiled a lot, it’s a simple, honest sign that they enjoyed themselves.
5. They follow up.
Don’t disregard any calls or texts that come after your date. As we’ve said, modern dating in a fast-paced, tech-driven world means people don’t have to entertain or humor dates they don’t want to see again.
So if you get a text in the hours or days following your date, rejoice! If they want to thank you for showing them a good time, take the initiative and ask them out again.
