11 Tiny Gestures That Speak Loudly When Someone Is Very Attracted To You
Once you recognize these subtle behaviors, there's no turning back.
AYO Production | Shutterstock While many of us like to envision our dream relationships, perfect first dates, and meet cutes being defined by intentional conversations and romantic gestures, a lot of our subtle nonverbal behaviors do most of the talking for us. When someone feels drawn to another, their body reacts first, evoking feelings of excitement and adrenaline that often manifest into many of the tiny gestures that speak loudly when someone is very attracted to you.
Just like any other conversation, this is why it's incredibly important to acknowledge and recognize romantic nonverbal cues, like psychologist Alison Tarlow suggests, so you can confidently pursue connections with new people without anxiety about mutual understanding and attraction.
Here are 11 tiny gestures that speak loudly when someone is very attracted to you
1. They mirror your body language
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Mirroring, otherwise deemed the "Chameleon Effect," is the practice of either intentionally or subconsciously copying someone else's body language cues or gestures. According to a study from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, someone's tendency to mirror another often contributes to a more positive perception of that person.
In many cases, a person prone to mirroring is often attracted or impressed by the person they're mimicking, trying to find similarities or share movements with them, even if it's entirely subconscious. From standing in the same way to following eye movements, many consider mirroring to be an effective dating ritual, helping to signal attraction and interest in others without saying a word.
Of course, it's important to use this tactic carefully. While it is one of the tiny gestures that speak loudly when someone is very attracted to you, there's also potential for it to become creepy and unsettling if it's overused.
2. They lean towards you
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While it might seem subtle and simple in everyday conversations, you can tell a lot about someone's feelings for you by their body language. Especially if they tend to open their body up, hold their shoulders back, and lean in your direction when you enter a room, those could be some of the tiny gestures that speak loudly when someone is very attracted to you.
Both in a general sense and a physical sense, we tend to be more attracted to people close to us. This means that not only do we feel an emotional pull towards people we know well in our lives, we can also signal attraction using physical closeness, even with something as subtle as turning our knees to face someone in conversation or sitting in the passenger seat of a car.
3. They maintain eye contact
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According to a study published in Computers in Human Behavior, eye contact is one of the most important nonverbal cues we use to signal affection and attraction in our relationships and connections. Not only does it help us to form bonds and relay a sense of general interest, it's also been proven to help alleviate anxiety and uncertainty between two people when it's maintained.
While it's important to note that mutual attraction, fueled by other things like honest communication, subtle physical touch, and emotional connection, often sparks more intense and intentional eye contact, it's also one of the tiny gestures that speak loudly when someone is very attracted to you.
So, the next time you find someone attractive at a restaurant or out in public, try using eye contact to draw them in — you'd be surprised how effectively it can communicate your attraction.
4. Their pupils dilate
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Considering oxytocin and dopamine — deemed the "love hormones" in response to external stimuli like flirting or communication — affect pupil size, it's not surprising that a surge in their presence dilates our eyes. Similarly, some experts suggest that our pupil size is linked with our innately biological need for reproduction, causing our eyes to dilate in response to our attraction toward others.
While many people don't recognize pupil dilation, despite making eye contact alongside with other tiny gestures that speak loudly when someone is very attracted to you, it's still an impactful nonverbal cue, sparked by internal hormones and feelings that many people can't deny.
In fact, some studies, like one published in Hormones and Behavior, even suggest there's a more intense link between dilated pupils and attraction in existing relationships during a person's menstrual cycle.
5. They intentionally make physical contact
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Whether you're already in a relationship, on a first date, or meandering around in public, physical touch as an expression of affection and attraction is incredibly important. Not only does it reaffirm existing connections, helping people feel valued and seen, it's one of the gestures that speak loudly when someone is very attracted to you, even if you don't know each other all that well.
If you notice a quick single touch, it's possible that it was accidental. However, a slight graze of your fingers, a bump on the hip, or an arm on your back — especially when it falls in line with a consistent pattern — can be a sign that someone likes you.
6. They blush
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According to a study from the Journal of the Theory of Social Behavior, blushing has almost always been considered a nonverbal sign of attractiveness and attraction. Caused by a natural rush of adrenaline, sparked by things like the intensity of being around your crush or flirting with someone you find attraction, we turn pink and blush as our blood vessels dilate.
Of course, in many cases, blushing can be a response to a wide variety of emotions that spark adrenaline, from embarrassment, to anger, and even envy; however, coupled with the other tiny gestures that speak loudly when someone is very attracted to you, it can be hard to miss.
7. Their palms are sweaty
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While it might not be the romantic gesture or welcoming sense of touch we expect from people while we're flirting, sweating, specifically sweaty palms, is one of the tiny gestures that speak loudly when someone is attracted to you.
Fueled by the same kind of adrenaline rush that encourages us to blush, feeling attracted to someone can also spark feelings of nervousness, anxiety, and excitement that causes us to sweat. While it might not be what you expect when you shake someone's hand or feel their touch on your shoulder, take it as a compliment — the people who are attracted to you don't have control over how their body reacts to a crush.
8. They're attentive in conversations
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Sometimes, recognizing when someone is attracted to you is as simple as this: they're listening. While it might seem like a healthy baseline and bare minimum expectation for people in healthy relationships and connections, active listening isn't something a lot of people prioritize in their daily lives, whether they mean it or not.
When someone gives you their full attention and makes an effort to be engaged with verbal and nonverbal cues, it may not immediately signal romantic attraction towards you, but at the very least, they're willing to sacrifice their time, energy, and attention to make you feel heard — which should say something about their interest in you.
9. They smile or laugh a lot around you
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According to Harvard psychologists, there's a lot of power behind a smile. Not only does it help to cultivate and promote a more positive atmosphere for everyone nearby, it ensures the person smiling feels more balanced and emotionally supported.
While it might seem obvious, even if it's completely subconscious to the person smiling and laughing, a person's tendency to elicit that positivity and joy around you is often a sign of their attraction towards you.
Coupled with the other tiny gestures that speak loudly when someone is very attracted to you, don't underestimate the power of a smile and laugh when you're first meeting someone, on a first date, or trying to pursue a new connection.
10. They raise their eyebrows
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According to psychologist Sabrina Romanoff, subtle nonverbal behaviors often communicate more about someone's attraction, especially in the early stages of a conversation or connection, than their words are able to. Even something as small as noticing someone's eyebrows raise when you enter into a room can be one of the gestures that speak loudly when someone is attracted to you.
Not only have you caught their attention, urging them to focus by opening their eyes and expressing more interest in you, they signal their ability to be more engaged in conversation with a subtle cue like this.
11. They fix their clothes or hair when you're around
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Someone who cares enough about how they're presenting themselves to you, especially when they're nervously fidgeting with their hair and clothes when you're around, may be signaling their attraction to you.
Despite being one of the more subconscious gestures that someone is attracted to you, it's also one of the most common. Even in situations like a job interview, where we're signaling attraction to a job or trying to impress someone in an entirely non-intimate setting, we subconsciously rely on this behavior.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.