Jealousy is often branded as the red flag that has enough potential to end the best relationships.
And yet, there is also this notion of being “cute” in the case of jealousy. Perhaps it’s the feeling of being so special to them, to the point of making them jealous, that helped grant the greens of envy some reach outside their diabolical essence.
Regardless of what the case is, it’s important that you understand how a jealous man reacts and what the main signs are.
Here are some of the reactions men have when they are jealous of you.
How Does a Man React When He’s Jealous?
1. He shrugs his shoulders
It can be about anything you’re talking about with a little too much interest.
It doesn’t matter if you’re talking about a guy, your best friend, or even your pet. Anyone given enough importance in your life will probably not please you.
So even if you’re just casually mentioning that new guy at the office, there’s this tendency to just ignore him.
Or even your favorite puppy that you love so much more than anyone else will be reason enough to make him jealous and furious.
Because anyone who catches your eye distresses this guy enough to make him jealous, this is perhaps one of the most visible signs of how much he likes you.
It’s no wonder that, in his inexplicable and uncontrolled fits of envy, the poor guy ends up shrugging his shoulders, even when he’s dying to do just the opposite.
2. He starts ignoring you
This might sound paradoxical – evoking signs of jealousy from a guy who is ignoring you so much that there can’t be any way he can like you. But this is, in fact, the crooked way in which human psychology works, let alone that of people who drown in love.
Whether ignoring them is a way to make you miss them or just an escape plan so your feelings don’t become too evident is the question that leaves them stunned.
Either way, it’s clear they have feelings for you. He may play the ignoring game because he fears that staying engaged with you will incite more fits of jealousy. So he ignores you, hoping you’ll notice, or rather his absence, miss him, and end up falling in love with him!
3. He gets sticky
Not every guy who likes you is going to deliver the signals by acting distant and jealous. There are also some for whom envy makes them more attached than they ever would.
Especially for someone who is interested in you, this new attachment can essentially be a means of not ‘letting’ you interact with others. From texting every minute of the day ( e.g. “Girl, I like you”, “I need you more”, “Hi beautiful, I need more time with you” and “I’m into your girl” ) to be with you in person whenever he can, this guy will go out of his way to make sure you’re not free enough to yearn for others.
But maybe this is the point at which the cuteness of jealousy starts to turn into something more disturbing.
Of course, you can still ignore all of this as indicative of too much affection. But, this type of person would probably be the wrong person to fall in love with if you are looking for a healthy relationship.
4. He behaves rather rudely
While rudeness is not a universal indication of jealousy, it can largely be a result of it.
A guy who would be jealous of these things that worry you because he likes you so much will show very visible signs of rudeness. Even when it’s not in his nature to snap, he’d probably come across as rude because there’s this internal conflict he’s having to deal with.
Because envy is usually a negative state of mind, a jealous person is rarely at peace with himself.
And anyone whose inner holiness is disheveled is likely to do things contrary to their nature.
Regardless of how in love with you he is, this guy might even be downright rude to you.
Whether attacking you, cutting him off abruptly or simply choosing to humiliate him, he will do it all. He will also seem rude to others, especially people who have his attention.
He may be doing everything unintentionally because he is not being himself in his jealousy. But all these momentary, involuntary outbursts of indignation are not going to do you any good. This will make him even more undesirable and unworthy, driving you away from him.
This is yet another manifestation of how jealousy can ruin even potential relationships, unless, of course, he takes responsibility for his actions and genuinely apologizes for them while working up the courage to make a confession.
5. He behaves like an idiot
Sometimes you don’t even need signs to decipher if the guy who likes you is jealous. Because sometimes he can be a total jerk. An idiot so insufferable it makes you want to beat him up. He makes you feel guilty, is inconsistent in his actions with you, leaves you confused, and acts unbearably cold. That’s because he has no idea how to handle all the drama that ensues from him.
He may be in a dilemma because not even he knows the new him. In envy of him, this guy who otherwise loves you so much starts getting mean for no reason.
He gets so affected and so unsure about how to react that he ends up behaving like an idiot. You might feel sorry for or upset with him because that’s what jealousy does to even the nicest people around.
6. He looks to you for reassurance
It is in the very nature of humans that they always turn to those they love for their safety. The same would happen to the guy who likes you enough to be jealous, showing such security-seeking signs.
Even when he may not be actively asking for it, he still sends out subtle signals that will lead you to strengthen him in spirit. As feelings of jealousy arise when he is unsure of himself, the more of you the more vulnerable he becomes.
He knows your irrational feelings and your fears will disappear once you clear the air for him. That’s why he constantly seeks your safety, despite not being very direct.
So if the guy you have a hunch might like you is constantly looking for your validation, then most likely he’s looking for a way to stave off his jealousy.
And this guy definitely deserves a fair shot, as he’s been trying every means possible to get positivity out of something that is essentially a negative emotion.
7. He acts like he’s your boyfriend!
Anyone who is even slightly interested in you will want to be aware of everything going on in your life. The same will happen to the guy who talks to you day after day because he likes you so much.
But when you don’t say all the details beforehand because it’s casual enough for you, things start to get weird and he starts to get jealous.
You might have had a wonderful day with the girls and not once mentioned it to him. But when he finds out through her tagged social media posts, he is devastated. He suddenly starts acting distant and grumpy, and that’s the jealousy circling around.
From referring to these non-isolated incidents over and over again to even letting you know how upset he is, he starts acting a bit like his own boyfriend! This is something jealousy provokes in him, for how else are you going to explain that someone who hasn’t even had the courage to confess dares to risk losing everything now?
It’s even one of the signs that this guy actually wants to be your boyfriend because he likes you so much to be so jealous!