What does it mean when a guy avoids answering a question?

If a guy avoided answering one of your questions you’re probably wondering why he did it.

This post will help you figure out why he avoided your question and it will help you figure out why a guy might be avoiding your question as it happens in the future.

So, what does it mean when a guy avoids answering a question?

1. He doesn’t want to upset you
2. He’s hiding something
3. He is worried that it will get him in trouble
4. He doesn’t know the answer
5. He wants to avoid drama
6. The topic annoys him
7. He has a bad history with the topic

Since there are a number of different reasons why a guy will avoid answering your question it would be important to consider the context of the question itself and the body language signals that he shows when he’s asked it.

By doing so you’ll be able to get a better understanding of why he would avoid the question.

Reasons why a guy will avoid answering a question

Each of the different reasons why a guy will avoid answering a question will likely come with a number of clues in his body language.

Below, I will mention a number of reasons why a guy will avoid answering a question and the body language signals that you should look for with them.

He doesn’t want to upset you

One reason that a guy might avoid answering one of your questions might be because he doesn’t want to upset you.

If that is the case then the question would likely be about something that you feel emotional about and he might even give you an answer that he thinks that you want to hear.

If he is avoiding the question because he doesn’t want to upset you then it would be likely that he would show signs of nervousness such as:

• Rubbing the arms, legs, face or neck
• Scratching the head or neck
• Looking away
• Speaking at a higher pitch
• Eye avoidance

He is worried that it will get him in trouble

It could be the case that he doesn’t want to answer the question because he is worried that he might get in trouble for telling you about it in the future.

It could be that he has a girlfriend and he doesn’t want you to know about her or that the question will get him into trouble socially in some other way.

If it is the case that he is avoiding the question because he doesn’t want to get in trouble then it would be likely that he would show the signs of nervousness above. It would also be likely that he would do things such as:

• Tucking his feet around the legs of his chair
• Coughing when asked the question
• Tightening the lips when asked the question
• He might avoid letting you go to certain places with him such as his house
• He might also avoid telling you about certain things such as where he works
• He might avoid introducing you to certain people
• Ventilating the neck when asked the question
• Taking deeper breaths
• His pupils might constrict or dilate suddenly
• He might also show eye blocking behaviors where he blinks more, puts things in their way and holds his eyelids closed for longer

He doesn’t know the answer

The reason that he avoids answering your questions might be because he doesn’t know the answer and he doesn’t want to say something that’s wrong.

If that is the case then, depending on the question, it would be less likely that he would show strong signs of nervousness or deception.

If he doesn’t know the answer then he might give you a half-answer that doesn’t really answer the question or he might ask you a question in return related to what you asked him.

He wants to avoid drama

If you have asked him a similar question in the past and you got angry at his answer he might be avoiding the question because he doesn’t want that to happen again.

If that is why he’s avoiding the question then it would likely be a question that’s related to a topic that you’re emotional about.

He would also likely show a number of body language signs of being nervous and a number of the body language signs of not wanting to get in trouble that was mentioned above.

The topic annoys him

It could be the case that he is avoiding the question because he gets annoyed by the topic.

If that is the case then it would be likely that he would show signs of getting annoyed which can include things such as:

• Tightening the lips
• Clenching the teeth
• Clenching the jaw
• Clenching the fists
• Squinting
• Tightening the eyebrows
• Redness of the face
• Tensing the muscles
• Showing veins

He has a bad history with the topic

It could be the case that he avoids answering the question because he doesn’t want to think about it since it makes him feel sad in some way.

If that is the case then it would be likely that he would go quiet after you ask him about it and that he would have a sad appearance where he does things such as:

• Droops the body
• Looks down
• Tucks the chin in
• Shows quivering of the lips
• A lack of eye contact
• Flat speech tone

Consider the topic that it’s about

When trying to figure out why a guy might be avoiding the question it would help to consider what the question is about.

If it is more related to something about his history then it would make it more likely that he’s avoiding the question due to it making him feel sad, angry or because he doesn’t want you to know something about it. It would be necessary for you to observe for sad, angry or nervous body language to differentiate between the three.

If the question is more related to you then it would make it more likely that he either doesn’t want to upset you, doesn’t want to cause drama or that he doesn’t want to tell you something that he knows might cause him trouble in the future.

If he gives you a response that’s more likely to please you then it would make it more likely that he doesn’t want to upset you or cause drama. Whereas, if he shows signs of nervousness or deceit it would be more likely that he is hiding something that he knows about the question.

If it is related to him in the present then it would be more likely that he doesn’t want to say something that might cause him trouble, he might want to be avoiding drama, the topic might annoy him or he might not know the answer. It would be necessary to consider his response and body language to figure out the reason.

Consider your relationship with him

It would also be helpful to consider the type of relationship that you have with him.

If it was a guy that you had just met and you were asking him questions related to having a girlfriend and he was avoiding them and showing some signs of nervousness it would be likely that he was hiding something.

If it’s a guy that you have been dating for a while or he is your boyfriend then it would depend largely on the question and the body language that he shows in response.

Think about what his normal body language looks like

Comparing how his body language changes when you ask the question with what his body language normally looks like would likely help you a lot in determining why he’s avoiding the question.

If he deviates from his normal body language and shows signs of nervousness when you ask the question then it would make it more likely that he doesn’t want you to know something, he’s trying to avoid drama or that he doesn’t want to upset you.

Whereas, if he starts to show signs of being angry then it would be more likely that it’s a topic that annoys him for some reason. Although, it might also be the case that he’s getting defensive and he doesn’t want you to know something.

Look for multiple body language signals

When you’re observing his body language it’s important to look for multiple signals that can have the same meaning.

The reason for this is that single body language signals can have many different possible meanings. This can lead to you coming to the wrong conclusion about why he might be showing it.

Whereas, if he shows multiple body language signals that can all have the same meaning then it would be more likely that it is the reason that he is showing them.

Related

Why would a guy avoid answering a direct question? If a guy avoids answering a direct question then it could be the case that he is trying to hide something in which case he would likely show that he’s nervous in his body language when asked the question. He might also not know the answer, he might not want to upset you or he might be worried that it will get him into trouble in the future.