If a guy was recently mean and then nice to you then you might be wondering why and what it could mean about the way that he feels about you.

This post will show you a number of reasons why a guy will be mean and then nice to you.

So, what does it mean when a guy is mean to you then nice? It would likely be a sign of emotional issues and can often be a sign that he is jealous of you especially if he does it when you are around other men. It could also be a sign that he likes you if he teases you and shows other signs of attraction around you.

There are actually a number of things to consider when trying to understand why a guy might be mean to you and then nice and there are a number of reasons why he might do it.

Why a guy will be mean and then nice to you

Each of the different reasons why a guy will be mean and then nice to you will likely come with a number of clues in the way that he does it and the body language that he shows.

Below, I will mention a number of reasons why a guy will be mean and then nice to you, the signs to look for and the things to consider.

He is attracted to you

Being mean and then nice to you could be a sign that he is attracted to you.

This is because some men will act mean then nice to get you to think about him more, to feel like he is not into you which will make you think about him more and to try and be funny.

In this case, it would be more likely that he would tease you and not be mean to you. If he is mean to you then it could be that he is attracted to you but it would also suggest that he is jealous, dominating or that he has mood swings. If he does do it in a mean way rather than a teasing way then it would be a strong sign that you should avoid dating him.

If he is attracted to you then it would be likely that he would show other signs of being attracted to you by doing things such as:

  • Adjusting his appearance when he sees you
  • Standing closer to you than he does with other people
  • Glancing at you a lot
  • Holding prolonged eye contact with you
  • Having dilated pupils when looking at you (peoples pupils dilate when looking at someone that they are attracted to)
  • Touching you a lot
  • Positioning himself to be nearer to you
  • Pointing his feet at you (people point their feet at people that they are attracted to)
  • Asking you the most questions
  • Talking to you with a deeper voice than he does to other people
  • Getting anxious when you are around other guys

He was annoyed with you

The reason that he was mean to you and then nice could be that he was annoyed with you for some reason.

This would be more likely if he was only mean to you once and if he is nice to you the rest of the time. It would also be more likely if he did it after something happened that would cause him to be annoyed with you.

If he was annoyed with you then he might have shown signs such as:

  • Squinting at you
  • Giving you short answers
  • Accusing you of something
  • Furrowing his eyebrows
  • Avoiding eye contact

He was jealous

The reason that he was mean and then nice will often be that he was jealous.

This would be more likely if he was mean and then nice to you after you were around other guys or when you were with other guys.

This would be more likely if he also does things such as:

  • Try to control the things that you do such as when you go out
  • Know what you are doing
  • Know the password to your phone
  • Prevent you from seeing certain people
  • Accuse you of things such as that you were with a certain guy
  • Getting annoyed when you are around other guys

If he did do it because of being jealous then it would likely be a sign that you shouldn’t date him.

He is dominating

Being mean and then nice to you can also be a sign of dominating behavior.

This is because guys that are dominating why start to be mean when they do not feel like they have control over the people around them.

If he was being dominating then it would be more likely that he would do it when you do things that he didn’t want you to such as if he did it while you were talking to a certain guy.

If he was being dominating then it would be likely that he would show other signs of being dominating such as:

  • Telling you to do things
  • Putting his hands and feet on things that are yours
  • Interrupting you
  • Trying to control what you do
  • Making his body appear larger around you

He was in a bad mood

It could just be the case that he was in a bad mood at the time.

If this is the case then he would only have been mean once and would not have done it more than once. It would also be more likely if he also was mean to other people as well.

If he does it regularly with you and with other people as well then it would suggest that he has mood swings.

If he only does it with you then it would suggest that he is jealous, has controlling tendencies and that he is being dominating. If he only does it with you then it would be likely that you should not continue seeing him.

Consider how regularly he is mean

When considering why he is mean and then nice it would help to consider how often he does it.

If he was just mean one time and he is normally nice then it would suggest that he was in a bad mood or that he was annoyed with you at the time. It might suggest that he was showing attraction to you if he was just teasing you but it would be more likely that he would tease you regularly if he was but it would help to consider the body language that he shows around you.

If he does it regularly then it would be more likely that he does it due to jealousy or being controlling. It could be that he does it, on purpose, because he is attracted to you. If he does then he would likely show signs of attraction around you but either way it would be a sign that you should not date him if he is mean regularly.

Consider in what way he was mean

It would also help to consider how he was mean.

If he was lightly teasing you then it would be more likely that he was showing attraction without the intent of upsetting you especially if he shows signs of attraction around you.

If he was mean in a more hurtful way then it would be more likely that he was doing it due to a negative reason such as jealousy or dominating behavior.

Consider how he reacts to seeing you

When trying to understand how he feels about you it would help to consider the way that he reacts to seeing you.

If he reacts to seeing you by showing a number of positive or negative body language signs then it would suggest that he has good or bad feelings about you.

If he reacts to seeing you by doing things such as:

  • Adjusting his appearance
  • Positioning himself to be nearer to you
  • Pointing his feet towards you
  • Straightening his posture
  • Seeking to make eye contact with you

Then it would make it more likely that he is attracted to you.

Whereas, if he reacts to seeing you by doing things such as:

  • Squinting at you
  • Tensing his jaw
  • Furrowing his eyebrows
  • Tightening his lips

Then it would make it more likely that he has negative feelings about you.

Consider when and where he was mean

The timing and location that he is mean in would also be something to consider.

If he is normally mean when other guys are around or when you were around other guys then it would make it more likely that he does it due to being jealous.

If he seems to do it randomly then it would suggest that he has mood swings or that he doesn’t have strong control over his emotions. Either way, it would be a sign not to date him

Think about multiple aspects of his body language

When considering what his body language was showing it would help to consider multiple aspects of it at the same time.

A single body language sign will often have multiple possible meanings making them unreliable of their own.

Whereas, if he shows multiple body language signs that all suggest the same thing then it would make it more likely that he is showing them for that reason.

If you want to learn more about body language, a book I would recommend would be The Definitive Book of Body Language (on Amazon). It shows you how to interpret body language and understand people's true intentions.

Author

I created and currently manage Body Language Central, one of the premier sources for body language-related knowledge. Body language plays a key role in our daily lives. I hope that my website can help condense the wide amount of body language information available and allow you to make full use of it in your daily life. You can read more about me and my website here.