If you have recently noticed that a certain guy acts awkward around you then you’re probably wondering why he does it.

This post will help you figure out why he might be acting awkward around you and help you to figure out the meaning of it if it happens with other guy’s in the future.

So, what does it mean if a guy is awkward around you? Possible causes of a guy being awkward around you are that he is attracted to you, he thinks you don’t like him, he has some social anxiety, he has something to hide or that he doesn’t like you.

Seeing as there are a number of reasons why a guy might act awkward around you it is important to consider the body language signals that he shows around you and the context of your interactions with him.

By doing so you’ll be able to get a better understanding as to why he acts awkward around you.

Reasons why a guy will act awkward around you

Each of the different reasons why a guy will act awkward around you will likely come with a number of clues in his body language.

Below, I will mention a number of reasons why a guy will act awkward around you and the body language signals to look for.

He thinks you’re attractive

The reason that he acts awkward around you could actually be that he is attracted to you.

The reason that being awkward around you can be a sign that he is attracted to you is that it implies that he doesn’t want to give you a bad impression of him and it is causing him to act unnaturally.

It would be more likely that he is awkward around you due to being attracted to you if it is only you that he seems to be awkward around and if he seems to change his body language and behavior when he first notices you.

If he is acting awkward around you due to being attracted to you it would be likely that he would show that he is attracted to you in his body language and behavior in other ways as well.

These ways can include:

  • Holding prolonged eye contact with you
  • Standing in your personal space when talking to you
  • Mirroring your body language
  • Having dilated pupils when looking at you
  • Sitting or standing in a more upright way when he first sees you
  • Adjusting his clothing or hair when he sees you
  • Staring at you then quickly looking away or smiling when you notice
  • Asking your friends about you
  • Positioning himself to be near you
  • Getting anxious when you’re talking to other men
  • Pointing his feet at you
  • Finding excuses to touch you
  • Making plans based on yours

He gets anxious in social situations

The reason that he acts awkward around you could actually be that he has some social anxiety.

If that is the case then it would be likely that he would act awkward around other people as well unless they are his close friends.

He finds you threatening

He might be acting awkward around you because he finds you threatening.

It could be that you come across as aggressive, that you’re in some kind of a position of authority over him or that he feels threatened by the people that you tend to hang out with.

If it is the case that he acts awkward around you because he feels threatened by you then it would be likely that he would show signs of submissive behavior which can include:

  • Avoiding eye contact with you
  • Avoiding large movements
  • Laughing with just the mouth
  • Distancing himself from you
  • Rubbing the face a lot
  • Avoiding touching you
  • Speaking at a higher pitch
  • Showing vulnerable areas like the palms or neck

He thinks that you’ll be judgemental

The reason that he acts awkward around you might be because he thinks that you’ll be judgemental.

If that is the case then it could be that you came across as being judgemental when he first met you, he thinks that you’ll react to what he has to say, it might be that you tend to argue with people when he is around or it might be that your body language comes across as being judgemental when you’re with him.

If that is why he acts awkward around you then it would be likely that he would show other signs of it in his body language when he is around you by doing things such as:

  • Avoiding eye contact with you
  • Self-hugging
  • Crossing the arms and legs when he first sees you
  • Pointing the feet away from you
  • Distancing himself from you
  • Avoiding you
  • Being quiet around you

He doesn’t want to tell you something

If you have known him for a while and he has suddenly started to act awkward around you then it would be likely that he is doing it because he has something to hide.

It could be that he has a girlfriend that he isn’t telling you about it, he might have done something that he knows that you wouldn’t like or he disagrees with your views on something.

If he is acting awkward around you because he doesn’t want to tell you something then it would be likely that he would have started to act that way suddenly and after a recent thing that you think he might have done.

If it is why he’s acting weird then it would be likely that he would do things such as:

  • Avoiding you
  • Changing the subject when you are talking about a certain topic
  • Showing tight lips when talking to you
  • Pointing the feet away from you
  • Tapping the feet when talking to you
  • Glancing at the exit when around you
  • Rubbing the arms, legs, face or neck when around you
  • Touching or scratching the neck
  • Blinking more frequently
  • Blocking his eyes from seeing yours by doing things like blinking for longer
  • Touching his mouth often

He doesn’t like your friends

It might not actually be you that he is acting awkward around. Rather, it might be that he doesn’t like the people that you hang out with.

If that is why he acts awkward then it would be likely that he would only act awkward when certain people are present and not when he’s alone with you.

Consider your relationship with him

When trying to figure out why he acts awkward around you it would be helpful to think about the type of relationship that you have with him.

If he is your friend then it would make it more likely that he either is doing it due to being attracted to you, having something to hide from you or that he doesn’t like certain people that you have been hanging out with. It would be necessary to consider the body language signals that he shows around you, recent events that have occurred and who else is present when he acts nervous.

If he was a guy that you hadn’t met before then it could be the case that he was attracted to you and he was anxious to make a good impression. He might also have had some social anxiety or he might have found you to be intimidating in some way.

Consider what his normal behavior looks like

When you’re trying to make sense of what a person’s behavior and body language are suggesting it would be helpful to know what it normally looks like.

If he doesn’t seem to change his body language or behavior when he is with you compared to when he is with other people then it would be more likely that he has some social anxiety.

Whereas, if he only seems to be acting awkward around you then it would be more likely that he is doing it due to being attracted to you, having something to hide, finding you intimidating or that he doesn’t like the people that you tend to have with you when you see him.

Think about when and where he gets awkward

The timing and location of when he acts awkward would likely be a useful thing to consider as well.

If he only seems to act awkward in certain situations then it would be more likely that he does it because of other people in the environment. It could be that he doesn’t like them or possibly that he doesn’t want them to see him with you either because they don’t like you or he has a girlfriend.

Look for multiple signals

When looking at his body language it would be helpful to look for multiple body language signals that are all pointing towards the same meaning.

There will usually be multiple different reasons that a guy will show a single body language signal. As a result, it can often be unreliable to draw conclusions on why he is acting in a certain way.

Whereas, it would often be more reliable to draw conclusions on multiple body language signals all pointing towards the same meaning. This is because there are usually a lot fewer reasons that a guy will show multiple body language signals that can all have the same meaning.

Related

What does it mean if a confident guy acts awkward around you? The reason that he does it would be likely to be because he is attracted to you and he wants to make a good impression on you. If it is why he does it then it would be likely that he would show signs of attraction in his body language and behavior when around you. It could also be that he thinks you’re judgemental, he’s hiding something from you or that he feels threatened by you in some way.

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.