If a guy that you were with recently put his hands in his pockets when he was with you then you might be wondering why.

This post will help you figure out why he might have put his hands in his pockets and help you to figure out its meaning as it happens with other guys in the future.

So, what does it mean if a guy puts his hands in his pockets? A guy putting his hands in his pockets could be a sign that he is attracted to you but anxious if he only does it around you and he shows other signs of attraction as well. It might also be that he is cold, feeling shy, he does it naturally or he might be doing it to look more dominant depending on how he does it.

Since there are a number of reasons why a guy might put his hands in his pockets it would help to consider the context of how he did it and the body language that he showed.

By doing so you’ll be able to get a better understanding of the motivations that he had behind putting his hands in his pockets.

Reasons why a guy will put his hands in his pockets

Each of the different reasons why a guy will put his hands in his pockets will likely come with a number of different clues in his body language.

Below, I will mention a number of different reasons why a guy will put his hands in his pockets and the body language signals to expect to see with them.

He’s attracted to you

One reason that he might put his hands in his pockets is that he is attracted to you.

Putting his hands in his pockets could be a sign of attraction because when men are talking to a woman that they are attracted to they will, sometimes, stand in a way that highlights their crotch area.

If that is why he put his hands in his pockets then it would be likely that he would have also shown other body language signals of attraction around you.

These body language signals could include:

  • Sitting or standing with a more upright posture when first noticing you
  • Adjusting his clothing or hair when he noticed you
  • Positioning himself to be nearer to you when he noticed you
  • Pointing his feet at you
  • Standing close to you when talking to you
  • Holding prolonged eye contact with you
  • Mirroring your body language
  • Speaking with a deeper voice than normal
  • Getting anxious when you talk to other men and sticking around while you do
  • Having more dilated pupils than he normally would
  • Asking your friends about you
  • Finding excuses to touch you
  • Showing signs of nervousness such as rubbing behaviors when talking to you
  • Staring at you multiple times and then quickly looking away when you notice
  • Being defensive when other men are around
  • Focusing his attention on you when in a group

He’s being dominant

If he put his hands in his pockets but he also showed his thumbs then it could be a sign that he was being slightly dominant or arrogant.

If that was the case then it would be likely that he would have shown it in the way that he was interacting with you and other people.

Some of the things that he might have done if he was being arrogant could include:

  • Telling people to do things
  • Talking with a deeper voice
  • Interrupting people
  • Talking more loudly
  • Touching people
  • Standing in people’s personal space
  • Making his body appear larger
  • Putting his hands and feet on things that aren’t his
  • Staring at people while also squinting and having a tight jaw
  • Having tight lips when other people were talking

If he was being arrogant then it could still be the case that he is attracted to you. If he is then it would be likely that he would have shown signs of attraction as well as of arrogance.

He’s cold

If the temperature was low then it could just be the case that he did it due to trying to warm his hands up.

If that is why he did it then it would likely have been apparent that he was cold based on the temperature.

If it was cold then it would be unreliable to draw any conclusions other than that he was cold when considering why he put his hands in his pockets. However, if he also showed multiple body language signals that indicated that there was a different reason that he did it then it would be ok to conclude otherwise.

He’s feeling confident

The reason that he put his hands in his pockets could be that he was feeling confident in that moment.

The reason that it can signal that he was feeling confident is that it’s hard to defend yourself with your hands in your pockets so it’s not something someone would do if they were feeling threatened.

If he was feeling confident then it would be likely that he would have also done things such as:

  • Maintain eye contact
  • Speaking at a normal pitch
  • Stand with the feet apart
  • Stand or sit with a more upright posture
  • Extend at the neck to appear slightly taller

If he was feeling confident then it could also be the case that he was attracted to you or that he was being arrogant or both. In either case, it would be likely that he would have shown other body language signals to suggest attraction and/or arrogance.

Restraint

The reason that he put his hands in his pockets could be that he was restraining himself in some way.

It could be that he didn’t want to see you perhaps because he was annoyed with you, that he disagreed with what you were saying or that he didn’t want to tell you something.

This would be more likely to be the reason if he did it as you said something that he might not have liked or if you had argued with him recently.

If he did put his hands in his pockets due to restraint then it would be likely that he would have shown other signs of restraint such as:

  • Tightening the lips when you were talking
  • Pointing the feet away from you
  • Glancing away from you
  • Avoiding talking to you
  • Changing the subject
  • Squinting while looking at you
  • Distancing himself from you

To look more muscular

One reason that a guy might put his hands in his pockets is that he is trying to look more muscular since it makes his arms appear bigger.

He might do it to intimidate the people around him or he might do it because of being attracted to you.

If he did it in order to intimidate the people around him then it would be likely that he would have shown other body language signals of arrogance as mentioned above.

If he was trying to look more muscular because of being attracted to you then it would be likely that he would have shown other body language signals of attraction.

He’s feeling shy

The reason that he put his hands in his pockets could be that he was feeling nervous in some way and he did it in order to not draw attention to himself.

The reason that he felt nervous could be that he was attracted to you in which case he would likely have shown other signs of nervousness as well as attraction.

He might also have done it due to having some social anxiety in which case he would likely have shown signs of nervousness around other people as well.

If he was doing it due to being shy/nervous then it would be likely that he would have done things such as:

  • Stood or sat in a way that made the body appear smaller
  • Speak at a higher pitch
  • He might have been quiet
  • Avoiding eye contact
  • Having the feet close together or interlinking the ankles

Mirroring

If you also had your hands in your pockets then it could be the case that he was mirroring your own behavior.

If he did put his hands in your pockets because he was mirroring you then it could be a sign that he was attracted to you. If he was then he would likely have shown other body language signals of attraction.

Alternatively, he might have mirrored you because you tend to hang out with the same people as him.

If he was mirroring you then it would be likely that he would mirror you in other ways by doing things such as:

  • Mirroring your facial gestures
  • Mirroring your smile
  • Talking at a similar pitch as you
  • Mirroring your hand gestures

Consider the timing

The timing of when he put his hands in his pockets would likely be useful to think about in determining why he did it.

If he did it right after you said something questionable then it would be likely that he disagreed with what you said.

If he did it as soon as he saw you then it could either be that he’s attracted to you and he got nervous or that he didn’t want to see you. It would likely be easier to tell by considering recent events that have happened with him and the other body language signals that he showed.

Consider the location

The location that he did it in would also possibly be a useful thing to consider.

If he did it when there were lots of other people around then it could be that he was feeling shy or that he was being arrogant if he was also showing his thumbs.

If he did it when you were both alone together then it would be more likely that he was either attracted to you and nervous or that he was restraining himself in some way.

Consider his normal body language

When trying to figure out why he put his hands in his pockets when he was with you it would be helpful to think about the way that he interacts with other people.

If you notice that he tends to put his hands in his pockets when he is talking to other people and he doesn’t change his body language much around you then it would be more likely that he naturally puts his hands in his pockets.

Whereas, if he only seems to do it with you and he changes his body language when he notices you then it would be more likely that he is attracted to you. That is unless he shows negative body language signals.

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 hadn’t met before then it would make it more likely that he either does it naturally, was attracted to you, had some social anxiety or that he was being arrogant.

If it was a guy that you know then it would be more likely that he did it either due to restraining himself in some way, because he is attracted to you or that he naturally does it.

Consider who else was present

It would also be helpful to consider the other people that were present at the time as well.

If he did it when a certain person entered the room then it could be the case that he had an emotional reaction to that person. He might be attracted to the person, not like the person or he might feel threatened by the person.

Related

What does it mean if a guy puts his hands in his back pockets? If he puts his hands in his back pockets then it would be more likely that he did it due to attraction since it makes the chest area seem bigger and it highlights the crotch area. It might also be the case that he was showing arrogant behavior.

What does it mean if a guy puts his hands in his pockets while talking to you? If he did it while talking to you then it could be that he was attracted to you, he does it naturally, he was cold, he was restraining himself, mirroring you or that he was nervous.

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.