If you recently noticed a guy standing close to you then you are probably wondering why he did it.
This post will help you figure out why a guy might stand close to you and help you to make sense of why a guy might be doing it as it happens in the future.
So, what does it mean when a guy stands really close to you? A guy standing really close to you will often be a sign that he likes you especially if he only does it with you and if he shows other signs of attraction around you. He might also be being dominant or aggressive, trying to hear you better or he might stand close to people naturally.
Seeing as there are a number of reasons why a guy might stand close to you it would be helpful to consider the other body language signals that he was showing and the context of how he did it.
Reasons why a guy will stand really close to you
Each of the different reasons why a guy will stand really close to you will likely come with a number of clues in his body language.
Below, I will mention a number of different reasons why a guy will stand really close to you and the body language signals to expect to see with them.
He’s attracted to you
One reason that a guy will stand really close to you is that he is attracted to you.
This would be especially likely to be the case if it is only you that he seems to stand close to and he seems to change his body language when he notices you.
If he is attracted to you it would be likely that he would show it in his body language in a number of ways by doing things such as:
- Holding prolonged eye contact with you
- Finding excuses to touch you
- Asking you more questions than other people in the group
- Keeping his attention on you when there are multiple people present
- Having dilated pupils when looking at you
- Sitting or standing more upright when he notices you
- Uncrossing his arms and legs when he notices you
- Getting anxious when you’re with other men
- Fixing his hair or clothing when he notices you
- Staring at you then looking away or smiling if you notice
He’s being dominant
The reason that a guy might stand close to you is that he is being dominant.
This is because, when a guy is trying to show his status to the people around him, it will often involve him standing in their personal space.
If he was being dominant then it would be likely that he would also have done things such as:
- Standing in other people’s personal space
- Telling people to do things
- Touching the people around him a lot
- Standing or sitting with a posture that makes him look big
- Talking over people
- Interrupting people
- Putting his hands and legs on things that aren’t his
- Staring at people
- Squinting when looking at people
- Having tight lips when other people are talking
He naturally stands close to people
It could be the case that he is from a culture where it is normal for them to stand closer to people than you are used to.
If that is why he stood near you then it would be likely that he would stand close to other people when he is talking to them. It would also be likely that he would show the same body language signals around you as he does with other people.
Even if he is from one of these cultures it could still be the case that he stood near you for a different reason so you should consider the body language signals that he was showing.
He’s being aggressive
One reason that he stood really close to you could be that he was being aggressive.
If that is why he stood close to you then it would likely be apparent based on the context of how it happened.
However, it would also be likely that he would have shown other aggressive signs in his body language which could include:
- Staring at you while squinting, tensing the jaw and tightening the lips or showing the teeth
- Clenching the fists
- Showing veins especially around the forehead
- Redness of the face
- Shouting
- Talking with a deeper voice
- Leaning into you
- Tightening the eyebrows
He’s trying to hear you better
The reason that a guy might stand really close to you could be that he is trying to hear you better.
This would be more likely if you were in a loud environment and if he asked you to repeat what you said multiple times.
It would also be more likely that he would have shown a more neutral body language around you and that he would have shown similar body language when talking to other people at that location as well.
Consider your relationship with him
When trying to understand why he stood close to you it would be helpful to consider your relationship with him.
If he has been your friend for a while and he has been standing closer to you than normal lately then it could be a sign that he wants to be more than just friends. In this case, you should expect to see other signs of attraction in his body language that you might not have picked up on yet.
If it was a guy that you hadn’t met before then it could be the case that he naturally stands close to people, that he was being aggressive, that he was showing dominant behavior or that he was attracted to you. In this case, it would be necessary to consider how he interacted with other people, his other body language signals and the location that you were in.
If it was a guy that you know but he isn’t your friend then it could be that he was showing dominant behavior, attraction or that he does it naturally. It would be especially helpful to consider how he interacts with other people.
Consider how he behaves around other people
When trying to understand why a guy might stand really close to you it would be helpful to consider the way that he interacts with other people.
If you notice that he stands close to other people when talking to them and he doesn’t show different body language around you then it would be more likely that he naturally stands close to people or that he does it to hear people better.
Whereas, if he stands closer to you and he changes his body language when he notices you then it would be more likely that it was due to attraction and/or dominating behavior.
Consider when and where he did it
The timing and location of when he stood really close to you would also likely be a useful thing to consider.
If he did it after talking to you for a few minutes then it could be that he was trying to hear you better especially if it was a loud environment.
Whereas if he stood close to you straight away then it would make it more likely that he naturally does it, he was attracted to you, he was showing dominant behavior or that he was being aggressive.
Consider how he reacts when he first sees you
The way that he reacts upon seeing you would also be a helpful thing to consider.
If he tends to raise his eyebrows and smile, uncross his arms and legs, point his feet at you, position himself to be nearer to you, show dilated pupils, sit or stand more upright or adjust his hair or clothes when he sees you then it would be more likely that he is attracted to you.
Whereas, if he crosses the arms and legs, looks away, points his feet away from you and distances himself from you then it would be more likely that he is unhappy to see you.
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.