What does it mean when a guy acts protective of you?

If a guy acts overly protective of you, this post will show you likely reasons why and what would make them more likely.

So, what does it mean when a guy acts protective of you? Likely reasons why a guy will act protective of you are that he is jealous, he is attracted to you, and that he does not want other men to be able to get the chance of talking to you.

There are a number of possible reasons why a guy will act protective of you but there are also some things you can consider to help figure out the main cause.

What does it mean when a guy acts protective of you?

Below are likely reasons why a guy will act protective of you and what would make them more likely.

He is jealous

A likely reason why a guy will act protective of you is that he is jealous. This would be more likely if he gets protective only when you are around other men, if he does it even when the men are being normal and if he watches you a lot when you are around other men.

If a guy gets jealous of you being around other men, it could actually be a sign that he will be abusive. This is because it implies that he has low impulse control and a lack of trust. If that is the case then it would also be likely that he would show other signs of abuse that are discussed here by the NCADV.

It can also imply that he has self-esteem issues. This is because it implies that he is not good enough for you in some way. If he does get jealous due to self-esteem issues then it was found that it would also be likely that he would also be sensitive to criticism, withdraw himself socially, be hostile to people at times, have an excessive preoccupation with personal problems and have physical symptoms like fatigue, insomnia and headaches.

He is attracted to you

If he is not your boyfriend, it would also be likely that he is attracted to you. This would be especially likely if he only gets protective when you specifically talk to other men and if his body language is different around you compared to when he is with his other friends.

If he is attracted to you, it would be likely that he would show signs of being attracted to you such as:

• Sitting or standing in a more upright position when he first notices you
• Uncrossing his arms and legs when he notices you
• Pointing his feet at you when you’re around
• Glancing at you frequently
• Watching you as you leave
• Mirroring your body language
• Getting anxious when you’re with other men and sticking around when you are
• Getting defensive when other men are around
• Holding prolonged eye contact with you
• Finding excuses to touch you
• Standing closer to you when talking to you than he does with other people
• Having more dilated pupils than normal when talking to you

He thinks you don’t want to be around the other people

It might also be the case that he thinks that you do not want to be around the other men. This would be more likely if he gets protective when you are around men that you have said that you do not like in the past.

He does not want you to be around other people

If he is your boyfriend, it could also be the case that he does not want you to be around other people. The reason for this is likely to be that he does not want other people to take you away from him. As mentioned above, this can be a sign of abuse and self-esteem issues. It would be more likely if he also wants to know where you are all the time and tries to prevent you from leaving.

Consider the type of relationship you have with him

When trying to figure out why he gets protective when you talk to other guys it would be helpful to consider the type of relationship that you have with him.

If he is your friend then it would be likely that he does it due to being attracted to you and you should expect to see other signs of attraction from him.

Whereas, if he is a guy that you are dating or he’s your boyfriend then it would be more likely that he is either being unfaithful, he thinks that you are being unfaithful or both.

It would also help to consider the way that he reacts when he sees you

If, when he first sees you, he uncrosses his arms and legs, points his feet at you, adjusts his shirt or hair, sits more upright, positions himself to be near you and raises his eyebrows and smiles at you then it would be likely that he is attracted to you.

Whereas, if he tends to cross his arms, avoid eye contact with you, point his feet away from you, distance himself from you and squint when looking at you it would be more likely that he didn’t want to see you.

Consider how he interacts with other people

It would also help to compare how he interacts with other people with how he interacts with you.

If he tends to get protective when his other female friends talk to men and his body language is that same around you as it is with them, it would be more likely that he has a controlling personality.

Whereas, if he only does it with you and he changes his body language around you, it would be more likely that he is attracted to you. However, he could still have a controlling personality and it could also be a sign of other things mentioned above depending on the type of relationship that you have with him.