If you have recently noticed that a guy rubbed your hand with his finger you’re probably wondering why he did it and what it might mean.
This post will try to help you figure out why he rubbed your hand with his finger and to make sense of it when it happens in the future.
So, what does it mean if a guy rubs your hand with his finger? Possible causes of a guy rubbing your hand with his finger are that he is attracted to you, being dominant, trying to see how you will react or he could be trying to reassure you.
Since there are a number of reasons why a guy might rub your hand with his finger it is important to consider the context of how he did it and the body language signals that he was showing.
By doing so you’ll be able to get a better understanding of the motivations that he had behind rubbing your hand with his finger.
Why a guy might rub your hand with his finger
Each of the different reasons why a guy might rub your hand with his finger will likely come with a number of other clues in his body language.
Below, I will mention a number of reasons why a guy might rub your hand with his finger and the body language signals to look for.
He’s attracted to you
If it’s just you that he did it to then it would be likely that he did it because he finds you to be attractive.
If he does find you to be attractive then it would be likely that he would show it in a number of other ways in his behavior and body language.
These ways can include:
- Standing near you when talking to you
- Touching you more than others
- Having dilated pupils when talking to you
- Adjusting his clothing or hair as soon as he sees you
- Pointing his feet at you even when he’s not directly in front of you
- Mirroring your body language
- Talking to you more than other people in the group
- Glancing at you often then quickly looking away when you notice
- Getting anxious when you’re with other men
- Getting defensive when other men are around
- Blinking more than usual
- Showing signs of nervousness around you
- Positioning himself to be near you
- Talking with a deeper voice than normal
- Holding eye contact for longer than normal
He wants more than a friendship
If he has been friends with you for a while and he hasn’t rubbed your hand with his fingers before then it could be the case that he wants to be more than just friends with you.
If that is why he did it then he would likely show multiple signs of attraction when he is around you that you haven’t picked up on.
He would also be more likely to get defensive when other men are around, get anxious when you’re with other men and to talk to you more than his other friends.
Since he hasn’t overtly asked you out yet it would also be more likely that he gets nervous around you so he might rub his face, arms, legs or neck around you, fidget a lot or tap his fingers and feet up and down a lot.
He wants to see how you’ll react
He might have done it because he finds you attractive but he is unsure of whether or not you find him attractive.
By rubbing his fingers on your hand it would have been a less intrusive way to see if you would be comfortable with him doing it.
If he did to it to see how you would react then it would be likely that he shows multiple other signs of attraction when he’s around you.
He’s being dominant
If a guy is trying to dominate the people around him he will typically touch them more than usual. By doing this it shows that they are not a threat to him and it implies that he is of a higher position than they are.
This could be the reason that he rubbed your hand with his finger.
If it was the reason then it would be likely that he did it more firmly and that he did it when telling you to do something or when making a statement to you.
If he was being dominant then he would likely show a number of other signs of dominating behavior.
These can include:
- Holding eye contact with people for longer than normal
- Squinting
- Tight lips
- Clenched jaw
- Telling people to do things
- Putting his hands and feet on things that aren’t his
- Taking up lots of space
- Taking a stance that makes him appear bigger
- Interrupting people
- Speaking over people
- Speaking loudly
- Positioning himself to be in the center of things
He wants to be more intimate
The reason that he rubbed your hand with his finger could be that he wants to be more intimate with you.
If that is the case it would be likely that he was showing numerous overt signs of attraction.
It would also be more likely if it was a guy that you have been dating for a while. If it was then it would suggest that he wants to move the relationship further.
Consider when and where he did it
When trying to figure out why he rubbed your hand with his finger it would be helpful to think about the timing and location of where he did it.
If he did it when you were both alone together in a more intimate setting then it would be more likely that he wanted to be intimate with you.
If it was in a public setting then it could have been an overt signal that he finds you attractive or that he was being dominant. It would be necessary to consider the body language signals that he was showing to figure out which.
Consider your relationship with him
When trying to figure out why he touched your hand with his fingers it would also be helpful to think about what kind of a relationship that you have with him.
If it was a guy that you haven’t met before then it would be likely that he found you attractive and that he was trying to pick you up or that he had a dominating personality or both.
If it was a guy that you have been friends with for a while then it could be that he actually does find you attractive and that he wants more.
Think about what his normal behavior and body language looks like
When trying to figure out why he rubbed your hand with his fingers it would be helpful to think about what his normal behavior looks like around other women.
If he doesn’t normally do it to other women and his body language changes when he notices you then it would make it more likely that he finds you attractive.
If he does seem to do it to other women and his body language doesn’t change around you then it would make it more likely that he either has a flirtatious or a dominating personality. Although, it still might be the case that he finds you attractive in which case he would show it in multiple ways in his body language.
Consider multiple body language signals at once
When trying to figure out why he might have rubbed your hand with his fingers it’s important to consider multiple body language signals at a time.
There are often many reasons that a person might show a single body language signal but when there are multiple body language signals all pointing to the same thing then it’s a more reliable indicator of what they’re actually thinking.
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.