If a guy recently called you nice, this post will show you likely reasons why and what would make each of them more likely.

So, what does it mean when a guy calls you nice? Likely reasons why a guy will call you nice are that he is being friendly, he is being condescending, he is attracted to you or that he is teasing you.

There are a number of possible reasons why a guy will call you nice but there are some things you can consider to help figure out the most likely reason.

What does it mean when a guy calls you nice?

Below are likely reasons why a guy will call you nice and what would make each of them more likely.

He is attracted to you

The reason why he called you nice could be that he is attracted to you.

If he only said it to you and he changes his body language and behavior when he is around you, it would be likely that he is attracted to you.

If he is attracted to you he would likely show a number of body language signals of attraction which could include:

  • Holding prolonged eye contact with you
  • His pupils become dilated when he is around you
  • Standing close to you when talking to you
  • Mirroring your body language
  • Talking to you with a deeper voice than he does with other people
  • Uncrossing his arms and legs when he sees you
  • Sitting up straight when he sees you
  • Making his hair or clothing look good when he sees you
  • Becoming agitated while you are talking to other men your age
  • Getting defensive while other men are around
  • Making plans based on your schedule
  • Keeping his focus on you when you’re in a group together
  • Asking you lots of questions even when you’re both in a group together

It’s particularly important to consider whether or not he shows some of these signals as soon as he sees you. This is because it would be a strong sign of attraction if he naturally changes his body language as soon as he sees you in a way that suggests attraction.

He is being friendly

The reason might also be that he was just being friendly. This would be more likely if he said it when you were sad and if he shows similar body language around you as he does around other people.

He is doing it as a power play

He might have called you nice as a way to show that he is of a higher position than you in the group.

If that is why he did it, it would be likely that he would have done it when you made a suggestion but he might also have done it at a different time as well.

If he did do it as a power-play, it would be likely that he would show other signs of dominant behavior in his body language which can include:

  • Telling people to do things
  • Talking over people
  • Interrupting people
  • Standing in people’s personal space
  • Talking with a deeper voice
  • Putting his hands and feet on things that aren’t his
  • Staring at people when talking to them
  • Standing in a way that makes his body appear larger
  • Standing with the feet spread apart
  • Showing the thumbs in the way that he stands (ie with the hands in the pockets but with his thumbs out)

He is being condescending

It could also be the case that he called you nice because he was being condescending.

If he said it in a condescending way, he likely would have said it after you said or did something that wasn’t actually all that silly.

He would also likely show other behaviors of being slightly condescending towards you such as:

  • Having tight lips when you’re talking
  • Smirking at you when you’re talking
  • Not taking what you have to say seriously
  • Putting his chin up and looking down from his nose at you

He is teasing you

Another possible reason why he called you nice could be that he was teasing you.

If that is why he did it then he would likely have done it right after you did or said something silly and he would have changed the tone of his voice when he did it.

He wants to be more than just friends

If he is your friend, it could be a sign that he wants to be more than just friends with you.

If he does, it would be likely that he would show other signs of liking you in his body language and behavior that you might not have picked up on.

It would be especially probable that he would get agitated when you’re with other men and that he would stick around, he would likely get defensive when other men are around and he would probably make plans that are based around your schedule.

Think about the way that he reacts to seeing you

The way that he initially reacts to seeing you will likely be a useful thing to consider.

If he tends to sit up straight, hold prolonged eye contact with you, point his feet at you, make adjustments to his clothing or hair, his pupils dilate and he uncrosses his arms and legs when he sees you, it would be likely that he is attracted to you.

Whereas, if he crosses his arms and legs, squints at you, tightens his lips, points his feet away from you, tightens his jaw and avoids eye contact with you when he sees you, it would be likely that he said it to you for a more negative reason.

Think about how he interacts with other people

Another thing to consider would be the body language he shows around other people.

If you notice that he says similar things to other women and he shows the same body language around you as he does around them, it would be less likely that he said it due to being attracted to you unless he is also attracted to them. It could be that he has a dominating personality in which case he would likely show signs of it in his body language and behavior.

Whereas, if he only said it to you and his body language does change when he sees you then it would be more likely that he said it because he is attracted to you assuming that he shows signs of attraction in his body language and behavior.

Consider the location that he said it in

The timing and the location that he called you nice at would also be helpful to consider.

If he called you nice in front of other people after you said or did something, it would be more likely that he was either teasing you, being condescending or that he did it as a power-play. It could still be the case that he did it due to being attracted to you and you should consider the way that he said it and the body language and behavior that he shows around you.

Whereas, if he said it while you were both alone together, it would be more likely that he was showing that he’s attracted to you.

Look for multiple body language signals

When trying to understand what his body language is suggesting it would be best to consider multiple different body language signals at a time.

This is because single body language signals can be unreliable on their own since they will usually have multiple different meanings.

Whereas, if a guy shows multiple body language signs that can all have the same meaning, it would be more likely that he did it for that reason.

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.

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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.