If a guy recently touched your cheek you’re probably wondering why he did it and what it might mean.
In this post, I will help you figure out why he might have done it and give you the knowledge to figure out its meaning when it happens in the future.
So, what does it mean when a guy touches your cheek? Possible causes of a guy touching your cheek are that he is attracted to you, he is being dominant, teasing you, trying to reassure you or that he is mirroring your own behavior.
Since there are a number of reasons why a guy might touch your cheek it is important to consider the context of how he did it and the body language that he was showing.
By doing so you’ll be able to get a better understanding of the motivations that he had behind
Reasons why a guy will touch your cheek
Each of the different reasons why a guy will touch your cheek will likely come with a number of different clues in his body language.
Below, I will show you a number of reasons why a guy might touch your cheek and the body language and behavioral signals to expect to see with them.
He’s attracted to you
If the guy only touched your cheek and he didn’t do it to anyone else then it would make it more likely that he did it because he is attracted to you.
If that is the case then it would be likely that he would show a number of other signals of attraction in his behavior and body language.
These can include:
- Having more dilated pupils than normal when he’s with you
- Standing closer to you than normal when talking to you
- Adjusting his tie, shirt, hair, etc when he first notices you
- Talking to you more than other people in the group
- Talking with a deeper voice than normal
- Blinking more than usual
- Showing signs of being nervous when he is around you
- Looking at you often and then quickly looking away or smiling when you notice him
- Positioning himself to be near you when in a group
- Holding eye contact with you for longer than normal
- Showing signs of anxiousness when you’re with other men
- Mirroring your body language
- Making plans based around times that he knows you’ll be free
- Pointing his feet at you even if he isn’t standing directly in front of you
He’s being dominant
Touching other people can often be a sign of dominating behavior.
When a person wants to position themselves as the dominant person in a group that person will often touch the people around them.
This is because it shows that the person is not concerned about them being a threat and even implies that the person has some control over the people around him/her.
The reason that the guy touched your cheek could be because he was showing his dominance.
If that was the case then it likely would have been slightly firmer and he might have done it at a time when you weren’t showing any signals that you were ok with it.
It could be the case that he shows dominating behavior and that he also finds you attractive. If he does then he would likely show a number of the signals of attraction mentioned above.
If he did touch your cheek because he was being dominant then it would be likely that he would show it in other aspects of his body language.
They can include:
- Staring
- Talking over the people around him
- Touching the people around him
- Putting his hands and feet on things that aren’t his (including people)
- Standing and sitting with a stance that makes him appear larger such as with the hands-on the hips
- Speaking more loudly
- Interrupting people
- Squinting
- Tight lips
- Tight jaw
- Tightening of the eyebrows
- Telling people to do things for him
He’s teasing you
The reason that he touched your cheek could be because he was teasing you.
If he was then he likely would have done it when saying a joke, mimicking something you said, making fun of something that you said and it likely would have been more of a jerking motion.
It might be the case that he actually is attracted to you and he used teasing you as an excuse to touch you. If that is the case then he might find other excuses to touch you such as when taking a picture together and he would show other signs of attraction in his body language.
He wants to be more than just friends
If he has been your friend for a while and he has been touching you more than usual lately then it could be the case that he touched your cheek because he wants to be more than just friends.
If that is the case then it would be likely that he has been showing numerous signals of attraction when with you but you haven’t picked up on them.
If he touched your cheek because he secretly has a crush on you then it would be especially likely that he would show signs of anxiousness when you’re with other men, get defensive when other men are around and that he would be nervous when with you.
He wants to see how you’ll react
It might also have been the case that he has a crush on you but he is unsure of whether or not you have one on him.
This could be why he touched your cheek since he wanted to see if you would react favorably.
Again, if he did do it due to finding you attractive then it would be likely that he would show it in his body language in multiple ways.
Mirroring
When a person is trying to fit in with a certain group of people he/she will often begin to mirror their behaviors and body language.
If you have touched him on the cheek before and you both tend to hang out with the same people then it could be the case that he was mirroring your own behavior.
Mirroring can be a sign of attraction. If he did it because he finds you attractive then he would likely show it in a number of other ways with his body language.
If he was mirroring you then it would be likely that he would mirror you in a number of other ways as well.
Examples could include:
- Mirroring your facial gestures
- Touching you back when you touch him
- Standing closer or further when you do
- Standing with a similar stance as you
- Smiling in a similar way as you
- Talking at a similar speed and pitch as you
To reassure you
If you were showing signs of being sad and you were talking about something that made you feel sad with him then he might have touched your cheek to try and make you feel better.
If that was why he did it then he would likely have only done it then and he would not be as likely to touch you on the cheek when you are feeling normal.
Consider your relationship with him
When trying to figure out why he touched you on the cheek it would be helpful to think about what your relationship with him is like.
If he is a guy that you have been dating for a while then he might have touched your cheek because he wants to make the relationship more intimate.
If he has been your friend for a while then it could be a sign that he would like more than just a friendship.
If it was a guy that you haven’t met before then it would be likely that he has a dominating personality and he could have found you attractive as well.
Consider when and where he did it
The timing and location of how he touched your cheek would also likely be a useful thing to think about.
If he did it while you were both alone together then it would be likely that he was doing it because he’s attracted to you and it could have been a signal that he wanted to be more intimate.
If it was in a public setting with people watching then it could be the case that he touched your cheek as a public display of dominance.
Think about what his normal body language looks like
It would also be helpful to think about what his body language is like when he is around other women.
If he doesn’t touch other women much and his body language changes when he is around you then it would be more likely that he finds you attractive.
Whereas, if he does seem to touch other women a lot and his body language doesn’t seem to change much when he is around you then it would be more likely that he has a dominating personality.
Related
What does it mean if a guy strokes your cheek? If a guy strokes your cheek it would be more likely that he did it because he’s attracted to you and that he wants to be more intimate with you or that he was trying to reassure you. It could also be a dominating
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.
