What does it mean when a guy touches your hand?

If you have recently had a guy touch your hand you’re probably wondering why he did it and what it might mean.

This post will try to help you figure out why he touched your hand and to help you to make sense of it as it happens in the future.

So, what does it mean when a guy touches your hand? Possible causes of a guy touching your hand are that he is attracted to you, trying to be protective, to reassure you, to emphasize what he’s saying or it could be dominating behavior.

Since there are a number of reasons why a guy will touch your hand it is important to consider the context of how he did it and the body language signs that he shows around you.

By doing so you’ll be able to get a better understanding of the motivations that he had behind touching your hand.

Reasons why a guy will touch your hand

Each of the different reasons why a guy will touch your hand 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 will touch your hand along with the body language signs to expect to see with them.

He’s attracted to you

If you notice that it is just your hand that he touches and his body language changes when he is around you then it would be likely that he does it due to being attracted to you.

If he is attracted to you then it would be likely that he would show it in a number of other ways as well.

They can include:

• Standing close to you when talking to you
• Finding excuses to touch you
• Showing signs of nervousness when talking to you
• Pointing his feet in your direction when he is in the same area as you
• Adjusting his clothing or hair when he notices you
• Having dilated pupils when looking at you
• Holding eye contact with you for longer than usual
• Looking at your lips
• Asking you more questions than others in the group
• Getting anxious when you’re with other men
• Asking your friends about you
• Making plans based on yours
• Positioning himself to be near you

He’s being protective

The reason that he touched your hand might have been that he was trying to protect you in some way.

If this was the reason then it would likely be apparent based on the context.

It would also have been more likely to have been the reason if he did it when there was some uncertainty about the situation. For example, it could be that he held your hand when you were walking through a crowd together or when walking up slippery steps.

If he was just trying to be protective then it would be likely that he would only have done it in that situation.

He is being dominant

When a person is trying to show that they are of a high status in a group they will often touch the people around them.

The reason that he touched your hand could be because he was trying to show that he is in charge.

If that was why he did it then it would be more likely that he did it more firmly and that it was in a public setting, with people watching while also telling you to do something.

If this is the reason that he did it then it would be likely that he would show signs of dominating behavior in his body language.

These signs can include:

• Firm handshakes
• Touching the people around him
• Interrupting people
• Talking over people
• Telling people to do things
• Talking with a deeper voice
• Staring at people when talking to them
• Squinting while looking at people
• Tensing the jaw when looking at people
• Showing tight lips when people are talking

It could be the case that he was showing dominating behavior but that he is also attracted to you. In this case, he would likely show body language signs of attraction and domination.

He’s trying to make you feel better

If you were sad at the time or if you were showing signs of being sad then he might have touched your hand because he was trying to make you feel better.

If he was then it would be likely that he would only have done it then and that he wouldn’t touch you in other situations. He would also be less likely to show many signs of attraction when around you.

He wants to be more than just friends

If he has been your friend for a while and he hasn’t touched you before then it could be the case that he touched your hands because he was showing that he wants more than just a friendship.

If that is why he did it then it would be likely that he would have been displaying numerous signals of attraction when around you but you haven’t picked up on them.

He would be especially likely to be anxious when you’re talking to other men, be nervous around you and to make plans based on yours.

He wants to see how you’ll react

He might have touched your hand because he finds you attractive but he is unsure if you find him attractive.

In this case, it would be likely that he would have touched your hand because he wanted to see if you would react positively.

Again, if this is why he did it then it would be likely that he has been showing numerous signs of attraction when around you.

To emphasize what he’s saying

The reason that he touched your hand might be because he was trying to emphasize what he was saying.

This would be more likely to be the reason if he was telling you about something that makes him emotional, he ran over to tell you, he had wide-open eyes and he was leaving his mouth open a lot.

He’s mirroring you

Sometimes, when a guy is trying to fit in with a certain group of people he will mirror their body language.

It could be the case that he touched your hand because he was mirroring you. If he was then it would be likely that you would have touched his hand in the past and that you both hang out with the same people.

If he was mirroring you then it could also be a sign of attraction. Again, it would be likely that he would display numerous other signs of being attracted to you so you should look out for those.

If he was mirroring you it would also be likely that he would be mirroring you in other ways as well which can include:

• Talking at a similar speed and pitch as you
• Standing in a similar way as you
• Mirroring your hand gestures
• Mirroring your facial gestures
• Mirroring your smile

It’s normal in his culture

In some cultures, it is normal to touch others while talking to them. This might be the reason that he touched your hand if he is from one of these cultures.

If he is from one of these cultures then it still might be the case that he did it for one of the other reasons already mentioned which is why it’s important to consider his body language and the context that it happened in.

Consider his normal behavior

When trying to figure out why he touched your hand it would be helpful to know how he interacts with other women.

If you notice that his body language changes around you and he doesn’t seem to touch other women much then it would be more likely that he touched you for one of the reasons mentioned above. It would be necessary for you to consider how his body language changed to figure out the exact reason.

If he does do it with other women and his body language doesn’t seem to change around you then it would be necessary for you to consider how he interacts with you to figure out why he did it.

Consider when and where it happened

The timing and location of when he touched your hand would also likely be a useful thing to consider.

If he did it while you were both alone together then it would be more likely that he did it due to being attracted to you.

Whereas, if he did it in a more social environment with people watching then it would be more likely that he was subconsciously trying to emphasize his status in the group.

Think about your relationship with him

The type of relationship that you had with him would also likely be something that would affect the reasons that he would touch your hand.

If you hadn’t met him before then it could have been the case that he was either showing attraction to you, that he has a dominant personality or that he was doing it for both reasons. It would be necessary for you to consider the other body language signals that he showed and the way that he interacted with others to figure out why.

If it was a guy that you have been dating for a while then it could have been a sign that he wants to move the relationship further.

If it was your friend then it could have been that he was mirroring you, wanting to have more than just a friendship with you, that he was trying to protect you or that he was trying to reassure you. It would be important to think about the context of how it happened to figure out which.

Look at multiple signals

When you’re trying to figure out why he touched your hand it would be helpful to think about groups of body language signals that he was showing.

There are often many different reasons that a guy will show one particular body language signal. This means that it would often be unreliable to draw a conclusion based on one body language signal.

Whereas, if he showed multiple body language signals that all pointed towards the same meaning then it would be much more likely that it was why he did it.

Related

What does it mean when a guy lightly touches your hand? If he did it lightly then it would be less likely that he did it for dominating reasons and more likely that he was trying to reassure you or show attraction to you. It would be necessary to consider the other body language signals that he was showing to figure out why he did it.

What does it mean when a guy touches your hand on purpose? If he did it more forcefully then it would be more likely that he was showing dominant behavior. It could also have been that he was trying to show attraction or that he was trying to protect you. It would depend largely on the context of how it happened and the other body language signals that he showed.