If your boyfriend recently rubbed your thigh then you might be wondering why he did it and what it might have meant.

This post will help you understand why your boyfriend might rub your thigh.

So, what does it mean when your boyfriend rubs your thigh?

  1. He wants to be intimate
  2. He wants to see how you’ll react
  3. He’s being dominating
  4. He’s mirroring you
  5. He’s trying to reassure you

Since there are a number of reasons why your boyfriend might rub your thigh it is important to consider the body language signs that he showed and the context in which he did it.

By doing so you’ll be able to get a better understanding of why your boyfriend would rub your thigh.

Reasons why your boyfriend would rub your thigh

Each of the different reasons why your boyfriend might rub your thigh would likely come with a number of clues in his body language.

Below, I will mention a number of reasons why your boyfriend might rub your thigh and the body language signs that you can expect to see with them.

He wants to be intimate

If he rubbed your thigh when you were alone together then it would be likely that he did it because he wanted to be intimate or because he was showing attraction to you.

If that is why he rubbed your thigh then it would be likely that he would also have shown other signs of attraction in his body language and behavior.

These signs could have included:

  • Having more dilated pupils than usual
  • Holding prolonged eye contact with you
  • Touching your feet with his feet
  • Sitting or standing at a close proximity to you
  • Looking at your lips
  • Talking more slowly

He wants to see how you’ll react

The reason that he touched your thigh could be that he wanted to see how you would react.

The reason that he wanted to see your reaction might be that he wanted to be intimate but he wasn’t sure whether or not you wanted to be as well.

If that is why he touched your thigh then it would be likely that he would also have shown other signs of attraction in his behavior and body language such as those mentioned above.

He’s being dominating

The reason that he touched your thigh could be that he was being dominating.

This would be more likely if he did it in front of other people, more firmly, with a deeper voice, when telling you to do something or when making a statement directed at you.

It would also be likely that he would show other dominating behaviors in his body language around you and possibly around other people as well.

They could include:

  • Telling you or other’s to do things
  • Holding prolonged eye contact with people
  • Squinting when looking at you or other’s
  • Touching people
  • Standing in peoples personal space
  • Having tight lips when you or someone else is talking
  • Tensing his jaw when looking at you or someone else
  • Taking up lots of space in the way that he stands and sits
  • Putting his hands and feet on things that are not his
  • Talking with a deeper voice
  • Talking over you or other people

He’s mirroring you

The reason that he rubbed your thigh might actually be that he was mirroring you.

This would be more likely to be the reason if you had rubbed his thigh recently as well.

If he was mirroring you then it would be likely that he would mirror other behaviors of yours as well which could include:

  • Making the same facial gestures as you
  • Standing with the same stance as you
  • Smiling like you do
  • Talking at a similar pitch as you
  • Making similar hand gestures as you

He’s trying to reassure you

If you were sad at the time then the reason that he rubbed your thigh might be that he was trying to reassure you.

If he was trying to reassure you then it would be more likely that you would have been talking about something that made you feel sad. It would also be likely that you would have been showing signs of being sad such as having watery eyes, taking deep breaths or inhaling quickly through the nose.

Consider where he did it

When trying to understand why he rubbed your thigh it would be helpful to consider where he did it.

If he rubbed your thigh when you were both alone together and when you were not feeling sad then it would be much more likely that he wanted to be intimate at the time.

Whereas, if he rubbed your thigh in a public setting then it would be more likely that he was showing dominating body language and you should consider if he was showing other signs of it as well.

Consider multiple aspects of his body language

When considering the body language that he shows around you and the body language he showed when he rubbed your thigh it would be helpful to consider multiple aspects of his body language at a time.

The reason for that is that a single body language sign could have many possible meanings making it difficult to draw an accurate conclusion from it.

Whereas, if he showed multiple body language signs that suggest the same thing such as attraction or domination then it would be much more likely that it’s the actual reason that he showed them.

Consider how he reacts to seeing you

When trying to understand why he rubbed your thigh it would be helpful to consider the way that he reacts to seeing you.

If he reacts to seeing you by raising his eyebrows and smiling, adjusting his clothing or hair, making space for you, uncrossing his arms, his pupils dilate, he doesn’t show negative signs such as squinting and he sits more upright then it would suggest that he rubbed it because he wanted to be intimate.

Whereas, if he reacts by crossing his arms, squinting at you, tightening his lips, clenching his jaw, tightening his eyebrows to be closer to each other and he doesn’t show his palms or vulnerable areas then it would be more likely that he did it for a negative reason such as being dominant.

Related

What does it mean if your boyfriend touches your thigh? If he does it when you’re alone together then it would be likely that he wants to be intimate. Alternatively, he might want to see how you’ll react, he might be mirroring you, he might be being dominant or he might have done it accidentally if he touched it with his leg and not his hand or when sitting down.

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.

Author

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.