If you have recently noticed a guy looking at you without looking away then you are probably wondering what it meant.

This post will try to help you figure out what it meant and to help you to understand the meaning of it as it happens in the future.

So, what does it mean when a guy stares at you but doesn’t look away? Possible causes of a guy staring at you without and not looking away are that he is attracted to you, he is mad at you, he is thinking about you, or that he is just looking in your general direction. 

Since there are actually a number of reasons why a guy might look at you without looking away it will be necessary to consider other aspects of his body language.

By doing so you will be able to get a better idea of the motivations behind why he did it.

Why a guy might look at you without looking away

Each of the different reasons why a guy might look at you without looking away will likely come with a number of different signals in his body language.

Below, I will mention a number of reasons why a guy might look at you without looking away and the body language signals to look for with it.

Attraction

It is possible that he was looking at you and that he didn’t look away because he was attracted to you.

It could have been that he wanted to approach you but he was too nervous to do it or that he was trying to see if you would welcome him talking to you. If you want him to do so then consider smiling and having an open body language when you catch eye contact with him.

If he was staring at you without looking away due to attraction then it is likely that he would show a number of other signs of attraction in his body language.

These can include:

  • Dilated pupils
  • Pointing his feet towards you
  • Readjusting his hair, tie, shirt, etc when he sees you
  • Glancing at you multiple times
  • Mirroring your body language
  • Laughing and looking to see if you found it funny as well
  • Holding eye contact with you for longer than normal
  • A lack of aggressive signals such as squinting, tightening the lips or clenching the fists
  • Getting nervous when talking to you
  • Getting anxious when you’re talking to other men
  • Talking to you more than others
  • Touching you more than others or finding excuses to touch you
  • Touching your feet with his
  • Smiling at you

He’s mad

Another possibility is that he was doing it because he was mad at you about something.

If this was the case then it would be more likely that you know him and that something happened recently between you both that would make him mad at you. Perhaps you had a breakup, an argument or maybe you spoke to another man and he didn’t like it.

If he was mad at you then it would be likely that he would have shown other signs of it in his body language.

These can include:

  • Crossing the arms and legs
  • Pointing the feet away from you
  • Tight lips
  • Squinting
  • Tightening of the eyebrows
  • Giving you short answers
  • A lack of smiling
  • Redness of the face

He’s thinking

It could have been the case that he was just thinking and looking in your general direction.

Since he didn’t make any expression when you noticed him staring it would actually make it more likely that he was thinking. This is because it would suggest that he wasn’t actually looking at you. Rather, he was looking in your general direction.

If this was the case, then he would likely have had a neutral type of body language but he might also have been showing signs of anger or happiness depending on what he was thinking about.

He’s thinking about you

It could have been the case that he was actually thinking about you in a non-sexual way.

If this was the case then it would be likely that he doesn’t show signs of attraction when talking to you. It would also be more likely if the two of you have been working on something together recently.

HIs talking about you

If he was sitting with your friends then it could have been the case that they were telling him something about you. Alternatively, if you know him then he might have been telling them something about you.

If that was the case, then it would be likely that the other people that he was with would have looked at you at some point as well.

Consider where it happened

When trying to make sense of a person’s body language thinking about the location that he was in would be very helpful.

If it occurred in a setting where it wasn’t possible for him to speak to you then he might have been looking to see if you had noticed him (although he probably would have smiled).

If it occurred in a social setting such as at a bar or a party and he gave you multiple glances then it would be a much stronger indicator that he did it due to attraction.

Think about your relationship with him

When trying to figure out why he might have stared at you without looking away it would also be helpful to consider the things that you know about him.

If it was an ex-boyfriend then it would be more likely that either he still finds you attractive or that he was looking to see how you are doing now.

If it was a boss or a co-worker then it would be more likely that they were thinking about you in a business context. They still might have been doing it due to attraction which is why it’s important to consider the other body language signals that they show when they are interacting with you.

If it was a guy that you haven’t met before then it would be necessary for you to consider the other body language signals that he showed. If he was pointing his feet towards you, glancing at you multiple times, he readjusted himself when you saw him or if he stayed in your general area it would make it more likely that it was due to attraction.

Think about what his normal body language looks like

When thinking about what a guy’s body language might be suggesting it would be important to consider what his normal body language looks like.

If he tends to stare at people, as many many do, then it would mean much when he stared at you unless he was showing other body language signals that weren’t normal for him.

Whereas if he doesn’t tend to stare at people but he did stare at you and other aspects of his body language appeared different then it would be a strong indication that there was a reason he was doing it. The way in which the other aspects of his body language were different would likely tell you why.

Related questions

What does it mean when a guy stares at you for a long time? If he was showing body language signals of attraction then he might have been checking you out. Alternatively, he might have been thinking and looking in your general direction or he might have been mad at you.

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.