If a guy has been getting jealous of you, this post will show you likely reasons why and what would make them more likely.
So, what does it mean when a guy gets jealous? Likely reasons why a guy will get jealous are that he is attracted to you, he is insecure, or that he is actually the one being unfaithful if you are in a relationship.
There are actually a number of possible reasons why a guy will get jealous. However, there are also some things you can consider to help figure out the main cause.
What does it mean when a guy gets jealous?
Below are likely reasons why a guy will get jealous and what would make them more likely.
He’s attracted to you
If you’re not dating him and he isn’t your boyfriend then it would be likely that the reason that he gets jealous is that he is attracted to you.
This would be especially likely if he only gets jealous when you specifically talk to other men and if his body language is different around you compared to when he is with his other friends.
If he is attracted to you then it would be likely that he would show it in his body language in other ways by doing things such as:
- Sitting or standing in a more upright position when he first notices you
- Uncrossing his arms and legs when he notices you
- Pointing his feet at you when you’re around
- Glancing at you frequently
- Watching you as you leave
- Mirroring your body language
- Getting anxious when you’re with other men and sticking around when you are
- Getting defensive when other men are around
- Holding prolonged eye contact with you
- Finding excuses to touch you
- Standing closer to you when talking to you than he does with other people
- Having more dilated pupils than normal when talking to you
Getting jealous is an early warning sign that a relationship with this person would be a bad idea. So, if a guy, that you’re not dating gets jealous when you talk to other men, then it would probably be a good idea to avoid dating him.
He’s actually the one being unfaithful
If he is your boyfriend or you’re dating him and he gets jealous when you talk to other men then it could actually be a sign that he is actually the one that’s being unfaithful.
This is because it implies that he knows that hanging around with the opposite sex could mean that you’re being unfaithful because he’s doing it himself.
If he is being unfaithful then it would be likely that he would show other signs of it as well by doing things such as:
- Avoiding talking about certain subjects
- He gets angry at times especially if you accuse him of things
- Complaining that you’re being controlling
- He works for prolonged time periods
- He’s been paying extra close attention to the way that he looks lately
- He’s been obsessive about the need of privateness
It should be noted that he could show all of these signs but not actually be being unfaithful. While he could also show none of them and still be being unfaithful.
He has self-esteem issues
If he gets jealous when you are around other men then it could be a sign that he has some self-esteem issues.
This is because it implies that he feels like he isn’t good enough for you in some way.
If he does get jealous due to self-esteem issues then it was found that it would also be likely that he would also be sensitive to criticism, withdraw himself socially, be hostile to people at times, have an excessive preoccupation with personal problems and have physical symptoms like fatigue, insomnia and headaches.
It’s an abuse warning sign
If a guy gets jealous of you being around other men, it could actually be a sign that he will be abusive.
This is because it implies that he has low impulse control and a lack of trust.
If that is the case then it would also be likely that he would show other signs of abuse that are discussed here by the NCADV.
He feels insecure about your relationship
The reason that he might get jealous when you are around other men could be that he thinks that you are cheating on him.
If that is the case, it would be likely that he would have been doing things such as looking through your phone or accusing you of things.
Consider your relationship with him
When trying to figure out why he gets jealous when you talk to other guys it would be helpful to consider the type of relationship that you have with him.
If he is your friend then it would be likely that he does it due to being attracted to you and you should expect to see other signs of attraction from him.
Whereas, if he is a guy that you are dating or he’s your boyfriend then it would be more likely that he is either being unfaithful, he thinks that you are being unfaithful or both.
Consider how he reacts to seeing you
It would also help to consider how he reacts when he first sees you.
If, when he first sees you, he uncrosses his arms and legs, points his feet at you, adjusts his shirt or hair, sits more upright, positions himself to be near you and raises his eyebrows and smiles at you then it would be likely that he is attracted to you.
Whereas, if he tends to cross his arms, avoid eye contact with you, point his feet away from you, distance himself from you and squint when looking at you it would be more likely that he didn’t want to see you.
Consider how he interacts with other people
Another thing to consider would be the way that he interacts with other people.
If he tends to get jealous when his other female friends talk to men and his body language is that same around you as it is with them, it would be more likely that he has a controlling personality.
Whereas, if he only does it with you and he changes his body language around you, it would be more likely that he is attracted to you. However, he could still have a controlling personality and it could also be a sign of other things mentioned above depending on the type of relationship that you have with him.
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.