If a guy recently denied liking you then you might be wondering why and what it might mean about the way that he feels about you.

This post will show you a number of reasons why he might have denied liking you and why other guys might do the same in the future.

So, why would a guy deny liking a girl? It could be that he is attracted to her but he doesn’t want his friends to know which would be more likely if he shows signs of attraction around her. He might also be nervous that she won’t like him back, not want a relationship or it could be that he is not attracted to her.

There are a number of different reasons why a guy might deny liking a girl and there are a number of things to consider when trying to figure out the exact reason that he might have done it.

Why a guy would deny liking a girl

Each of the different reasons why a guy will deny liking you will likely come with a number of clues in the way that he does it and the body language that he shows.

Below, I will mention a number of reasons why a guy will deny liking a girl, the signs to look for and the things to consider.

He doesn’t want to let his friends know

It could be the case that he does like her but he doesn’t want his friends to know.

This would be more likely if he shows signs of attraction when he is around her that he doesn’t when he is with his friends.

If he is attracted to her then it would be likely that he would show signs of being attracted to her such as:

  • Holding prolonged eye contact with her
  • Asking you the most questions
  • Keeping his focus on her when multiple people are talking
  • Glancing at you a lot
  • Adjusting his appearance when he sees her
  • Touching her a lot
  • Standing closer to her than he does with other people
  • Pointing his feet at her (people often point their feet at people that they are attracted to)
  • Watching her and getting anxious when she is around other men
  • Getting defensive when other men are with them both
  • Having dilated pupils when looking at her (people’s pupils will often become more dilated when looking at someone that they are attracted to)

There are more signs of attraction that a guy might show around you and I have written about more of them in this blog post.

He isn’t actually attracted to her

The reason that he might have denied liking her might be that he isn’t attracted to her.

This would be more likely if he doesn’t show signs of attraction around her and if he denied liking her when he wasn’t around other people that might be judging him.

If he doesn’t like her then he might show distancing body language, when he is around her, such as:

  • Avoiding eye contact
  • Standing further away from her than he does with other people
  • Pointing his feet away from her
  • Smiling with a closed mouth
  • Giving her short answers

He is nervous

It might be the case that he does like her but he is nervous that she will not like him back if he says that he likes her.

This would be more likely if he shows signs of attraction around her and if he also shows signs of being nervous when he is around her.

Signs of being nervous could include:

  • Rubbing the face, arms, neck and legs a lot
  • Tapping the fingers and feet a lot
  • Talking at a higher pitch than usual
  • Struggling to hold eye contact
  • Laughing more than usual
  • Getting a dry mouth
  • Fidgeting a lot

He doesn’t want a relationship

It might be the case that he is attracted to her but he does not want to date her for some reason.

This would be more likely if he shows signs of attraction around her but he has mentioned that he is not looking for a girlfriend or that he will be moving away soon.

He doesn’t think that she likes him

It could also be the case that he does actually like her but he doesn’t think that she likes him herself.

This would be more likely if she has not shown interest in him in the past and if he does show some signs of attraction in her when he is around her.

If he does think that she does not like him then he might show signs of being anxious, when he is around her, by doing things such as:

  • Rubbing his face, arms, neck or legs
  • Fidgeting a lot
  • Tapping his fingers and feet a lot
  • Coughing or having a dry mouth

Consider the way that he reacts to seeing you

When trying to understand how a guy feels about you and why he might have denied liking you it would help to consider the way that he reacts upon seeing you.

If he reacts to seeing you by noticeably changing his body language then it would make it more likely that he has particularly good or bad feelings about you.

If he reacts to seeing you by doing things such as:

  • Adjusting his appearance
  • Adjusting his posture
  • Facing towards you (especially with his feet)
  • Holding eye contact with you
  • Moving closer to you
  • Having more dilated pupils

Then it would make it more likely that he is attracted to you but perhaps that he denied liking you because he didn’t want his friends to know, he is nervous or he doesn’t think you like him.

Whereas, if he reacts to seeing you by doing things such as:

  • Squinting
  • Facing away from you
  • Smiling with a closed mouth
  • Tightening his lips
  • Distancing himself
  • Avoiding eye contact

Then it would be more likely that he is not interested in you.

Consider how he interacts with other people

It would also help to compare the way that he interacts with you with how he interacts with other people.

If he shows the same body language around you that he shows around other people then it would make it more likely that he considers you a friend but that he is not attracted to you.

Whereas, if he shows different body language around you that suggests attraction then it would make it more likely that he is attracted to you.

Consider when he denied liking you

If a guy denied liking you then it would help to consider when he did it.

If he denied liking you when his friends were around then it would make it more likely that he didn’t want to say that he likes you in front of them.

Whereas, if he did it when he was alone with you then it would make it more likely that he did it because he doesn’t actually have feelings for you. However, he still might have done it due to being nervous or thinking that you don’t like him so it would help to consider the body language he shows around you.

Consider multiple body language signs

When considering what his body language could be showing it would help to consider multiple signs at the same time.

The reason for this is that a single body language sign can have many different meanings. This can make single body language signs less reliable on their own.

Whereas, if he shows multiple body language signs, that all suggest the same thing, then it would make it more likely that he is showing them for that particular reason.

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.