“Behavior is what a man does, not what he thinks, feels, or believes.” ~ Emily Dickenson
Men and women display their love and affection in different ways. Besides the rare ultra-sensitive male type, this truth is near universal.
It can be confusing for her at times. “Yesterday, he was the nicest guy in the world. And today he’s a complete jerk.” She’s probably right too! What a man says and does can be quite perplexing.
The truth is that men and women think differently. Generally, women tend to be more sensitive and accommodating – two areas that hinder many males.
That said, men do exhibit a common set of behaviors that demonstrate their love for a woman.
Here are eight such behaviors:
1. He listens to you (closely!)
Generally, women are much better listeners than men. To be frank, some men have absolutely atrocious listening skills.
The curious thing is that men will always intently focus on things of interest. So, when a man not only hears you but actively pays attention and intelligently responds – a skill called active listening – you can have confidence that he’s smitten.
2. He isn’t afraid to make sacrifice
Making personal sacrifices is much easier when doing it for a person we love. In fact, men who are in love will feel tremendous discomfort at the thought of their woman being unhappy – especially if there’s something we can do about it.
As such, making sacrifices for your happiness is one way a man demonstrates his love for you. He will almost always put you first, even if it means changing his plans or stepping out of his comfort zone.
3. He shows vulnerability (this is an important one)
Men being men, we’re cautious about showing any behavior that can be perceived by others as a weakness. In love, however, this deeply ingrained attitude often falls by the wayside – and we don’t care.
If we’re in love, we’re far more comfortable with feeling and acting vulnerable. Vulnerability will assuredly make several appearances throughout a relationship – especially if we’re with you only.
4. He loves how you look on your “worst days”
Remember how much effort we put into looking our best during those early dates? Of course. All of us want to look and feel good when meeting up with a potential partner.
Then there’s the actual relationship. As we spend more time with each other, comfort levels build, and our need to impress declines sharply. We’re free to wander around in our pajamas, stain our shirts, and forgo the hair gel.
When men love someone, we’ll think a woman looks beautiful no matter the situation.
5. He’s proud of you (and isn’t afraid to show it)
In love, a real man isn’t shy about saying how proud he is of you.
Whether you’re a fantastic mother, a hard worker, or reaching your goals, you can rest assured that your efforts don’t go unnoticed. In fact, all of the admirable things you’ve done and are working towards brings us a great amount of pride and joy.
On a related note, we’re not (too) upset about losing to you. If you’re both very competitive people, he’ll probably feel a bit less crushed following a swift defeat! (Well done!)
6. He fights for you
Okay, personal story. This writer was visiting a hospital when his girlfriend was being harassed by a security guard and a couple of his ilk. When calling to ask where she was, the panic was evident in her voice.
He was absolutely furious. After calming down enough to navigate the hospital, this writer came upon said dirt bags, rolled his sleeves up and unequivocally lit into them. (Mind you, this happened in a foreign country – so some restraint was in order.) Following the girlfriend’s pleas and arm tugs, we all left unscathed.
What ignited my rage? The hurt in my woman’s voice. The stomach-dropping, gut-clenching hurt that can only be felt by someone who so dearly loves another.
7. He fights with you
This one’s obvious, but just to avoid offending anyone – we’re not talking fights of the insult-throwing and drama-inducing variety. We’re certainly not talking about physical altercations.
That said, if a man loves you and is emotionally invested in his relationship, he will initiate a “fight” to avoid losing you; even if that means fighting with the woman he loves.
Why? Because we’re afraid. We love you, and we the slightest threat to our relationship is the equivalent of a punch to the gut. If we’re fighting with this purpose in mind, we want to make things work and demonstrate our commitment.
8. He treats your family and friends with respect
If we know that someone is important to you, by default, they become important to us. The reason is simple: you cherish family and friends, and the last thing we want is to hurt your feelings.
While we may not like one of your family members (see: “in-laws and husband”) or one of your catty friends, we’ll zip it because we know how much they mean to you.
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