Dating is hard.
So it's a good thing there's an entire relationship advice industry built on the backs of struggling
singles hoping to meaningfully hook up.
Plus, there's a ton of guys online posting about their relationship woes.
Help is just a few clicks away!
"You're gonna pull it together, okay?"
So if you're a gal who thinks guys are confusing, listen up: Here are seven things men wish
women just automatically knew about them — no communication or messy sharing of feelings
necessary.
It's advice straight from the source, and it just might help you connect with the man
of your dreams.
Cool with commitment
As eHarmony points out in a post titled "Six Things Men Wish They Could Tell Women," male
commitment-phobia is mostly a myth.
USA Today backs up this notion, citing a CDC study which surveyed 12,000 men and women
aged 15 to 44 about dating and relationships.
What did the study find?
"Men are more likely than women to prefer marriage over lifelong singlehood."
When asked if they believe that getting married is better than remaining single forever, 66
percent of men actually said "Yes" while only 51 percent of women agreed.
Why so many men can't just come out and tell women this is still a mystery.
Keep it real
When it comes to painting your face, men actually appreciate women who are confident enough
to go au naturel.
Sounds like Alicia Keys is on to something!
As Marie Claire writer Jenny Proudfoot discovered after interviewing 15 men,
"Yes, the rumors are true, we like to see what you actually look like — we're dating
you, not your makeup bag."
And if you think guys are just saying that to be nice, Cosmopolitan male blogger Cosmo
Frank points out,
"When we tell you that you look pretty without makeup, we mean it.
We don't need a lecture on how you think you look.
If we didn't mean it, we wouldn't offer it up."
He's a con man
Okay, so not really.
But as Cosmo Frank explains, men actually worry about their looks quite often, and act
extra confident and macho on days when they're trying to hide the fact that they're not feeling
confident at all.
The ruse somehow helps them to feel better about themselves.
As Frank says:
"We have fears of going bald, gaining weight, or winding up with penis problems.
It might not be hammered into our heads 24/7 by media, but guys can still get self-conscious
about their looks."
He desires praise
Receiving compliments from your partner is a wonderful feeling that men like experiencing
just as much as their female counterparts.
Even the smallest gesture can go a long way and it's important to remember that guys aren't
immune to flattery.
"Cause you're like, the coolest person I've ever met, and you don't even have to try,
you know."
One expert even suggested to SHAPE that women should...
"[Give] five genuine appreciations a day — even for the things he's supposed to be doing,
such as taking out the trash or picking up the dry cleaning."
"Boyfriend of the Year" trophies are optional.
In a daze
One of the most common relationship frustrations shared by women is when they ask their partner
what they're thinking, and they say, "Nothing."
In a Reddit thread devoted to men sharing what they wish women knew, the subject comes
up over and over — and over — again.
Here's a sample:
"Really, you don't know how shallow we are.
We are not necessarily trying to hide anything."
"When you ask what we are thinking about and we say nothing, we probably really thought
about nothing.
Like, no thinking has been done."
"It's not a secret, it's not something we don't want to talk about, it's literally nothing."
He wants you to pay
One of the 15 guys interviewed by Marie Claire puts it like this:
"Expecting a guy to pay for everything is really unattractive and quite frankly, off-putting."
Guys enjoy treating their dates, but when it's expected 100 percent of the time, it's
a drag.
Another Marie Claire man suggests you start small:
"Buying a round of drinks is a very cool, sexy move.
Even if I end up buying four of the rounds and you only get one, that gesture does not
go unnoticed."
He wants his space
Men are only human.
They appreciate time alone and time with their friends as much as you do.
Whether it's binge-watching the latest hot show or cracking open some cold ones with
the boys, time away is ultimately beneficial.
Woman's Day writer Brendan Tapley puts it like this:
"Time spent enriching oneself also enriches partnerships."
"This kind of solo time will refresh us and we'll come back with more for you."
Sounds like a win-win!
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