People often think that a relationship has run its course when it loses its special spark or when there’s a dip in feelings of love and romance. If they’re not ready to say “I love you” when you are, they’re not interested in the relationship anymore. I’ve been very transparent with everything I want, because I don’t want to waste our time. I told him I won’t have sex with any man until there is a deep connection and were in a relationship, he even supported my mindset. I’m 21 year-old woman and I’m currently dating a 26 year-old man.

He tells you he’s into you but still talks to his ex.

So here you have my breakdown about the truth of “mixed messages” and the 4 most common situations they spring out of. I hope this shed some light on your situation so that you don’t waste your time trying to analyze a guy’s behavior when the answer is right in front of you. This last point really applies to a guy you’re not dating.

“And then, for no particular reason, change their behavior, ghost you, avoid you for a period of time, change their tone, or act guarded,” she says. You have asked her about that multiple times but she has always come up with dodgy answers. Perhaps, there are some trust issues or some emotional baggage that is preventing her from letting you in completely. You have thought it would happen naturally one day but she always puts a stop at the last moment.

If there’s good chemistry between the two of you, you’ll hardly be able to keep your hands off of each other. This early phase of dating, called the honeymoon phase, generally lasts between six months and two years. Couples in the honeymoon phase will usually have an exciting sex life. So, you might find you’re chatting happily to a great match one day, and the next day he’s lost interest and the conversation is dwindling. Be mindful of the fact that this probably has nothing to do with you. It’s simply a reflection of the world we live in.

If he’s just messing with you for attention before he finds another girl, you’ll know exactly where he stands. If he comes back to you again for more action, I’d interrupt him mid-grope/mid-kiss to ask if it was still “platonic” (but I’m just dramatic like that). They dated off and on for a few years and just recently called it quits for good, as T was unhappy and was interested in a new guy. P was clearly upset about this, but saved face and acted as if everything was fine.

You don’t act as a couple outside

I confessed my attraction for him – and poor shy guy – I scared him. I gave him a few days to cool off, messaged him again saying I wish to meet him – and we hit it off 3 days after and are together since. Mixed signals mean that he’s only willing to go halfway. He’ll talk to you, but only when he’s lonely and doesn’t have anyone else to text. He’ll give you all of his attention, but only on the days that it doesn’t inconvenience him.

And that’s okay—it has nothing to do with your worth as a partner. It just means the relationship wasn’t the right one for you. Online dating has absolutely made mixed signals even more common because there are just so many more options out there. People are constantly on the search for someone better,” says Pathak.

But the person who gives you mixed signals needs more time to figure everything out by themselves. Right now, they are on their own journey to learn everything that life has to offer. They are embracing their own life to the fullest until they are ready to love again wholeheartedly. A man may send hot and cold signals for various reasons.

But “sometimes you can continue to fulfill your ex’s emotional needs without having a commitment or getting anything in return,” says Sherman. Find out what his feelings are for you and don’t let him string you along without any plans for the future. They don’t want to hurt you, even if this makes it worse. Furthermore, jSwipe when it comes to love and relationships, he seems to be confused, or that he’s not entirely honest with you. You can’t control what signals your partner conveys, but you can control how you react to them. You’re tempted to read into everything, but you can’t know for sure what’s going on inside another person’s head.

He liked me a little and liked hanging out but not enough to commit or be in a relationship with me. If commitment and consistency are what you’re looking for, someone sending out mixed signals might not be the right match for you. Setting healthy boundaries in any relationship demonstrates your self-worth. It shows your potential partner that you won’t tolerate being messed around. If you feel your partner is overstepping boundaries let them know by communicating with them. It’s also important that there are consequences should the same behavior occur more than a couple of times.

He started coaching in The Netherlands, where he is the owner & coach at the most significant Dutch dating advice website; mannengeheim.nl. He’s a writer on relationships, love and social psychology. Speaker at universities, conferences and debates, like the University of Amsterdam, University of Utrecht and University of Nijmegen. He has been featured media like Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Marie Claire, Grazia & Elle.