How to tell if someone is attracted to you

We all have our own personal body space that we protect at all times. If someone is interested in you then they'll do their best to get closer to you and break this down. Photo / Getty

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He might pay you extra attention in the pub and laugh at your jokes but how do you know if he's really interested in you?

Before you make the first move, two experts have shared the five vital signs that you should look out for before taking the plunge.

James Preece, also known as The Dating Guru, and Alexander Ziff, founder of Ciao Dating app, say there are five tell-tale signs that someone is romantically interested in you - and if you can spot all of them, love could well be on the horizon.

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1. Closing the gap

We all have our own personal body space that we protect at all times. If someone is interested in you then they'll do their best to get closer to you and break this down.

This can be by placing a hand on your arm or by moving their chair a bit nearer. If you are responsive to their touch then things could escalate quickly.

2. Rapid blinking

If you notice they are blinking much more than usual, that's a great indication they like you. That's because prolonged eye contact, combined with excitement, forces their eyes to dry out much faster.

They might also fidget a lot as they can't control their actions. Bigger pupils, blushing and leaning toward you when you talk are also tell-tale signs, as are looking for any excuse to touch you and lip licking.

3. Talking too much and teasing you

Men who are interested in a woman will try and talk as much about themselves as possible. That's because men are conditioned to boast and attempt to impress, so they'll do their best to show off in the hope you'll be attracted to them. It's not that they aren't listening, just that they want you to like them back.

Both men and women use teasing as a way of flirting. From an early age, boys and girls chase each other around, pull each other's hair and so on.

Well, we still do this in adulthood - making fun of the person we are attracted to or cracking jokes on them? It's a sure sign.

4. Noticing little changes

If they comment when you change your hairstyle or wear something different, then they could well like you. People who are interested will pay extra attention to the smaller details.

So when they notice something has changed, they'll comment on it. If they weren't interested they would never have spotted this to start with.

5. Playing hard to get

Unfortunately, some people who like you will try to make you think the exact opposite.

They won't text you back for ages and won't make you feel special; that's because they believe they shouldn't appear too keen in case it's a turn off.

They'll play hard to get as they want to look as if they have other options. So don't always read too much into bad behaviour, especially in the early days.