Is it complicated women that confuse men? Or is it the marked difference between how men and women view the world that leaves both the sexes baffled about the other’s response to situations and circumstance? What confuses men about women so much? Every so often, this perennial mystery is shrugged off with a ‘Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus’ response. We must depart from this tendency and try to look for some real answers because men and women are from earth, and in most cases, have to learn to cohabitate.
Confusing Things Girls Do That Guys Don’t Understand
It doesn’t matter how many years of dating experience you have under your belt or whether you have been in a steady, long-term relationship, there are bound to be times where you just can’t make sense of what a woman wants or what she is getting at. Is it just complicated women that confuse men? Or all women? If yes, what are some of the most confusing things about women from a man’s perspective? And what do you do when a man is confused about you? Let’s try to decipher:
1. Sending out mixed signals
If there was one mysterious behavioral trait that takes the cake in terms of confusing things girls do, it has to be their tendency to send out mixed signals. ‘We’ll see.’ ‘I’m fine.’ ‘It’s okay.’ – these phrases have attained cult status as a symbol of women’s penchant for sending out mixed signals, and have become the inspiration for many a sexist joke. If they are not okay, why don’t they say so? Men are more inclined to take things at face value. So, if a girl says she’s fine, they’ll assume that she is even though her behavior clearly tells a different story. That can be a confusing place to be.
2. The need for validation
The constant need for validation is also what confuses men about women. Asking ‘Do I look fat?’ out of the blue or repeatedly asking ‘How do I look?’ before stepping out in public and then following it up with questions such as ‘Are you sure?’, ‘Does my hair look fine?’, ‘Does this dress add more bulk to my body?’ or ‘Are these shoes okay?’ is definitely confusing behavior for a man. In all probability, the dude just wore a pair of jeans with a T-shirt or a casual shirt and didn’t even give himself a second look in the mirror much less ask someone else for validation.
3. The casual comparisons with their ex
Not every girl you come across may do this but this is definitely a classic trait of complicated women. ‘You remind me of my ex’ or ‘You are just like him’ or ‘That’s exactly what my ex used to say’ – such statements being dropped around casually are what men find confusing about female behavior psychology. When these statements are thrown around, it can seem like they stem from a secret ‘girls let’s confuse the boys’ code. Does that mean you fit her type? Or that you share some fatal flaws with her ex, which means your relationship is doomed? Are you some sort of a replacement to fill the hole that her ex left in her heart? You’ll never find out.
4. Playing hard to get is complicated women behaviour
If you look at it from a guy’s perspective, the dynamics are simple – you like him, he likes you and you get together to have a good time and see where it goes. Women, perhaps thanks to pop culture references, have been made to believe that playing hard to get is the way to pique a guy’s interest in her. But why? Why are girls so confusing? The logic is justified in their minds -the more distant they are, the more curious and jealous a guy will get. She’ll play on his mind and he’ll do whatever it takes to win her over. However, it also has the potential to do more harm than good. Have you ever wondered why are men unsure about relationships? This might well be one of the reasons why.
5. Spending hours to get ready is what confuses men about women
It doesn’t matter whether you are going to the mall, the movies, for a party or on a pub crawl, most women take painfully long to get ready – well, at least by a man’s standards. It often becomes a bone of contention and a trigger for fights between couples. However, that’s not one of the most confusing things about women. What baffles men is that despite taking all the time in the world, they’re never really pleased with the way they look. This takes us back to the point about the need for validation. So, it becomes a vicious circle of waiting and reassuring and that’s what men find hard to understand about female behavior psychology.
6. Wanting an emotional connection without betraying their real emotions
This can top the list of the many confusing things girls do. Women want nothing more than a deep emotional connection with the man they are with. However, the point they seem to miss is that emotional intimacy is built on strong, honest conversations. Even if a girl is chatty by nature, she’ll tend to close up if there is something bothering her. Within she may be seething with anger or feeling overwhelmed with emotion, but won’t divulge a single detail to her partner. The best you may get out of her is the notorious ‘I’m fine’, or if you’re lucky, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll be fine’. And she doesn’t even mean it. Her heart desires to lean on her man for support and love, but her tongue seems tied. Honestly, empathizing with a person in such a situation can be a near-impossible feat to accomplish. That’s why even the best of the guys believe in the complicated women stereotype.
7. What confuses men about women is not knowing what they want
From that first date where a man wonders whether to lean in for a kiss or leave it at a casual hug to wondering whether he should pop the question and all the way to what to buy for the 25th wedding anniversary, men spend a better time of their companionship with a woman wondering what she really wants. Unlike men, who’d lay it out for you as it is, women have their share of inhibitions and apprehensions that makes them take refuge in veiled hints. The fear of rejection, the need to hide insecurities and vulnerabilities as a natural defence mechanism and years of patriarchal conditioning that has told women to not go after what they want is to blame for this aspect of female behavior psychology. Even so, from a man’s perspective, this can be one of the most confusing things about women. It’s hard being a girl, but it’s also hard being a man who is trying to figure out a girl’s every move. You may slap the label of complicated women on these behavior tendencies and keep living by the same old rules. Or you can choose to look beyond these confusing characteristics to understand the real person behind it all. When you do, you’ll find your happily ever after.
