10 undeniable signs a man admires a woman

Having admiration for someone goes deeper than liking them or being attracted to them.

When a man truly admires a woman, he respects and approves of her.

It’s a true compliment that he thinks a lot of you as the whole package — rather than what’s just on the outside.

Surely all women want to be admired for everything that they have to offer. 

But how do you know if a man admires you? Here are 10 clear signs that he does.

1) You’re true to yourself and he respects that

If you’ve ever wondered what a man admires in a woman, then the sexy confidence to just be yourself (and own it) surely comes high on the list.

Whilst insecure men can find self-secure women intimidating, a real man will admire when a woman is comfortable enough to unapologetically be who she is.

After all, it takes a quiet self-assurance to pull off the whole “you do you boo” thing.

So, if being true to yourself, honouring your needs and upholding your boundaries is met with respect rather than questioning or confrontation — it’s a strong sign that a man admires you.

You don’t follow the crowd just for approval, you are prepared to make a stand for what you believe in and you’re perfectly prepared to say ‘no’ to things you don’t want to do.

If a man doesn’t fully respect you he may try to undermine your autonomy or take control. 

But when a guy is not trying to change you or mould you into something else — it’s because you’re your own woman and he totally digs that.

2) He listens to you

Generally speaking, really effective listening is a skill that most of us could probably do with working on (I know I definitely need to).

Miscommunication is rampant, and one of the issues fuelling it is that there may be a lot of talking going on, but not enough deep listening.

Listening is a sign of respect, curiosity and interest in someone else — which is exactly why it is such a solid sign of admiration too.

Research has shown that there is a big difference between “listening to understand” and “listening to respond”.

With the latter, we’re less interested in what the other person has to say and more concerned with when it’s our turn to speak or trying to fix a situation.

When we really listen to what someone is telling us it shows them that we care enough about what they are saying to do so.

If a man gives a woman his undivided attention, doesn’t interrupt her, and allows her to feel truly heard, it’s a good reflection of his clear admiration for her.

3) He wants to know your opinions, thoughts and ideas

One of the strongest signals that a man totally admires a woman is when he actively wants to know how she feels and thinks about things.

Does he ask for (and then listen to) your opinion when you’re talking about something?

Is he curious to hear your thoughts on a variety of topics?

Does he take an interest in the ideas that you express?

What this is telling you is that he admires your mind.

In mutually respectful relationships we want to learn and grow from one another.

But obviously, we only want to do that with the people who we think have value to offer us.

So if he is enthusiastic when it comes to digging deeper into your brain — you can take it as a given that he admires what he sees in you.

4) He likes your little quirks

Many of us put a lot of effort into hiding our perceived flaws, but these are usually the things that also make us unique and interesting.

We’re all a mixture of qualities, and the things that make us wonderful are very often connected to the things that also make us a little weird sometimes too.

Of course, we’re not talking about totally ugly personality traits here, but we are talking about those funny little features, habits or characteristics that make you stand out from the next person.

Not all of them may be things that you like best about yourself, but you know a man really likes you when he embraces all that you are and not just the highlight reel.

Your quirks are actually what makes you, YOU.

Real admiration has a sincere quality that goes beyond a perfect image or glossy exterior of a person, to include all the gritty and raw parts of us too.

5) He compliments your character

You are more than just a pretty face, and he makes it clear he knows it by complimenting your personality.

When a man only passes comments on the way a woman looks — what she’s wearing, how attractive she is or her physical attributes — it’s a sign he is only judging her on a fairly superficial level.

Although it isn’t always, that can be an indication that he just wants you for your body and not particularly your mind.

But an undeniable sign that he likes you for you, and not only the way you look, is if he compliments your character.

Maybe he tells you that he loves your passion, that he finds you so funny or that your sharp mind fascinates him.

A man admires a woman that he finds deeper qualities that he can really value within her.

6) He makes an effort

This is a biggie.

So often I hear women asking ‘how do you really know when a guy likes you’, ‘how can I tell if a man respects me’, or ‘what are the signs that a guy genuinely cares about you?’

We look for cryptic clues and hidden meanings, but the simple truth is that men who admire or desire women show them through their words and behaviour.

Or to put it even more succinctly: they make an effort for you.

When a man admires or is attracted to you he will want to be around you and take steps for that to happen.

He will want to make sure you’re in his life, to ask you questions in the conversations you have, he will want to help you out.

How do you know if a guy is genuinely interested? He goes out of his way to prove to you exactly how he feels.

That doesn’t mean grand gestures or fancy gifts (although that’s nice too).

It is often the more subtle signs that show a man is interested in you.

But the one underlying thing that will always be present is effort.

All the relationships of value that we have in life, whether they be romantic or platonic, professional or personal require this investment.

If he thinks you are worth the investment of his effort, energy and time, then he is showing you that he admires you in some way.

7) He asks for your help and values your advice

It can feel challenging for any of us to openly admit we’d like some help, even when it comes to the little things.

Many of us grow up in societies where independence and autonomy are highly prized traits and can so misguidedly undervalue the power of teamwork and even view asking for help as a reflection of weakness.

And with potentially an extra unspoken pressure on men to step into the alpha male role, it takes a secure guy to reach out to a woman for guidance.

There are plenty of people in our lives who we may like and even care about, but would never consider turning to for advice.

That’s because the people who we seek counsel and support from are the people we look up to in some way.

We know that they can be relied upon to deliver the goods.

That’s why an undeniable sign that a man admires a woman is when she is one of those people in his life.

8) He remembers the little things

How do you know if a guy admires you secretly?

A huge clue is when he remembers all the little throwaway comments that you make.

You’d never have expected him to recall that you take one and a half sugars in your coffee, but he did.

He asks you how your sister Kate is doing, when you only mentioned her name once in passing.

Or he already seems to know your favourite foods, TV shows, books and bands.

He remembers because he actually gives a damn enough to listen to you when you speak and take an active interest in your life.

Sure, he could just have a fantastic memory, but even a good memory needs to be combined with the inclination to apply it.

We don’t pay attention to the people who do not interest us, and remembering seemingly insignificant things about you is a great sign that you have captured his.

9) He wants to impress you

When we admire somebody, it makes sense that we want them to admire us too.

That means when a man admires a woman there’s a good chance he’s going to pull out all the stops in an attempt to earn her approval.

It could be his physical prowess, his strength of character or his ability to make you laugh — whatever his best skills and talents are, he’ll most likely want you to see them.

To a certain extent, he is looking for your praise and recognition, simply because he thinks a lot of you and wants to feel like you value him.

We only go out of our way to impress people who we think are special.

Have you heard about the hero instinct?

It’s a theory that was coined by psychologist James Bauer, in his book ‘His Secret Obsession’.

It says that a man has a biological need to protect and provide for those he cares about.

One of the ways this shows up when a woman triggers the hero instinct in a man is a desire to be respected for who he is.

Particularly if he has alpha male qualities, he may even show off more to get your attention, dress to impress or offer to pay for things.

These are all subconscious signs a man likes you and signs he wants you to notice him.

If you’re not sure whether he is trying to impress you, look out for what he says and any subtle brags he seems to make.

He can also give away clues in everything he silently communicates to you through his body language.

10) He’s on his best behaviour around you

We all know the saying that “boys will be boys”, but have you ever noticed how that doesn’t apply when a woman who they admire is around.

When a man admires a woman you’ll most likely find him on his very best behaviour.

This is partly because he wants to make a good impression and partly because she naturally inspires and brings out his best qualities.

It’s not that he is faking or pretending to be a nice guy, he’s just more conscious of how he comes across around you.

There’s a difference in how we behave around friends, bosses, and love interests based on our comfort level with them and how much we look up to them.

If you haven’t even gotten to know a man yet, but you’ve already noticed that he seems to change whenever you come into a room, that’s one of those telltale signs he admires you from afar.

To conclude: How to make a man admire you

Admiration is something that we all want, especially from those that we like and admire ourselves in life.

But rather than do anything specifically to make someone admire you, the real secret lies in admiring yourself.

Appreciating and enhancing your own positive qualities gives you a quiet confidence and self-security that becomes magnetic to others.

Simply by focusing on being the type of person who you respect, appreciate and enjoy being around, you will find that you increasingly attract the admiration of others.