It might sound weird to say, but jealousy is a normal and sometimes healthy thing in relationships. In a weird way, it’s a sign that you like someone and want them all to yourself. With that in mind, it’s sometimes appropriate to make the other person jealous on purpose. Of course, you usually don’t want to be too vindictive or manipulative about this, nor should you rely on it as an everyday relationship tactic because you’ll ruin your relationship. That being said, there are plenty of ways to make your boyfriend jealous without trying too hard.
- Say something positive about your ex. Frankly, saying something positive about any guy you know can start to make a guy jealous in no time. But the best way is to say something about your ex. Guys always hate being compared to your exes or hearing something endearing about them. It really hits at our insecurity and can start to make us jealous in no time.
- Text an ex. If you want to drive a guy nuts with jealousy, mention that you’re texting an ex-boyfriend. In fact, you don’t even have to text him. If a guy hears your phone chime and asks who’s texting you, tell him you’re catching up with an ex. Jealousy will be his natural instinct and he will not be a happy camper.
- Don’t text back right away. Obviously, purposely not texting a guy back right away is akin to playing games. But doing this every now and then to create a smidge of jealousy isn’t a bad idea. If it’s not something urgent and the guy is just texting to check up on you, there’s nothing wrong with making him wait to hear back just to make him a little jealous.
- Exaggerate your celebrity crush. We all have celebrity crushes, and we’re also well aware that none of us are ever going to end up dating these stars, right? Yet, somehow it makes guys jealous to hear you gush about them. If you want your boyfriend to get extra jealous, really swoon over your celebrity crush in front of him. He won’t be happy, but it’s a harmless form of jealousy.
- Say no to a date. This is particularly useful early in a relationship, though you do risk turning him off if you do it too often. Don’t act like you’re breaking up with him, just say that you can’t make it. He’ll naturally get a little jealous if he doesn’t know what you’re doing and why you couldn’t see him. It’s also best to do this when a guy tries to ask you out at the last minute.
- Be provocative on social media. Guys like it when their girlfriend looks hot, but only for them. We quickly get jealous when our girlfriend dresses sexy and then posts pictures of it for the whole world to see. The same rule applies to ordinary pictures of you with other guys in them. It makes us jealous and possessive in a hurry.
- Flirt a little with other guys. Speaking of you and other guys, flirting with other guys in front of your boyfriend is sure to make him jealous. You don’t even have to try hard to flirt. Just be friendly with other guys and show them a little attention. You can even do it with guy friends who aren’t a threat to your boyfriend and he’ll still get jealous.
- Have fun without him. Some boyfriends come to think that you shouldn’t have fun with anyone other than them. Of course, some guys have matured past this stage, but those who haven’t will get jealous. Just tell him that you went out with some friends without him and had the time of your life. He might try to hide it, but deep down, he’ll be a little jealous.
- Ignore his flirting. Guys don’t like it when they try to flirt with you and you ignore it. That can get us thinking that you don’t like us or that you’d rather flirt with someone else. Granted, you may not be doing it on purpose, but just declining to flirt with a guy can start to activate the jealous part of his brain.
- Evade his questions. Along the lines of not flirting with a guy, ignoring his questions can make a guy mad and jealous at the same time. Specifically, if you evade questions about where you were or who was with you, a guy can get jealous real fast. This will get him thinking about what you could have been doing, even if you’ve given him no other reasons that you’re being unfaithful. At times, guys can just assume the worst, which then makes them jealous.
- Tell him someone asked you out. Like some of the other things on this list, you can just lie about this if you want to make a guy jealous. I mean, you might feel better if you don’t have to lie. But if you tell a guy that someone else asked you out and hint that you liked the attention, he will get a little jealous even if there’s no need for it.
- Laugh at another guy’s jokes. Most guys take great pride in being able to make a woman laugh. We tend to think it gives us ownership over a woman. That’s why it’s common for boyfriends to get at least a little jealous if there is some other guy who makes their girlfriend laugh. Our possessive side doesn’t like it and thinks we’re the only ones who should make our girlfriend laugh, which can provoke jealous feelings.
