What It Really Means When A Guy Likes Your Selfies

It sounds silly to care about something as small as someone double-tapping your Instagram post, but in the age of social media, it’s impossible to stop ourselves from overanalyzing our crush’s actions on it. Does that little heart mean that he wants to date you or was he just being nice? Or, worse still, did he do it accidentally? Here’s what it means when a guy likes your selfies.

1. He thinks you’re hot. If a guy likes your selfie, there’s a huge chance that he likes you. In this day and age, there’s no reason for him to walk up to you and tell you that you’re pretty because he can just press a button on his phone and get the same point across. After all, a lot of the reason we even post selfies to begin with is for external validation (whether we want to admit it or not). He’s trying to give you that validation by throwing a like your way because he’s into what he sees.
2. He wants to start a conversation. If he’s been dying to talk to you but has nothing to say, liking your picture could be his way of saying hello. Once you see it, he’s hoping that it’ll encourage you to initiate a conversation with him.
3. He wants you to like his selfies. You’ve heard the old social media concept of “a like for a like.” He might be liking your posts with the hope that you’ll like his in return. It’s a simple ploy in order to look like he’s more popular than he actually is. Lots of wannabe influencers do this because it’s an easy way to self-promote. You see that this guy likes your selfies and decide to click on his profile to check him out. You might even hit the follow button, which is a win for him.
4. He wants to boost your confidence. You should never leave a friend’s selfie unnoticed. If he’s a buddy of yours, then he might be liking your selfie because he considers it his duty. If he scrolled right by it, what kind of friend would he be? As I mentioned, deep down we’re all vain creatures looking for other people to tell us that we’re great. He’s trying to do just that by double-tapping on that pic of yours.
5. He feels bad for you. If he sees that no one liked your selfie, he might give you a pity like. After all, it’s embarrassing when you post a photo you’re proud of and no one seems to enjoy it. We’ve all been there, which is why he’s helping you out of the sticky situation. That’s pretty kind of him, don’t you think?
6. He loves the background of your photo. Selfies aren’t always taken alone. If you’re holding a puppy in the picture, then he might just be an animal lover. Likewise, if you took the photo at a baseball game, he might be a fan of the team you were rooting for. Check out the other aspects of your photo before you assume he has the hots for you. Of course, it would be nice if he commented as well to say what it is he’s appreciating about the snap.
7. He loves the caption attached to your photo. If you post a selfie with song lyrics underneath it, then he might just love the band that you referenced. If you created a witty caption, then he might just find you funny. That’s not as great as being considered hot, but hey, it’s still a compliment.
8. He wants you to think of him. If your ex likes your selfie, it doesn’t necessarily mean that he realized what he’s missing and wants to get back together with you. He might just be messing with you. He knows that liking your picture will make you think of him, which is exactly what he wants. You’ll know that he’s still following you online and you won’t be able to get him out of your head. Great.
9. He likes everything he sees. Before you get too excited about your crush liking your selfie, you should check to see if his name pops up on a lot of other women’s feeds. He might scroll through his Instagram, clicking “like” on every single picture that he sees. If his entire list of followers and all the accounts he follows belong to attractive women or Insta models, you can pretty much guess what’s going on here.
10. He wants to make his ex jealous. Unfortunately, everyone can see the photographs that you like. If he’s in the middle of a fight with his girlfriend or if he recently broke up with her, he might be liking your selfies in order to make her jealous. All it takes is a click to get her pissed. In this case, you should probably steer clear of engaging so that you don’t end up on the wrong side of his former (or current) girlfriend.

What to do when a guy likes your selfies

1. Like some of his in return. Maybe it gives you a little ego boost when this guy (or any guy!) likes your selfies. Don’t you want to offer him the same in return? Check out his account and double-tap on a few of his photos to show him not only that you noticed he liked yours but that you appreciate the gesture. It’s sure to brighten his day.
2. Post more of them. I’m not telling you to go out there and deliberately thirst trap, but if you’re in an Instagram flirtationship and you’re trying to keep his attention, there’s nothing wrong with filling your feed with more hot selfies. If you’ve got it, flaunt it, as they say. There’s no reason not to post pictures of yourself that make you feel sexy and cool. Chances are this guy won’t be the only one who notices.
3. Send him a DM. If the guy likes your selfies a lot but still hasn’t introduced himself formally, why not reach out to him if you think you’re interested? Sending him a quick DM to thank him for liking one of your pics or to mention something you liked about one of his could be a good way to strike up a conversation and potentially more. Tread with caution here, however, as he could have a girlfriend or otherwise be bad news.
4. Ignore him. There’s always a chance that you’re posting selfies on your account for you and your friends and you really don’t want this guy’s attention. In this case, you don’t need to do anything at all about it. There’s no need to like his selfies, message him, or do anything else. You don’t know the guy and you don’t owe him anything, so feel free to just ignore him altogether.
5. Make your account private or block him. There may come a time when this guy’s incessant likes on your selfies is starting to creep you out a bit or just feels weird. In that case, it may be time to consider making your Instagram account private so that only the people you choose can see your pictures. If you want to stay public, blocking him may be the best course of action (though it doesn’t guarantee he won’t just use a different account to continue stalking you). Be careful out there!