10 Signs Your Boyfriend Is Jealous, According To A Guy

You’re probably not trying to make your boyfriend jealous, but if he’s exhibiting signs of feeling that way, it doesn’t bode well for your future together. If you struggle to notice the subtler signs of this emotion, here are some indications that your boyfriend may be the jealous type.

  1. He tries to keep you from going out without him. If your boyfriend says he “doesn’t understand” why you need to go out with your friends and leave him at home, he’s definitely the jealous type. The same is true if you go out and he’s constantly calling and texting to check up on you. The caveat is if you cheated on him in the past—at least then this behavior would be a little understandable (though still not justified).
  2. He gets upset when other people compliment you. Surely your boyfriend thinks you’re beautiful and have a lot of positive attributes, so why should it bother him if someone else notices as well? Unless there’s an overtly sexual overtone or it turns into flirting, this shouldn’t be a big deal. If you notice him getting upset when this happens, he’s definitely jealous and has major trust issues.
  3. He suddenly goes quiet. For the record, a guy being quiet could indicate a number of things. However, if this happens after you mention an ex or something fun you did without him, he reeks of jealousy. Guys like this are usually possessive and don’t want you to have a life outside of them. Odds are, that kind of guy isn’t the one for you.
  4. He hates your friends. OK, so your boyfriend isn’t always going to get along swimmingly with your friends. But if he goes out of his way to say mean things about them, it could be a sign of jealousy. It’s perfectly natural for a guy to dislike one or two of your friends—the issue is if he hates ALL of them. This is a good indication that he’s jealous whenever you spend time with your friends rather than him. It’s a major flaw that you should try to spot as soon as possible.
  5. He insists on knowing your passwords. If you’re willing to give your boyfriend your email password or phone code voluntarily, that’s fine. It’s actually a sign of a strong relationship if you trust him with that information. Still, he shouldn’t be demanding that you share that stuff with him. It’s jealous behavior, not to mention insecure and controlling.
  6. He’s the king of passive-aggressive behavior. To be fair, we all have our moments, but if he acts passive-aggressive toward you on a regular basis, there’s a good chance he’s boiling over with jealousy on the inside. Also, he needs to learn how to communicate clearly and directly like an adult.
  7. He demands a say in your decisions. Sure, if a decision will affect you both as a couple, he should be able to share his two cents. However, if he tries to make up your mind for you on things that only relate to you, he’s probably the jealous type. Also, if he blows up after the fact because you did something without telling him, he’s unreasonably jealous.
  8. He freaks out about a missed call. No one can answer their phone or return a text right away all the time. Any reasonable person should understand that. But if you have a boyfriend who flies off the handle over you actually having things to do besides sitting by your phone waiting for him to contact you, you have a jealous boyfriend.
  9. He always wants you around. Of course, it’s nice to have a boyfriend who always wants you around, but there’s a line between sweet and suspicious. This can be a little more acceptable early in a relationship because it probably means he’s super into you, but if he insists on tagging along everywhere you go even when you don’t want him to, something is definitely wrong with him. It’s possible that he’s the clingy type but there’s also a good chance that he’s jealous whenever you do something without him, which isn’t healthy.
  10. He steps up his affection around others. As long as you’re on board with it, PDA is totally cool. Still, too much PDA can be a sign of jealousy. If a guy is suddenly all over you with the PDA when other people are around, it’s akin to an animal marking its territory. It’s his way of telling the rest of the world that you belong to him. It may be sweet and flattering at first, but that kind of jealousy usually isn’t healthy in a serious relationship.
Bryan Zarpentine graduated from Syracuse University and lives in upstate New York, where he writes largely about the world of sports. His work has appeared on Franchise Sports and WSN, among others. You can find him on Twitter @BZarp.
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