It can seem odd and creepy when you notice someone Staring at you across the room. It can also be flattering. In a lot of cases, the difference between a creepy or flattering stare is whether you like the person staring. If you dislike someone, the same behavior can seem intimidating. When you have a crush on the guy, you feel flattered and hope that he likes you.

If a guy stares at you but doesn’t Smile, it can seem strange. When a guy likes you and is caught staring at you, he will often blush or smile. When he does neither of these things, it can be confusing to try and figure out what is going on in his head. While it is impossible to know exactly what he is thinking without just asking him, there are a few common reasons why a guy stares at you but doesn’t smile.

What Does It Mean When a Guy Stares at You But Doesn’t Smile?

1. He Likes You

People respond in different names when they like someone. Some people are naturally shy and feel awkward about hitting on their crush. If he likes you, he probably was not planning on you actually noticing him. Instead, he was hoping that he could gaze at you in secret. Most likely, he did not even realize that he was staring at first. When you caught him looking at you, he didn’t think to smile or do anything. He was surprised that you saw him staring and just froze.

2. You Might Remind Him of Someone

This is a fairly common reason why someone might stare at someone else. If you barely know the guy who is staring at you, then this is one of the two most common reasons. Something about you reminds him of someone he knows, so he is staring at you because of it. It is also possible that he remembers seeing you somewhere else, and he is just trying to place you.

3. He Has No Clue That He Is Staring

This is the second most common reason why a guy stares at you but doesn’t smile. You have probably done the same thing before. Something distracted your mind, and you stopped paying attention to anything else in the world. Before long, you realized that you were staring at someone or something without even thinking about it. Like you, the guy might be staring because he was lost in thought. You might be merely the person who happened to be in front of his eyes at the time. This reason is especially likely when you + Add New Category consider that he did not smile at you or do anything else to show his interest.

4. He Wants to Be Mysterious

Approaching someone who you just met is not easy. Sometimes, you use flirtatious glances to get someone to notice you. He might be staring at you because he hopes that you will notice him and think that he is mysterious or interesting. Obviously, his plan would work better if he actually smiled afterward, but give him a break. Hitting on any attractive crush is intimidating, so he is just trying his best.

5. He Heard a Rumor

If you barely know him and are pretty certain that the guy does not like you, then the stare may be due to something that he heard. He may have heard a rumor about you, so he wants to see the person that this rumor is all about. The rumor might not be about something bad though, so don’t worry too much. He may have just heard how great you are at playing a certain sport or one of his friends may have mentioned hanging out with you.

What Should You Do Now?

What you do now depends on the feelings you have for him, the reason why he is staring and the situation that you are in at the moment. On an easy, basic level, you could try just staring back to see what he does. Turn it into a staring contest and see if you can make him smile. This technique is probably one of the best ones because you will be able to see by his response to your stare what is going on in his mind. If he blushes or smiles, then he was either lost in thought or has a crush on you. If his response is negative, then you can assume that he is not interested in you.

For a more subtle option, try smiling at him. You can see by his response if he likes you or really dislikes you. You can also use the rest of your knowledge about the guy to figure out what he is feeling. If he normally flirts with you, then his stares are probably positive or neutral. If you have never met him before, then he has either just noticed you, you remind him of someone or he is lost in thought.