Body language is an essential component of communication during the rituals of dating and sex. We use body language to communicate so much of our subconscious and conscious desires, including whether we’re attracted to someone and how we want to navigate our sexual experience. Decoding your partner’s body signals can significantly improve your relationship and sex life, giving you the key to their secret desires.
As such, when in doubt, it’s best to resort to verbal communication to confirm what you believe.
While understanding body signals is essential for a healthy relationship and sex life, we must also emphasize the need for verbal consent. Relying too heavily upon body signals can also lead to misunderstanding, and it’s easy for people to see their own desires validated in their partner’s gestures. As such, when in doubt, it’s best to resort to verbal communication to confirm what you believe.
This article helps you decode the meaning behind normal gestures, movements, and maneuvers while dating and during sex.
Touching your face and hair constantly
If your partner constantly touches your face or hair during sexual intercourse, that’s a demonstration of sincere affection. It indicates that your partner wants to connect on a level deeper than pure physicality — there’s an emotional and spiritual component to this act. You may experience this if your partner has a genuine romantic interest in you.
Looking at your face for extended periods
If someone constantly looks at your face during sex, it indicates they may have strong emotional feelings for you. Additionally, it also means they’re observing your reactions to their actions, possibly in an attempt to modify their actions accordingly. Generally speaking, someone who catalogs your response is likely interested as much in your pleasure as their own, so that’s a strong sign that your sexual experience with them is likely to continue improving!
The opposite is also true. If your sexual partner avoids looking at your face during sex, you might consciously or subconsciously be pulling away from you, at least emotionally. It means they’re hesitant about connecting with you on a deeper level. However, your partner’s need to pull away from connecting doesn’t reflect poorly upon you — they may also shirk from the connection because of internalized personal issues.
Stroking, pulling, and tugging your hair
Research shows that people subconsciously associate a full head of healthy hair with a strong genetic makeup and fertility. As such, if your partner is constantly running their fingers through your hair, pulling your hair, tugging your hair, smelling your hair, or simply playing with your hair, they might subconsciously see you as a potential long-term partner. This response works on a visceral level, so it’s not a confirmation that your partner is interested in procreation immediately.
Using a lot of tongue while kissing
If your partner is using a lot of tongue while kissing, that may indicate two things. First, your partner might be fairly new to intimacy, so they might not realize the power in the tongue. If you don’t like the sensation, gently inform them to go easy. Secondly, using a lot of tongue may indicate they have an urgent desire to explore every part of your body. The tongue action might be accompanied by them grinding against you.
Grabbing and pulling you by the waist
If your partner grabs you by the waist and pulls you closer, they might be assessing how well your bodies fit together. Penetrating partners may pull you tighter against themselves in order to thrust deeper into you — this is an expression of evolution at work. Regardless of your individual goals, penetrating partners often feel a biological desire to thrust deep to increase the chance of pregnancy.
Alternatively, your partner may also grab you by the waist to better appreciate your proportions. It’s an expression of deep intimacy and sexual attraction. Pulling you closer can also lead to strong sexual attraction, thereby heightening your sexual experience. If you enjoy the sensation, you can respond by moving closer to your partner to display just how well your bodies fit together, thereby heightening your partner’s sexually charged mental state.
Forehead-to-forehead touching
The act of a partner connecting their forehead to yours can feel incredibly emotional and symbolic. When you find yourself forehead-to-forehead, you might feel strong emotions flood through you, even if you can’t explain why. That’s because forehead-to-forehead connections indicate a subconscious desire to connect mentally and emotionally — to be of like mind. It goes deeper than physicality and emotional connections — it’s about rooting yourself in your partner’s thoughts.
Kissing you on the forehead
If your partner often kisses you on the forehead, they’re possibly taking on the nurturing role in the relationship. Parents often kiss their children on the tops of their heads, so this action gets linked as a parental and nurturing act. Your partner kissing you on the forehead doesn’t mean they want to father or mother you, but it’s driven by a similar need to nurture you. You might also find yourself nuzzled against your partner’s chest with their arms wrapped around you in a protective embrace.
Nibbling and biting your body
If your partner often nibbles and bites different parts of your body, they’re probably trying to induce stronger sexual feelings in you. That’s because different parts of the body are extremely sensitive to different types of touch — these are known as erogenous zones. Nibbling or biting the erogenous zones can be intensely pleasurable because they contain a high volume of nerve endings, and the act releases pleasure-inducing endorphins. However, if you don’t like the sensation, you can gently inform your partner that you’d like them to stop.
Holding your hands during sex
Holding hands during sex doesn’t directly lead to increased sexual pleasure because the hands don’t contain a high volume of nerve endings. As such, if your partner holds your hands during sex, it indicates that they want to connect with you on a deeper level, not necessarily guided by lust. It’s a form of tenderness and affection not linked to visceral lust. Holding your hands during sex may also indicate that they want to maintain an emotional connection with you throughout the sexual experience.
It’s important to emphasize that we’ve only offered potential meanings behind various body signals. However, humans are complex, and your partner may also display these gestures for a wide range of other reasons. It’s always best to openly communicate with your partner, ask them what they want, and similarly convey your desires. But understanding your partner’s body signals will certainly improve your overall sex life.
