Female Body Language: 10 Signs She Might Be Interested

Reading people's cues can help you understand whether someone is comfortable, uncomfortable, nervous, angry, or even attracted to you. While people of all genders tend to have similar behaviors overall, there can be some subtle nuances more common among women. Here's how body language experts break them down.

That said, some studies have found gender affects body language reading1; that is, your gender might affect how accurately you can read other people's body language. Some research has found women are generally better at recognizing emotions in facial expressions, whereas other studies have found women to be better at recognizing negative emotions like anger and men can pick up on emotions like happiness with more ease.

Because the neck contains the jugular vein, it's a vulnerable part of the body. In an attempt to protect themselves, a person may be inclined to reach for their neck in discomfort. When they're feeling comfortable and safe though, they might expose their necks. To do this, they could brush their hair to the side or tilt one shoulder forward and down, body language expert Blanca Cobb, M.S., tells mbg.

While grabbing for the neck is generally a sign of discomfort, if a woman reaches for her necklace, she may be sending the opposite signal. If the movement is slower, sensual, and more of a caress, Cobb says that can be a sign of flirting. Fidgeting with rings, however, could be a sign of discomfort and nervousness.

When eating at a restaurant or sitting across from someone, a woman might move objects out of the way. This could be a sign she wants to be closer to the other person, Oud explains, particularly if it's followed by physical touch. This tends to be a sign of affection among all genders.

The feedback loop in conversation tends to be more visible in women than men. Nodding of the head, arching the eyebrows, smiling, or saying things like ‘oh, really?’ may be signs of flirtation or interest, Oud explains. While men do this too, women may be generally more obvious in their flirty facial expressions.

According to Cobb, women will generally pull a strand from the back or side of their head when flirting. "When they're readjusting with the front, like a bang, that's more nervousness," she explains. 

Biting the lip can be a sign of nervousness and flirtation—sometimes both at the same time, Cobb explains. "Some women might lick their lips," she adds. In some cases, this is done to draw attention to the lips or to moisten them before kissing.

While clenched hands can be a sign of withdrawal or discomfort, open hands with palms facing upward can signal trust and openness.

When interested in someone, a woman might engage in some kind of physical touch. This could be a brush of the hand, a tap on the shoulder or the knee, or something more obvious like a hug or hand-holding. "Men do the same in reverse," Cobb says. However, a man's intent might be more to see how the woman will react and whether she's comfortable enough.

When a woman is excited or interested, her voice may become faster and slightly higher. But, depending on where a person lives, they may actually draw out their words and speak a bit more slowly to flirt. While the latter helps the other person hear what you have to say, it could also draw attention to the lips, Cobb explains.

"The more interested you are in somebody, the more attention you're going to give them," Cobb says. One way to show that attention is by tilting the head as someone talks or nodding for them to continue. On a more sensual note, a woman might tilt her chin down slightly, then slowly look up. "Particularly when you have the smolder look with it, that can be very captivating," she says.

Gender aside, Oud recommends anyone thinking about what their body language might be conveying to consider: Who am I, what are my behaviors and nonverbal communications, and is that effective for what I want to achieve?