When to Worry About Your Boyfriend or Girlfriend's Texting
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While it's generally best to trust your significant other and not act like a jealous fool, sometimes there are some legitimate red flags that come up with regards to their texting habits.
- Their laugh is different. They laugh, smile, or chuckle in a way that they laugh, smile, or chuckle with you — or used to, anyway. But be careful here though, some people just have a singular laugh that sounds the same for any measure of humor. In that case, just give them a pass. Same goes if they're the type who just laughs at everything because, well, they laugh at everything.
- They ignore you to respond to the text. If they respond to the message in a very focused manner, appearing oblivious to anything else going on, then that is a bad sign. That whole tidbit about keeping their attention or they'll find someone else who will, yeah, those are words to live by in relationships.
- They hide the text from you. Changing the angle of their phone to prevent you from seeing it is a huge red flag. Odds are they're not throwing you a surprise party.
- They hold on to their phone. Instead of returning their phone to where it was prior (pocket, purse, and so on) they keep it in their hand. Again, this could mean nothing: it could be thoughtless or they may actually need the phone to check their email or get directions. Or, it could mean something: they may be expecting another reply and are too excited to get it to put the phone down.
- They leave the room to text. They text when in another room, then for "some reason" stop when you come. Sometimes this is just a simple gesture of politeness. And sometimes, there's another reason behind it. If your significant other is consistently texting in a manner that is covert and secretive, then that's something you need to think about.
- They get anxious if they don't have their phone. If you happen to be holding their phone and they hear it receive a text, they grab for it and appear antsy until they get it, especially if you play the "keep-away" game. (Don't play the keep-away game. It's annoying.) You can see a level of discomfort or anxiety on their face when you have their phone. If they never let you have their phone, there's probably a reason. (Really, all it takes is one keep-away game too many and you lose any phone-holding privileges. Or they just have something to hide, that too.)
If one of the above things happen, you can try to divert their attention with questions or conversation. If their body language is passive and disinterested, that may be a sign that they're simply talking to someone more interesting than you which, sadly, could really be no one's fault but your own.
