Studies have shown that, in general, men use language to create distance and boundaries and to establish dominance and power. While women use language to connect and to build a rapport.
When you ask your man what he's thinking, and he answers "I'm thinking about burgers", then he's probably thinking about a burger or a footballer called Burgers. He's not implying that you've had a few to many in your time, that you look like a burger or that he'd rather eat take-out than your home cooking, he just happens to have burgers on the brain.
And when you ask your man how he's feeling, he will probably struggle to answer this question because he honestly doesn’t know or he doesn’t have the words to express how he is feeling. Most men will squirm at the very mention of feelings, love and commitment; so in an effort to help women better understand their men, here are some basic “man-speak" translations:
He says: Let’s be friends
He means: I’m not really into you, but I’d like to hang around and try my luck with your really hot friend
He says: We’re dating
He means: It’s down to you and one other woman
He says: I think we should date exclusively
He means: I don’t want you seeing anyone else
He says: How many guys have you been with
He means: I’m the best right
He says: That shirt looks really good on you
He means: I think I can see your nipples
He says: Do you want another drink
He means: Surely you're randy by now
He says: It’s complicated
He means: I have no idea how it works
He says: Ok
He means: I’m watching football and that’s the shortest word I know to shut you up. Wow did you see that tackle?
He says: I think you’re wonderful
He means: I think you’re wonderful
He says: I need a drink
He means: I wish you’d stop asking how I’m feeling. Why didn't I go to the pub
He says: I fixed your car
He means: I have trouble expressing it, but I love you
When it comes right down to it, guys are pretty simple creatures. A good weekend for us is one spent lying on the couch watching sport, beer in hand and the top button of our pants undone.
So maybe it shouldn’t come as such a surprise that if we ask you how you are, and you say “fine", we actually assume you’re doing fine. If you make us guess what you mean, we'll get it wrong, we're men for heaven's sake!
