Dating can be really tricky to navigate when you aren’t sure what the other person truly feels about you. You think that he’ll be there for you through thick and thin, but before you know it, he disappears and leaves you alone. Luckily for you, there are signs a man is emotionally attached to you that can help you solve the mystery of whether or not he’ll stay by your side.
Relationships changed over time. Nowadays, it’s more important to create a deep and meaningful connection with someone than it was before.
So, if your wish is to build a stable and healthy love life, then there has to be more than just physical attraction between you and your partner. After a while, that attraction starts fading away, and the only thing that stays is the emotional attachment.
But how do you know when he’s emotionally connected in your romantic relationship? Can guys even be emotionally attached to women?
First, you have to understand that the signs I’ll highlight here are based on the study of adult attachment theories and they’ve helped many women figure out whether or not their men are ready to commit.
To better understand men, you have to be familiar with the fact that there are different attachment styles. There will be times when you’ll feel an intense emotional connection with a guy but won’t have the proper words to describe it, which is completely normal.
But you can save your heart from being broken by knowing whether he sees you as a friend or a potential partner.
What is emotional attachment?
Before jumping right to the signs a man is emotionally attached to you, we have to clarify what emotional attachment really is.
Simply put, emotional attachment is when a person feels strong affection for someone. It seems as if they can’t control themselves and their behavior.
They always find an excuse to be near that person and continuously remind their partner of how incredible their bond really is.
Some people say that this type of emotional attachment is characterized by possessiveness and dependency, which is true to some extent.
If you think about it, an emotionally attached man will want this woman only for himself. The very thought of losing her in any way scares him and makes him lose it.
That’s why some may say that being attached to someone is a bad thing, but it’s actually not. It all depends on how you handle your emotions and how you act on them.
Each of us wants our feelings to be reciprocated, but what if they aren’t? What happens then?
Well, it could be that all hell breaks loose and that the person starts freaking out. But, the positive side of emotional attraction is that it can be a foundation for a successful and healthy relationship.
Different types of emotional attachment
No relationship is perfect and every couple has its ups and downs. But to make things even more complicated, there are a couple of different types of emotional attachments regarding men.
Physical attachment
You don’t have to be a relationship expert to figure this one out – it’s pretty self-explanatory. If a guy is attached to you based on your physical appearance and chemistry, then we’re talking about physical attachment style.
In most cases, this type of attachment can’t be controlled and is led by our primal instincts and hormones.
Truth be told, if your relationship is based on chemistry, then it won’t survive purely based on that fact.
It’s definitely a good start and base for future development, but once the honeymoon phase ends, the chemistry will slowly start fading away.
Don’t be disappointed if you can relate to this, since there’s always a valuable lesson to be learned with each new experience.
Friendship attachment
Many of us are familiar with this type of attachment style. In the beginning, everything feels great and fresh, but as time passes, one of you doesn’t develop any serious feelings for the other. This is what is called friend-zoning.
Don’t even think about starting a romantic relationship if your guy feels this way, because he can’t control his feelings that way.
And once you enter the friend zone, there almost zero chance of getting out of there. The most that you can have with this man is being best friends and nothing else.
Many people are confused about this attachment style since the beginning is similar to an emotional one. Sometimes you can’t tell them apart and that’s especially true if you’re the one who is more invested in the relationship.
You may get carried away so easily that you can’t see past your own emotions. You think that he’s being serious with you because you spend so much time together.
It’s only natural to think that some feelings have come out of it. And your first thought is that he’s falling in love with you. But then you get shocked with the fact that he starts talking to or even dating other women.
Maybe you convince yourself that it’s harmless and he’ll come back to you, but soon you realize that this guy only sees you as his friend and nothing more. He values your opinion and appreciates you, but that’s it.
Accepting that you’re just a buddy to him can be really devastating and heartbreaking.
But you have to remember that you couldn’t see past your own emotions, because if you had, then you wouldn’t be stuck in such an awkward situation.
Romantic attachment
The one that all of us are looking for. This is the real deal and the one you should be definitely interested in.
Both physical and friendship attachment is encompassed in this one romantic connection.
Truthfully, you can’t have a healthy relationship if your love partner isn’t your best friend at the same time and if you don’t share powerful chemistry.
If you find a man like this, then hold onto him because he’s most probably your forever person. He’ll be there for you come hell or high water and you’ll be happy to have him in your life.
Keep in mind that both people have to be emotionally mature to reach this level of attachment.
The Avoider
I’ve mentioned a couple of healthy attachment styles, but be aware that there are unhealthy ones too. One of them is called the avoider and it’s someone who’s never experienced sharing feelings.
It could be that the root of the problem goes all the way back to their childhood where their parents were rarely affectionate.
As a consequence, they learned how to take care of themselves and don’t need anyone’s help.
But once they start a romantic relationship with someone, it often ends badly. Why? Because they’re unable to give themselves to the other person.
And because of that, their partner feels neglected and underappreciated, which inevitably leads to a breakup.
The Controller
This is another unhealthy attachment style that can be usually tied to a childhood trauma or some mental illness.
Since people with this attachment style faced some sort of abuse or mental illness, they’re unable to show their vulnerable side to anyone. They believe if they do so, they might be seen as weak and helpless.
In most cases, they choose anger as an outlet because it makes them feel powerful, strong, and in control of the situation.
Controllers avoid letting people in, especially when it comes to romantic relationships. They can’t seem to connect with anyone on a deeper level since they’re afraid of losing their sense of control.
Signs a man is emotionally attached to you
Now that you know most types of attachment styles, it’s also important to recognize the signs a man is emotionally attached to you. If you don’t, then you might miss your chance to find your forever person.
Unlike men, women are generally open books.
They’re not afraid of sharing their feelings with their significant other as they believe it’s better to enlighten them than to keep them in the dark. When they like someone and feel emotionally attached to a guy, then they’ll let him know.
Women are pretty straightforward with their feelings because they don’t want to waste any time.
They like to get straight to the point without hesitating too much. While that could be seen as a sign of weakness, in most cases it’s a positive attribute to have.
1. He feels comfortable around you
One of the first signs a guy is emotionally attached to you is if he feels comfortable around you. You’ll see him relaxed when he’s with you and he won’t be uptight at all.
He may not tell you all of his secrets at once, but you’ll definitely notice him being more honest about his life. That’s an obvious sign a man is emotionally attached to you.
Because you make him feel comfortable, he won’t try to be anything he’s not. Many people put a facade at the start of a romantic relationship, but this man doesn’t do that.
He even embarrasses himself in front of you because he knows you won’t judge him. Also, he’ll embrace your funny side too so that you feel comfortable being yourself around him.
2. He goes above and beyond
We all know that little things make all the difference in determining whether a relationship is going to be healthy and successful.
But let me ask you this: Does your man shower you with gifts and take you to beautiful places even though he can’t afford them?
If so, he’s doing it on purpose because he’s emotionally attached to you. He goes above and beyond to make you smile. Your happiness is the most important thing to him and he can’t stand seeing you being sad or depressed.
He’ll do anything in his power to win you over for the rest of your life. That’s how much you mean to him.
3. He contacts you all the time
Does your man send you cute and adorable text messages even if he’s had a bad day? Does he call you every time he gets off from work to tell you how he misses you and can’t wait to see you?
If your answer is yes, then that’s a good sign a man is emotionally attached to you. Even if he’s got work to do, he’ll find some free time to send you a quick text message or call you to tell you how much he loves you.
He’s worrying whether or not you’re okay and he wants to let you know he’s thinking about you.
It may sound a bit possessive and clingy at first, but keep in mind that men and women express their feelings differently. There’s a difference between being cute and being creepy.
If you feel the same about him and it doesn’t bother you that he wants to see you every day, then you’ve found your match.
4. He wants to take your relationship to the next level
Even though dating and relationships can be complicated sometimes, there are a lot of signs a guy is being serious about you.
And if he wants to take your dating or relationship to the next level, it’s probably because he feels a strong emotional connection to you or he’s on his way to it.
Either way, you’re definitely not going to end up in the friend zone and you can be sure that he’ll make the first move.
Your only duty is to be patient and not chase after him. Always let the man chase you because if you do otherwise then he’ll think that you’re clingy or desperate.
Maybe he introduces you to his loved ones, or he suggests that you two move in together. Either way, those are all signs a man is emotionally attached to you.
5. He prioritizes you
One thing that needs to be clear is that if he doesn’t put you first, then you don’t deserve a man like that in your life. That’s especially true if he acts selfishly and doesn’t think about how you feel.
For a man like that, your emotions and well-being will always be second. If he only takes care of himself and his needs, then he’s probably a player and not your forever person.
Don’t expect him to take you to any fancy restaurants or to pay any attention to you because his only priority is himself and no one else.
On the other hand, if you’re lucky enough to have a man willing to do anything for you and who cares for your feelings, then you better believe that he’s emotionally attached to you.
You’re his one and only choice and he would never leave you for any girl.
6. He asks for your advice
It’s well-known fact that guys tend to make decisions on their own without consulting with their significant other first, even in tough times. But if a guy is emotionally attached to you, then he’ll care about your opinion.
He’ll ask for your advice on everything from what to wear to which phone to buy and similar things.
He’s certainly getting used to you being around him if he takes your opinions into consideration before making decisions, whether they’re big or small.
Your happiness is important to him and he knows you’ll be glad to hear that he respect and honors your opinions.
7. He leans closer to you
Truthfully, many women fail to notice certain body language signs that can help them figure out whether or not a man has feelings for them.
But if you see that your guy is leaning closer to you, then you can be sure that he’s serious about you.
He’s purposely doing that because he’s attracted to you big time and can’t enough of you. His natural desire is to be close to you and he’ll use any opportunity he can get to shorten the distance between him and you.
But don’t worry, he won’t enter your private space before knowing that you’re comfortable around him. He’ll always leave a bit of distance so you can move back if you don’t want him to get too close.
8. He makes efforts with your family
Meeting each other’s family members is a huge step in any relationship.
And if a guy is emotionally attached to you, then he’ll want to meet your family as much as he wants you to meet his. He’ll put in the effort to impress them because he knows they’re important to you.
Trust me, if he didn’t feel that emotional connection with you, then he wouldn’t make any time to see them in the first place. He’d probably make an excuse for how he’s too busy right now and slowly pull away from you.
If you’re wondering if he’s the right one for you, then think about the moment he met your parents. Was he charming and warm?
Did he make an effort to become friends with them? Or did he look uninterested in everything and everyone?
The way he treats you when you’re around your parents can tell you a lot about his intentions. So, next time you visit your family, pay close attention to how he behaves around them.
9. He listens when you talk
Many guys won’t actively listen when you talk to them because they’re not interested in hearing what you have to say and they’ll just wander around thinking about other things.
But a man who’s emotionally attached to you will behave differently when spending time with you.
He won’t play with his phone or be distracted in any way. His entire attention will be directed on you. He’ll engage in your conversation because he’s completely enchanted by you.
On top of that, he’ll prove to you that he actively listens to what you have to say. You won’t have to repeat the same things over and over again.
He’ll remember everything you shared with him. He might even ask you about something that you said even days after you had that conversation.
This has to be one of the most adorable things about a man who is emotionally attached to you.
10. He doesn’t lie to you
He’s like an open book and there are no secrets between you and him. Of course, he won’t be like that the second he meets you. But as your relationship progresses and becomes more serious, then he’ll start opening up to you.
His emotions won’t be a mystery to you anymore. Why? Because he’ll show them through his actions and say them with his sweet words.
He knows that lying to your partner never ends well. Once you get caught in lying, you’ll always be labeled as a liar. He’s aware that trusting your partner plays a huge role in whether or not your relationship will be healthy.
That’s why he’ll always choose to tell the truth rather than lie to you.
11. He spends all of his free time with you
This is one of the most obvious signs a man is emotionally attached to you. He’ll use his free time to spend it with you rather than go out with his friends. And he’ll do it because he likes you and definitely has strong feelings for you.
At first, you may think that he has some secret agenda for doing that, like maybe he only wants to get you into the bedroom. But the reality is he likes spending time with you.
The emotional connection that you two have is far beyond a physical one. He’s in it because you make him a better person.
12. He’s ready to commit to you
A man who’s ready to commit to you and only you is someone who knows the meaning of true love. He recognizes that the emotional connection you two have is truly unique and one-of-a-kind.
He’s ready to settle down and spend the rest of his life with you.
You’ll never question his loyalty because he only wants you. You give meaning to his life and he’s genuinely happy when he’s with you.
If you find yourself in these signs, don’t be shy and give that man a chance to rock your world!
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