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Below are some of the games women play in the dating world, explicitly deciphered just for you.
The waiting game
You called her and, although you usually don't do this (or at least you shouldn't), you left a message for her to call you back. Hours or even days may pass before she returns your call. She's biding her time because she doesn't want to look too eager or too interested. Although she's interested in you, she doesn't want to risk chasing you away by appearing clingy.
- What you should do:
After a few days, you could call back to make sure she received the message, but after this point, it's up to her to follow up. If she doesn't, take the hint.
The bait game
The "I think I look fat in these pants... do you?" scenario is a tricky situation. Asking for your opinion is important to her; she wants to make sure that you find her attractive or maybe desirable. But by framing the question as an effort to validate her own opinion, she's baiting you into jamming your foot into your mouth.
- What you should do:
Don't take the bait. Look alive when this question hits. Don't give a long pause before answering. Of course, tell her she's beautiful and looks wonderful, whether you mean it or you're stretching the truth. If her reply is, "You're just saying that," say, "It doesn't matter what you wear, you will always be beautiful to me." Corny, yes, but you will have avoided a major meltdown.
The playing dumb game
This happens when she doesn't want to do something. To get you to take care of it, she'll play the "I don't know how to do that" angle. The task might be installing some software. More than likely she knows how to do it, but just doesn't want to or even try to.
- What you should do:
In most of these situations, you could suck it up and do it yourself. But make a habit of it, and she will too. Instead, let her play her game. Do whatever it is that she doesn't want to, but teach her while you're doing it. This way, she'll have no excuses the next time around.
The hard to get game
This isn't always just a matter of her trying to present herself as a challenge. Some women will hold back feelings if there is an emotional risk involved. She could be testing the water before she dives in, as she needs to make sure that you're worth the risk.
- What you should do:
If she's not clear about her feelings for you, but is giving you the "I'm interested" signals, then show her you feel the same way. But don't overdo it, as you still want to remain a challenge. Let her understand that you like her, but that you could also easily look elsewhere if things don't work out.
The "we need to talk" game
This game usually begins when you're watching some major sporting event, like the English soccer league on ESPN. Once again, she's testing you and trying to see where your priorities are. She needs your attention and she wants it now.
- What you should do:
It might be wise to hit the mute button for five minutes, listen to her, and then get back to the game. If you tell her to wait until later, you might as well turn off the TV because you've just started a five hour discussion. She'll likely drill you about how you don't care about her and don't discuss your feelings anymore. Take your pick.
The mind reading game
This is usually played alongside the reverse psychology game. Fellas, she wants you to read her mind because she thinks that if you really cared, you would know exactly what she wants. Although this is not a logical game, far from it, girls still expect you to get them.
- What you should do:
Before you get out your crystal ball and start foretelling the future, just ask her what she wants, stating you'd love to make her happy. Show her you're listening and don't waste your time trying to guess what she wants. If you play the guessing game, you'll likely get it wrong.
The silent treatment game
You know you've done something wrong when she doesn't speak to you and gives you the cold shoulder. The thing is you have no clue why she's so ticked.
- What you should do:
Don't ask her over and over what the problem is; you'll only make matters worse. The fact is if you don't know what you did, you've just bought some more time in the penalty box. Let her cool off while you try to figure it out. When she's ready to talk, she'll likely approach you, glare at you, make huffing sounds, or throw something at your head. At that point, you can ask her what the problem is, then get on with resolving it.
The waiting game
You called her and, although you usually don't do this (or at least you shouldn't), you left a message for her to call you back. Hours or even days may pass before she returns your call. She's biding her time because she doesn't want to look too eager or too interested. Although she's interested in you, she doesn't want to risk chasing you away by appearing clingy.
- What you should do:
After a few days, you could call back to make sure she received the message, but after this point, it's up to her to follow up. If she doesn't, take the hint.
The bait game
The "I think I look fat in these pants... do you?" scenario is a tricky situation. Asking for your opinion is important to her; she wants to make sure that you find her attractive or maybe desirable. But by framing the question as an effort to validate her own opinion, she's baiting you into jamming your foot into your mouth.
- What you should do:
Don't take the bait. Look alive when this question hits. Don't give a long pause before answering. Of course, tell her she's beautiful and looks wonderful, whether you mean it or you're stretching the truth. If her reply is, "You're just saying that," say, "It doesn't matter what you wear, you will always be beautiful to me." Corny, yes, but you will have avoided a major meltdown.
The playing dumb game
This happens when she doesn't want to do something. To get you to take care of it, she'll play the "I don't know how to do that" angle. The task might be installing some software. More than likely she knows how to do it, but just doesn't want to or even try to.
- What you should do:
In most of these situations, you could suck it up and do it yourself. But make a habit of it, and she will too. Instead, let her play her game. Do whatever it is that she doesn't want to, but teach her while you're doing it. This way, she'll have no excuses the next time around.
The hard to get game
This isn't always just a matter of her trying to present herself as a challenge. Some women will hold back feelings if there is an emotional risk involved. She could be testing the water before she dives in, as she needs to make sure that you're worth the risk.
- What you should do:
If she's not clear about her feelings for you, but is giving you the "I'm interested" signals, then show her you feel the same way. But don't overdo it, as you still want to remain a challenge. Let her understand that you like her, but that you could also easily look elsewhere if things don't work out.
The "we need to talk" game
This game usually begins when you're watching some major sporting event, like the English soccer league on ESPN. Once again, she's testing you and trying to see where your priorities are. She needs your attention and she wants it now.
- What you should do:
It might be wise to hit the mute button for five minutes, listen to her, and then get back to the game. If you tell her to wait until later, you might as well turn off the TV because you've just started a five hour discussion. She'll likely drill you about how you don't care about her and don't discuss your feelings anymore. Take your pick.
The mind reading game
This is usually played alongside the reverse psychology game. Fellas, she wants you to read her mind because she thinks that if you really cared, you would know exactly what she wants. Although this is not a logical game, far from it, girls still expect you to get them.
- What you should do:
Before you get out your crystal ball and start foretelling the future, just ask her what she wants, stating you'd love to make her happy. Show her you're listening and don't waste your time trying to guess what she wants. If you play the guessing game, you'll likely get it wrong.
The silent treatment game
You know you've done something wrong when she doesn't speak to you and gives you the cold shoulder. The thing is you have no clue why she's so ticked.
- What you should do:
Don't ask her over and over what the problem is; you'll only make matters worse. The fact is if you don't know what you did, you've just bought some more time in the penalty box. Let her cool off while you try to figure it out. When she's ready to talk, she'll likely approach you, glare at you, make huffing sounds, or throw something at your head. At that point, you can ask her what the problem is, then get on with resolving it.
