What It Means If His Eyes Dilate When He Looks at You

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Could dilated pupils be a sign that a guy loves you?

Co-authored by Alysha Jeney, MA, LMFT and Ali Garbacz, B.A.

Last Updated: February 20, 2024 Fact Checked

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Does it mean he likes me if his eyes dilate?

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Signs He’s Attracted to You

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Other Reasons Pupils Dilate

You’re talking to a guy you like and notice that his pupils are getting bigger. Is that a good sign? Does it mean that he likes you too? Keep reading to learn about what causes a guy’s eyes to dilate when he sees you and what it could mean. We’ll also give you plenty of other physical signs to look out for that can indicate he’s into you so you can know for sure.

Things You Should Know

A guy’s pupils may dilate if he likes you and thinks that you’re attractive.
His pupils might also dilate if he’s in a dark room, feeling strong emotions like fear, anger, or excitement, or concentrating hard on some task.
Some other physical signs a guy is attracted to you include maintaining eye contact, giving you casual, light touches, and smiling a lot when he’s around you.

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Does it mean he likes me if his eyes dilate?

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Dilating pupils could mean a guy likes you and finds you attractive. There have been many studies done to observe the role arousal has on pupil dilation, and researchers have found that a person’s eyes dilate when they’re presented with images that they find arousing. ^{[1]
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Research source} One cause of pupil dilation is an increase of oxytocin, the hormone released during sexual arousal. So, if you notice a guy’s pupils getting bigger when you talk and hang out, it might be because he finds you attractive. ^{[2]
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Cleveland Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
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- Studies have also shown that pupil dilation is controlled by a person’s sexual orientation. For example, the pupils of gay men dilated when they were presented with pictures of other men they found attractive.
- When women are ovulating, their pupils often more readily dilate when they’re talking with people they find attractive. ^{[3]
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 Trustworthy Source
 PubMed Central
 Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health
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- While it might be totally unintentional on his part, seeing a man’s dilated pupils can make him appear more approachable and trustworthy. ^{[4]
 X
 Trustworthy Source
 PubMed Central
 Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health
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- When you trust someone, your pupils may also dilate and mimic the other person. ^{[5]
 X
 Trustworthy Source
 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
 Official peer-reviewed and multidisciplary journal for the National Academy of Sciences.
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- Reader Poll: We asked 1507 wikiHow readers, and 71% agreed that dilated pupils is the hardest body language signal to pick up on when you’re trying to read someone. [Take Poll]
- So if you're able to notice his pupils dilating when he looks at you, you're picking up on a super subtle body language cue that means he might be into you!