Texting is the best, right? Well… with the exception of those text message disasters, but we’ll leave that convo for Jaci Marie and Chelsey Jade on the What We Said podcast, because today we’re laser-focused on figuring out how to send the right message through your texts . . . or lack there of.
Texting is super convenient and makes communication easy-breezy. But, here’s the thing: a sudden no-contact period (AKA abruptly not texting back) can make your guy think A LOT of things. (Whether he be your boyfriend, FWB, or something else.)
Like they explain in this episode of We Met At Acme, men and women interpret texts differently. You need to know how your text etiquette affects your relationship, because it’s not just the winky frowny faces and the single word responses that create confusion. Not responding at all to your man’s texts can send their brains reeling in all directions!
So, today we’re dedicating this ENTIRE post to this VERY important topic: what the hell does a guy think when you don’t text him? Let’s dive in:
What He Thinks When You Don’t Text Him
“Are they upset with me?”
If he hasn’t heard from you, he might think you’re pissed off at him. When a guy suddenly gets the silent treatment, he often suspects it’s a punishment for something he did or didn’t do. This is especially the case if his unanswered text was sent after a fight or disagreement.
“Maybe they’re not interested anymore.”
As outlined in A Complete and Total Guide to All Dating Rules on another epic episode of We Met At Acme, there are situations where you shouldn’t text him. But, when you don’t respond to a casual text from a guy, it might make him think you’re not interested in him anymore. We get it. Who doesn’t feel a little insecure now and then? Especially when your heart is invested. Even the guy who acts uber-confident needs some validation, otherwise, they can start drawing conclusions.
Be sure to grab a The Rules Crew to spread the word about the rules. The We Met at Acme rules can seriously help you win the dating game. And, grab this tote to remind yourself never to text first after a date!
“Are they ghosting me?”
Ahh… ghosting. The buzzword we love to hate. Or is it hate to love? Because let’s be real. No one wants to be ghosted. When you suddenly stop texting him, he might think that’s exactly what’s happening.
BTW, if you actually are considering ghosting a guy, try an anti-ghost text instead. Not sure wtf an anti-ghost text is? Check out this episode of We Met At Acme.
“She’s probably just busy.”
Not all guys immediately react negatively when their girl doesn’t text them back. However, we all know the difference between “you must be busy” and “guess you’re too busy to text me back.” IYKYK.
The good ones, however, might assume you’re just busy doing something else and that you’ll text him when you’re free. It helps if you tell him about your plans ahead of time, although even then he might still forget.
“Should I text them again?”
He could be staring at his phone, waiting for those three dots to appear, thinking to himself, “I shouldn’t text her twice in a row without a response, right? Isn’t it, like, texting etiquette 101?” He might also start overthinking and trying to justify your silence like maybe the last text he sent didn’t elicit a response. In which case he’ll wonder if he should send a follow-up text.
“Is she OK?”
Depending on how long it’s been since he last heard from you, as well as how long the two of you had been talking before then, his first thought might be about your general well-being. Sweet, right? We all like that knight and shining armor vibe.
Nothing at all.
Listen, the male perspective is confusing, to say the least. We spend wayyy too much time trying to figure out what the hell is going on inside their head, yet often there is very little going on at all. This “nothingness” can go one of two ways. Either they’re amazingly easy-going and don’t think twice about you not texting them back because they’re secure enough not to worry about it, or they’re not thinking about it because they just don’t give a damn. If it’s the second one, he did you a favor, love.
A guy can think a lot of different things when you don’t text him, or he might not think about it at all.
There are plenty of logical reasons for not texting a guy. And, there are a ton of things he could think as a result, including nothing at all. You don’t have to explain yourself, nor do you have to go out of your way to make a guy feel validated and reassured. Text him, don’t text him. Text him all day long or only when you feel like it. As long as you’re aware of how it might affect your relationship, do what makes you f*cking happy!!!
Be sure to grab one (or all) of these awesome phone cases so you can text (or not) in style.
Then, head over to the blog for more helpful content like this!