Are Girls Showing IOIs, or Just Being Polite?

[PersistenceIsKey]

How do you tell if women are just being polite? How do you avoid misinterpreting friendly gestures as indicators of interest?

Examples:

1. Girl fixes up my tie, and compliments what I'm wearing.

Looks like an IOI... but

Her boyfriend is standing right behind her. She's just being nice.

2. Girl compliments something about me, usually my shirt.

Looks like an IOI... but

She is 100% friendzone and is in a committed relationship. Neither of us are interested in each other.

3. Girl acts extremely receptive, smiles a ton, maintains eye contact, is glad to give me her number, and texts me back within five minutes every single time.

All look like IOIs... but

When I ask her on a casual date, she never responds or makes an excuse without an offer to reschedule. Not interested!

This kind of stuff is frustrating. I'm at the point where if someone compliments me, I just assume it's a friendly gesture.

 

[omega05]

Being complimented by a female doesnt mean she's interested in you. Getting a girl's number at a club doesnt mean she's interested in you. The only way I can tell if there is interest is if she agrees to go out with you multiple times.

 

[handle]

Takes time to realize what is and what isn't an "IOI." Even people with good game miss them. You will get better at parsing them out with time, but at the end of the day the only way to be sure is something concrete like making out, going out, etc.

 

[FairShake]

Females compliment you on your clothes and look all the time. They compliment each other on those things too. It's just how they bond.

You will know if it's an IOI or politeness when you ask for their number and they either give it to you or mention their boyfriend.

 

[sighsigh]

Eye contact is the best way to tell, imo. A girl with a high IL will stare at you alot. (Some guys call them 'fck me eyes').

If a girl is consistently near you, or consistently making the initiative to talk with you, or consistently doing 'polite things,' then that's a safe bet she's got a high IL. But you certainly can't draw this conclusion from only isolated instances.

Unfortunately, it seems that if you can't tell whether or not she's giving you IOI's, then she probably isn't. Girls are good at letting guys know that they like them. After all, that's the only job a girl has in the pickup game. Once she delivers the message, the onus falls completely on the guy to follow up and ask her out.