The benefits of being able to read body language are obvious:

You know if he’s interested even if he’s not saying a word.

You know if he’s NOT interested before wasting your time.

And you probably already know these 5 basic signs to look for.

• Is his body facing you?
• Are his feet pointed towards you?
• Is he making eye contact with you, with a quick lift of the eyebrows?
• Is his body language open as opposed to closed?
• Is he grooming himself (running a hand through his hair, smoothing down his shirt)?

Then he’s definitely feeling a connection.

But those aren’t the only body language signals that you should be paying attention to.

Here are 5 more body language signs that many people miss.

Sign #1. Palms exposed

If a man is interested in you, he doesn’t want to scare you off. He wants to convey to you that he doesn’t mean any harm and that he’s not a dangerous person.

The way he does this is through showing you the palms of his hands.

When our ancestors saw a stranger approaching, the first thing they did was look at this new person’s hands to see if they were carrying a weapon.

Strangers knew to keep their hands in the open (not stuck in their pockets, not held behind their backs) and show their palms to convey that they came in peace.

So look at his hands. Is he gesturing with them? Is he holding them up? Then he wants you to feel safe with him.

This isn’t just something men do with women. Women do it with men, too.

There is something visually alluring about the hands and wrists. We pay more attention to someone who’s gesturing with their hands than someone who’s merely speaking.

So avoid long sleeves that cover the wrists, keep your hands visible, and turn your hands so that he can see your palms and the underside of your wrists.

Sign #2. Head toss

The deliberate head toss, where a woman tosses back her mane of hair to attract the interest of a man, is so obvious that it’s become a cliché.

The kind of head toss I’m speaking about here is something different.

When a man sees you and thinks, “Wow!” he instinctively tosses his head back, as if he’s trying to get his bangs out of his eyes.

It’s a sign of arousal, and he does it automatically.

So pay attention to the guy who tosses his head back as soon as he sees you. He’s very interested!

Sign #3. Shoulder lift

You already know that you should pay attention to a man’s face. If his lips are thin or pressed tight, or if he’s expressionless, that’s a sign you should move on.

But there’s another part of the body that’s almost as revealing:

The shoulders.

We don’t tend to watch someone’s shoulders when we’re talking to them. But we can tell whether their shoulders are tight and tense or loose and relaxed.

What you want to look for is whether a man is moving his shoulders or not.

If he likes you, his shoulders will naturally lift or flex forwards.

If he’s not interested, his shoulders will remain rigid.

So watch for a man who shrugs or lifts his shoulders when he’s with you, and make sure to keep your own shoulders loose and responsive when you talk to a man you like.

Sign #4. Postural echo

You lean on the table with both arms. As you talk, he leans on the table with both arms.

Then you lean back in your chair, and a few seconds later he leans back.

This is called a postural echo.

It’s a sign he’s feeling in sync with you. He’s mimicking your posture unconsciously.

If you’ve ever picked up another person’s accent or catchphrases, you know how easy it is to pick up another person’s mannerisms without realizing you’re doing it.

We only pick up mannerisms from people we like and feel in tune with.

Not only is postural echoing a sign that he likes you, but it also makes you more likely to feel attracted to him. You feel more comfortable with people whose body language is in sync with yours.

Sign #5. Shared focus

You’re having a conversation with an attractive man when something on the TV across the room catches your eye. You keep talking with him as you watch the screen.

He follows your gaze and looks at the screen, too, then makes a comment about what you’re both watching.

This is called shared focus.

When a man pays attention to the same thing you’re paying attention to, it means he’s trying to connect with you.

Talking about what you’re both seeing can feel easier than having a personal conversation face-to-face.

This is why movies and art galleries are such popular date options. You have something to pay attention to, that’s not each other, and a topic of conversation that’s not personal.

So watch for the man who tosses his head when you enter the room. Notice what he does with his shoulders and hands. See if he pays attention to the same thing you’re paying attention to you, or reflects your own body language back to you. If so, then this man very much wants a chance to get to know you!