What Signals are you Sending?

Not sure how you come off to other people? It's a common problem. See if you're sending that special someone the wrong signal.

by eHarmony Staff

If you’re a living, breathing human being, you are constantly sending out subtle—and not-so-subtle—messages to everyone around you. Like Wi-Fi signals floating unseen through the air, you broadcast hundreds of messages every time you interact with someone. And if you’re dating, you can bet that the people you’re going out with are reading every signal you offer, analyzing each one in an effort to decipher its exact meaning.

Let’s look at some of the main ways you send signals. This can help you can think about just what it is you’re communicating—intentionally or not—to other people.

You Send Signals with How you Dress

This is one of the most obvious ways to send a message to a person you’re going out with. If you dress to look sexy, you are communicating one thing. If you dress in a way that’s totally casual, you are saying something else. The same goes for whether you look sloppy, well-groomed, successful, or high maintenance. The clothes you wear and the way you wear them are great ways to tell a date a little about yourself, about how you are feeling about the date, and about what you have in mind for the evening.

How you dress can also say something about where you see the relationship headed. There’s nothing wrong with wearing sloppy and ragged clothes around the house, but if that’s what you wear every time you are with the other person, then that may convey that you’ve gotten a bit too comfortable with them. In the same way, there’s nothing wrong with wearing clothes that accentuate your sexiest attributes and send signals that you are really into someone. Just make sure that you’re not broadcasting messages that you don’t mean to. When you get dressed for the date, ask yourself, “Is the way I’m dressed sending the signals I mean to be sending?” If so, then go for it. But if not, you might decide to dress up or dress down a bit, depending on how you want to come across.