It’s normal for a relationship to have some ups and downs. Sometimes you feel madly in love with your partner, and other times you feel frustrated at them. But sometimes, there are indications that your relationship is in trouble.
Studies show that when a relationship breaks up, it can lead to depression, sadness, and loneliness. No one wants to end a relationship, but sometimes it happens. Relationships often fail within their first year. If the bond lasts up to five years, the chances of failure go down 10% every year.
You may wonder if your partner is having doubts or feeling disinterested. So, what are 12 behaviors that show a man has lost interest in your relationship?
12 Behaviors Reveal When a Man Has Lost Interest
1. Withdraws
Studies show that when someone has hurt feelings or feels like they aren’t being treated right, they will withdraw from the person or groups they feel rejected by. Your partner may withdraw emotionally by not sharing his thoughts or feelings with you. He may withdraw his affection or not want to have sex with you.
Additionally, he may start to withdraw physically, perhaps moving out or being busy with friends all the time. He may not be sharing that he has hurt feelings. Ask him if there’s something you did or said that had hurt him. If he’s unwilling to tell you or doesn’t show concern enough to repair the broken relationship, this is a clear sign he’s lost interest in the relationship.
2. Being overly critical may reveal lost interest
If your man is suddenly critical of you, blame-shifting or acting irritated at you all the time. He may be drifting in his love for you. His criticalness could just be his immature way of wanting to back out of the relationship. Instead of telling you honestly that he’s lost his interest, he makes it sound like it’s your fault.
3. Lack of concern
A general lack of interest in you or your relationship is a clear indication your man is drifting. There’s a typical kind of jealousy a person may feel when they think a relationship doesn’t mean as much to another person as it does to them.
If your man doesn’t show any kind of healthy jealousy about your relationship, if he’s doesn’t care to fight for the relationship, he’s probably lost the love. The best way to find out if this is true, of course, is to ask him. Press him about his lack of concern. Allow him to be honest about his disinterest. It’s best for you to find out the truth rather than to keep guessing while the relationship painfully limps along.
4. Slow to respond to your calls, texts or emails
If your partner isn’t responding to your texts or calls, he may be avoiding you or withdrawing from you. He may not want to talk with you or find out how you’re doing. Or if you’re the only one initiating calls or texts, this is an indication something is wrong.
His thoughtlessness isn’t a good sign, and you can’t try to keep the relationship together by always initiating. In a healthy relationship, there is an initiative from both partners.
5. He doesn’t plan
When a guy stops asking you out or planning unique dates, he’s lost interest in you and the relationship. He’s not making your relationship a priority or making an effort like he once did. Early in relationships, men typically show lots of attention, bring gifts, and planning little times together.
Over time, if they’re becoming disinterested, they lost their desire to make these efforts. If you’re the one who plans the time way or dinners out, you may want to reassess the relationship. He may be drifting along but lacking any interest.
6. He flirts with other women
Men with a wandering eye aren’t truly committed to their partner. They’re still looking around when they shouldn’t be. If your man is openly flirting with women when you’re around, it’s a really bad sign. He does not care enough for you to even try to act like he’s interested. You shouldn’t put up with that, but bring it up to him when you’re alone. If he denies it, then you have a problem.
If he’s sorry and wants to change, there’s hope for your relationship. Don’t cheapen yourself by making excuses for a partner who doesn’t want to change or who refuses to give up flirting. You deserve better than that.
7. He doesn’t want to talk about your relationship.
A man who doesn’t want to talk or work on a relationship is a man who’s not ready for a long term relationship. Relationships are hard work. There must be lots of conversations about priorities, values, money, and intimacy for the relationship to grow.
If your man changes the subject when you bring up this kind of stuff about your relationship or he shrugs off conversations, it’s a bad sign. If he’s non-committal about issues, it’s his way of saying the relationship isn’t that important. No doubt, he’s not ready for or mature enough for a long term relationship.
8. Poor hygiene
If it seems like your man isn’t really motivated to freshen up, it could mean he’s trying to put you off. No doubt, he’s lost that loving feeling if he won’t take the time to shower or shave. His lack of effort is a clear message. The romance may be dead or dying.
Don’t make excuses for him or say it’s just the way he is. Remember the earliest days of your relationship when he showed up looking sexy and smelling sweet. If that’s missing, it’s a sign his love is growing cold.
9. Lack of affectionate touching when he’s lost interest
If he doesn’t want to hug you or cuddle with you, it’s a bad sign. Affectionate cuddling and hugging are a normal part of an intimate relationship. If he acts put off by your hugs or kisses, this is a red flag.
Don’t mistake wanting sex as being in love. This is a physical desire, not the kind of emotional love you have in a relationship. Many women get this wrong, thinking a guy is interested in her when the guy is just lusting after her body without feelings of love.
If you’re sensing this, talk to your partner. If he denies it or shrugs it off, this is a sign he’s not invested in a long term relationship with you. Don’t walk, run. Find someone who truly cares for you and wants to have a long term relationship with you.
10. Don’t want to be around your friends or family
Part of a healthy relationship involves getting to know your partner’s family and friends. It’s a sign of a healthy relationship when your partner makes a priority of meeting and knowing your friends or family.
If your partner refuses to hang out with your friends or visit your family, it could be a sign he’s lost his desire to be with you and to be around the people that are important to you. He may choose to hang out with his own friends or family instead of yours. Or he may complain if you ask him to go with you to visit your family.
This action is a big red flag; you shouldn’t assume it’s normal. The behavior is a clear sign of lost interest and a lack of true concern for what’s important to you and what’s important to the relationship.
11. Doesn’t ask you questions about yourself or your day
If your man isn’t asking about you-how your day went, or how you’re doing with certain situations, there’s a good chance he isn’t interested in you and your life. Relationships should have the proper amount of give-and-take with equal concern for one another. If you’re the only one showing concern or care, it could mean your man is losing his interest.
Is he mostly interested in himself? Does he more about himself than asking you about yourself? These are indicators of a selfish person and an immature person who isn’t interested in a growing relationship.
12. Disrespectful towards you
Blame shifting, irritation, or a lack of respect for you are all signs a man is losing interest in you and your relationship. In a healthy relationship, your man cares about you and treats you with dignity and value. He cares about what interests you and finds ways to let you know he respects you. When his interest is dying, he may act like he couldn’t care less about you or what’s important to you. He will become self-focused and ignore you or your interests.
He may be downright rude to you, which can be hurtful but revealing as to where his heart is. Don’t put up with disrespect. It can quickly turn into contempt. A man who can’t respect you isn’t worth the emotional energy you spend on trying to fix the relationship. He’s lost interest, and you should move along, too.
Final Thoughts on Letting Go of a Man Who Has Lost Interest
Before making a clean getaway, have an honest chat with your partner. Try to reach the crux of the lost interest. Perhaps you can salvage the relationship if he also wants to. But If he comes clean about wanting to break things off, then you deserve more.
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