How to Get Him to Open Up

Most Guys Would Rather Endure a Housewives Marathon Than Reveal Their Feels. But Don’t Try Dragging It Out of Him: We Have Tactics That Will Make Your Man Want to Talk About His Emotions – No Vodka Required! 

- Andrea Stanley

The Communication breakdown between the sexes can often be summed up like this: you like to talk about your feelings; he does not. It’s not his fault. ‘Boys are taught to be less emotionally open than girls,’ says Ronald Levant, a professor of psychology at the University of Akron. ‘They’re socialised by their peers and parents never to cry, and to embrace more traditional norms of masculinity, such as being aggressive.’ (Those action hero figures aren’t saving the world by negotiating with the bad guy…)

But the era of the man bun has ushered in a willingness on the part of guys to be less guarded. Millennial men are more down for deep conversations with their partner, says Levant, but there are differences in how men and women communicate that can make it seem like he’s hiding his feelings. ‘We all share the same need for love,’ says Levant, ‘but men don’t always grasp how to use talking as a way to get that.’ For a lot of men, physical contact (read: sex) or even just hanging with you is a way of letting you in. Here are some methods to get his lips moving.

STRIKE WHEN HE’S BUSY