No man wants to be viewed as creepy. In fact, some avoid it so much that it interferes with their ability to engage with romantic interests.
Theres a big difference between coming on to someone and coming off as creepy.
Steering clear of nine tell-tale behaviors associated with creepiness (e.g., staring, unwanted contact on social media, inappropriate comments, controlling behaviors, pressure for sex, etc.) is a surefire way to avoid sounding the creepiness alarm.
If it were clear what made a behavior creepy, men wouldn’t worry about unintentionally being perceived as creepy. But, because it’s unclear, fear of being creepy can cause deep social anxiety for many men.
The confusion about what is and isn’t creepy causes problems for women, too. Obviously, women don’t enjoy being subject to creepy behavior, so increased clarity around what is and isn’t creepy might reduce the likelihood women have creepy experiences.
It’s also bad for single women if terrific single men won’t approach them out of fear of being perceived as creepy.
Here’s data from 2,000 American women ages 18 to 40 and from 1,000 American men ages 18 to 40
Women regularly experience creepy behaviors. 82 percent of women reported experiencing creepy behavior "sometimes," "often," or "constantly."
Men avoid women out of fear of being creepy. 44 percent of men said the fear of being creepy “reduces their likelihood of interacting with women” generally, which jumps to 53 percent of men who reported that they are single.
There are nine creepy behaviors men should avoid. Some are more obvious than others. The complete list is (1) staring, (2) unwanted contact on social media, (3) inappropriate comments, (4) controlling behaviors, (5) won’t accept "no," (6) unwanted physical contact, (7) pressure for sex, (8) clinginess, and (9) physical stalking.
Most men don’t need a professional to tell them that behaviors like pressuring women for sex or physical stalking are wrong. The creepy behaviors that are the most subtle require the most attention because they’re the easiest to exhibit unintentionally. The top three are:
Staring
Unwanted contact on social media
Clinginess
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