Why does he copy my body language?

[Anonymous]

If I brush my hair off to the side, a minute later he brushes his hair off to the side. If I tap my foot, he does the same thing right away and we're both doing it at the same time. If I'm sitting, sometimes I'll even catch him looking at my body from top to bottom.

[Randomboringperson]

I know exactly what's going on here. The poor chap is trying out an old mentalism trick to persuade you to like him. Don't worry, it's not as nefarious as it sounds. He's probably not ill-intentioned, just trying to increase his chances with you.

The concept is called "Mirroring", and it's been used by everyone from street magicians to car salesmen. But his act flopped either because he's an amateur, or because you're very observant.

Mirroring is a subconscious reaction, and it's a surefire sign of compatibility between two people. But it's a powerful tool of persuasion when used right by an experienced person.

So either the dude in question is subconsciously mimicking you (which is a very good sign) or, more likely, he's desperately trying to get you to like him. If you do something and his eyes immediately focus on that action and imitate it, he's probably doing it on purpose. If it's like he doesn't notice it's happening, it's real.

But don't just ask him outright, he'll just deny it, or be offended that you are nitpicking. The best way to tell if he knows about mirroring is to mention the topic in a conversation and observe his reaction.

[EmmaMary]

He's obviously a very annoying and irritating little brat.

[EmmaMary]

Thank you for the MHO.

[StickStickity13]

Perhaps you're over analyzing this.

[Revolver_]

He wants to mock you