Look at the body

Here's the situation: you're at a bar and you're talking to a girl who you'd really like to see naked. You think it's going great, you're telling her all of your favorite stories - like the time when you drank so much vodka that you passed out at a random person's house and didn't know how you got there. It's a sure thing; you're 100 percent positive this girl is going home with you tonight.

Problem is, you weren't paying attention to how she was slowly backing away, how she kept rolling her eyes or how she kept glancing at the cutie across the bar.

You probably should have read her body language a little better.

Body language is extremely important to keep an eye on, whether you're meeting someone for the first time or you've been dating for a while. How do you know if someone's into you? How do you know if someone's just humoring you?

Quit trying to analyze every word they say and just check out that sexy body of theirs.

According to Tracey Cox in her article, 18 Body Language Clues That Say He's Interested - Definitely on ivillage.com, "Women choose from no less than 52 moves to show men they're interested. The average man chooses from a maximum of 10 to attract a female."

Let's start with girls. Generally, we're pretty easy to read.

When talking to you, does her face look just like it would as if she just stepped in her dog's feces? Then she probably isn't enjoying your conversation skills. Is she looking everywhere in the room but at you while you're trying to tell her about your "interesting" vacation to your grandma's house? She's probably just waiting for a polite way to leave your presence.

But there are easy ways to tell if a girl is into you.

If you're worried the girl across the bar who you've been eyeing won't give you the time of day, just read her body - it will probably tell you more than her words will.

For one thing, when a girl wants to talk to a guy, she'll try to catch his eye. She wants you to look at her (but don't look her up and down, licking your lips like she's a juicy piece of steak and you haven't eaten in a month). She might look away right after you make eye contact but if she's fishing for you to look at her, that means she wants you to come and talk to her.

If you've passed stage one and actually started a conversation with the object of your affection (for that night), here are some things to keep in mind. If she's fidgeting - playing with her hair, her jewelry or her clothes - it probably means that she's nervous. That probably means she's into you.

When a girl leans toward you and finds any excuse for physical contact and especially if she laughs at jokes that even you know aren't funny, then chances are she's really feeling you.

On the other hand, there are some telltale signs to watch out for that show she really just wants you to walk away. According to askmen.com, if a girl leans away from you, keeps looking away or if she rarely smiles, she's not interested.

Now if it's a man you're after, body language is easier to read.

According to Cosmopolitan, wherever a man is aiming his upper body at, that's what he's interested in. So if he's chatting you up while leaning toward your wing woman - sorry to say - you're not what he's after.

When a guy lifts his eyebrows, it's when he sees something he likes.

"Lifting our brows pulls the eyes open and allows more light to reflect off the surface, making them look bright, large and inviting," Cox said.

Other things that can help you recognize his interest: he'll smooth (or mess up) his hair, he'll stand erect - in more ways than one - he'll touch his face, he'll sit on the edge of his seat and he'll sit with his legs spread (to give you a better look at his assets).

There's always the chance that a guy is going to friend zone you, though, and it's better to know ahead of time so you don't get too attached. If he's giving you the same amount of attention as everyone else, even his guy friends, or if he knows that you can see him eyeing up other girls, he probably only sees you as a friend.

Just keep an eye on his or her body, which I'm sure you're doing anyway.

Email: features@ubspectrum.com