Ignoring a Guy for Attention: Why It Works So Well & Where It Goes Wrong (2024)

When it comes to getting a guy’s attention, there are many things to try. Have you attempted ignoring a guy? When done correctly, it often works.

Guys have a way of acting as if they don’t need us around. But, try ignoring a guy and see what happens. It is an excellent way to get him and keep him, but you need to learn how to ignore a guy in the right way if you want it to be successful.

Often the hardest things to do are met with the best rewards. When it comes to getting a guy to fall head over heels in love, sometimes the way to his heart is not through his stomach but by getting under his skin.

Ignoring a guy may be the best way to piquehis interest and have him begging for your attention!

If you want to know why ignoring a guy drives them crazy and makes them want to pursue you more, you need to read this first – Why do men like a chase and how to use it in your favor. Once you read it, you’ll know exactly why men are hardwired to chase, and also the exact way to do it so he pursues you without losing interest or giving up.

Why does ignoring a guy work so well?

It’s all very well and good learning how to ignore a guy, but you need to know why it works before you do anything. If you don’t know why something works, you’re not going to use it to the best of your ability!

You see, guys are predictable creatures. If you chase them, they run. Too needy? They pull away. If you aren’t a challenge, you aren’t as attractive. Perhaps for instinctual reasons, guys love the thrill of the hunt.

If you don’t make yourself hunt-able, then you aren’t all that alluring. If you ignore him, it drives him crazy. Here are a few other reasons why learning how to ignore a guy works so well. [Read: How to play hard to get with a guy and 20 secrets to leave him smitten]

1. You bring out the “hunter” in him

Men really are the “hunters.” There is nothing they enjoy more than chasing after something they want that they can’t have or catch.

If you ignore him and make him feel as if he can’t have you, he wants you even more. We know, totally dumb. But the thing he desires most is usually the thing he can’t have. [Read: All the reasons why chasing a guy never helps]

2. Ignore him if he craves power

Guys like to feel powerful and successful. If you are something unconquerable, it will be all he seeks. If you ignore a guy, he feels powerless to win you over.

Wanting to be in control, it literally drives him nuts that no matter how hard he tries, you just really don’t care enough to acknowledge him. If you worry that he will give up and quit, think again. Ignoring him only makes him work harder. [Read: The psychology of ignoring someone – Why we all do it and how to fix it]

3. It makes him think you are something special *because you are!*

Usually, when girls like a guy, they can’t do enough to get their attention. The girls flirt, they hang on a guy’s every word, and make him feel super special about himself.

If you want a guy used to girls falling all over themselves to capture his eye, you must set yourself apart from the rest by being what all the other girls aren’t.

Ignoring him confuses him to no end. The girls he doesn’t want, can’t seem to tear themselves away, and the one that he does, doesn’t want anything to do with him. It makes him think there is something special that you alone possess. It makes him have to have you. [Read: How to make a guy chase you – 20 subtle ways to make any man fall hard]

4. It makes him crave your attention

Let’s just be honest. Guys crave attention and admiration. If you pretend you couldn’t care less about him, it makes him work overtime to catch your eye.

The more he can’t have your attention, the more obsessive he becomes. Ignoring a guy is like making him wait to have sex with you. If you don’t let him have the attention he craves, he craves it that much more. [Read: Ignoring someone for attention – how to do it right and win anyone over]

5. It teaches him not to mess with you

If you’re in a relationship with a guy who either doesn’t give you enough attention or he has a wandering eye, show him what it feels like for someone to discount his feelings or make him feel less than.

The only way to tame a guy who seemingly can’t be bothered with your relationship is to show him the sting of what it feels like when you dump his ass. Shutting him out and ignoring him altogether makes him think twice about what you really mean to him.

And, it also teaches him that if he can’t get his sh*t together and start treating you right, you have no problem walking away and saying goodbye. To hold onto him, make him believe he is disposable, and, also, you are not. [Read: 15 sh*tty ways to lead a guy on and dish out revenge]

6. Ignore him to keep the peace

Sometimes, you must ignore a guy to keep him in line. There are many men out there who like to push their girlfriend’s buttons, especially when they look for a little drama.

Are you with a guy who cyclically does things that make you want to jump out of your skin? The only way to deal with it is just to ignore the behavior. Just like with little kids, if you cease to acknowledge their bad behaviors, eventually they stop acting out.

If a guy learns he no longer gets a rise out of you because you learn to ignore him, likely, he stops doing whatever it is that drives you crazy. And maybe, just maybe, you find some peace in your relationship. [Read: How to play a player and return the favor like a boss]

Where most girls go wrong when ignoring a guy

There are two reasons to ignore a guy. One, you dislike the guy and want to make it clear you absolutely have no interest in him, and you want him to stop pursuing you. If that’s the case, read this, how to ignore a guy and make him leave you alone.

And the second scenario, girls ignore a guy because they assume it will make them fall harder for them. Of course, this is true to a large extent. But there’s a right way to do this.

Most girls assume you need to completely ignore a guy, and he’ll magically fall harder. No, it doesn’t work that way. What you need to do is let him know for sure that you are interested in him. BUT at the same time, you need to reject his advances or turn down his dates.

Do this, and it WILL make him fall harder for you. Why should you do this? Because it lets the guy know that you are interested in him, but would date him or go out with him only when he makes a real effort to woo you and pursue you. [Read: Why do guys always come back when you ignore them? The psychology and mind games of men]

Why is it so hard to ignore a guy that ignores you?

Sometimes guys decide to play their own games and start ignoring you too. Double the ignoring means double the trouble! Before we get into the how, how about the why? Why do we do this to ourselves?

Well, one reason might be that we want to tell ourselves we aren’t playing games. When a guy ignores you, you might tell yourself you like him even more, so you don’t want to wait as long as he did to answer.

But in reality, you don’t want to wait because you’re needy and want attention! Not necessarily, for sure, but that’s what guys and their game playing tend to do to the female mind.

Even though in the back of my mind, you know you deserve better, you’ll probably still fall into that trap. You let yourself become connected to a guy that ignores you. But there is a way to ignore a guy that ignores you, or to just ignore a guy in general for a spot of your own tactical playing. [Read: How to tell if a guy is playing you – 40 signs he’s just using you for fun]

How to ignore a guy

Now onto the how. How do you ignore a guy, either because he’s ignoring you or because he needs a shove in the right direction? Well, it takes quite a bit of self-control, but trust us, it can be done.

All you have to do is believe you deserve a guy that doesn’t mess you around and take these steps. You will be well on your way to knowing how to ignore a guy in no time!

1. Keep busy

When you are busy, you aren’t thinking about who is or isn’t ignoring you, or about the guy that’s driving you crazy. It isn’t about seeming like you don’t care, but actually not caring.

Work on your passions, read a book, cook a new recipe, run errands, do laundry, or what have you. The more you do, the less you’ll think about him and reaching out. [Read: Do guys play hard to get? The truth, 21 reasons and what you should do next]

2. Talk to someone else

If you are all caught up on your to-do list, reach out to a friend. Vent about guys that ignore you or talk about anything else.

Talking to someone will take your mind off of him as well. By doing this, you’re making him wonder what you’re doing and why you’re not calling him.

3. Demand better

This isn’t technically ignoring him, but it can end the vicious cycle of not getting what you want until the end of time. Tell him how you feel.

Whether he is ignoring you after dating for weeks or chatting online for a few days, tell him you won’t put up with being ignored or being treated in a way that’s substandard to what you deserve. [Read: How to make him realize your worth and see that you deserve better]

4. Leave your phone alone

We know it can be difficult in this day and age to step away from your phone. You probably go through withdrawals if you forget to take it into the bathroom with you. But ditching your phone for a while is not only healthy for the rest of your mind but guarantees you’ll ignore the life out of him!

No phone means no texting, DMing, or calling. Leave your phone upstairs on silent while you’re having dinner, reading, or watching TV. It’ll drive him crazy in no time.

5. Make him a little jealous

You need to proceed with caution with this one but it may work. While you’re ignoring him, you could flirt a little online with another guy, via your social media.

Yes, this is game playing, but sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures.

Of course, there’s nothing going on between you, and you need to make that clear yet blurry. It sounds tough, but it’s not. You just need to flirt a little. Enough to raise doubt. He’ll see it and it’ll drive him mad! [Read: How to make a guy jealous – 20 wicked ways to win his attention]

6. Mute him on social media

You can go strong ignoring a guy for hours, but then his face pops up on Snapchat or Instagram, and bam, you are thinking of him again.

Well, you don’t have to literally block him to block him from your mind, but you can mute him. This way he won’t know you aren’t seeing his posts, but he won’t pop up in your feed out of the blue to mess up your mission.

7. Turn off notifications

The same goes for texting. Guys often reach out randomly when it is convenient for them only to stop chatting after the conversation starts getting good. It’s a game they’re playing, but you’re the one in control here.

So, to help yourself avoid answering right away, turn off notifications for your conversation. This way if he texts you, you’ll see it next time you reach for your phone, but won’t be notified right away. This way you’re ignoring him without even realizing it. [Read: How to play it cool with a guy without being too distant or clingy]

8. Focus on yourself

Instead of focusing on him and what he is doing, or rather, not doing, focus on you. Relax, have a spa night, treat yourself to some chocolate. You deserve some self-love.

Ironically, by boosting your own confidence, you’re boosting how attractive you are to him too. It’s win-win!

9. Go out and make it known

Go out with the girls and have a great time. Hanging out with your closest friends will not only keep you busy and perk up your spirits, but you’ll drive him crazy by posting about it on social media.

Showing him that you’re capable of having a great time with friends makes him want to have a good time with you too. [Read: How to make him miss you – 20 subtle clues to leave him obsessed]

10. Remember that he’s missing out

We know it feels like you are missing out on a great conversation with a great guy while you’re ignoring him, but he needs to be taught this lesson.

He is the one missing out on your charm, sense of humor, and amazing conversation skills. When he finally figures it out, he’ll cherish you even more. [Read: 25 ways to get a player to like you and hook him before he hooks you]

Ignoring a guy can be hard, but it works!

Ignoring a guy is a super powerful tool to grab his attention, keep his attention, or curb his bad behavior. Although guys usually pretend like they couldn’t care less if women are around, try ignoring him. What you will find, is he needs you a whole lot more than he lets on.

If you try to capture the attention of a guy who could have any girl he wants, be the one that doesn’t give it to him. Ironically, that makes him want you more and more.

[Read: How to make him want you back – The art of getting a guy to miss you]

The thing most guys want most is the thing they can’t have, so be that thing he can’t seem to catch by ignoring a guy. But remember, if you want him to pursue you, be available but play hard to get and ignore him in just the right ways!