Why Do Female Students Listen to Male Students' Questions Without Interacting?

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A male student has been asking questions after upper-level math and physics lectures, noticing a female student listening in without engaging. He feels uncertain about her interest, as she has not approached him or asked questions. The discussion suggests that she may be shy or simply listening for clarification, and encourages him to initiate conversation about class topics. The student admits to being attracted to her but struggles with shyness, making it difficult to start a dialogue. Ultimately, the consensus is that he should take the initiative to speak with her, as it could lead to a connection.
  • #301
cyrusabdollahi said:
Talk talk talk. Don't try to get dates from people, just learn how to hold a conversation. I am willing to bet you're not comfortable doing that, so asking her out is trying to go from 0-60 with no wheels. You need to get used to being around people that don't do physics all day long.
I think this is excellent advice. It's really the most important contribution to physics that Feynman made: setting the example of the loquacious, sociable, entertaining scientist who could talk to anyone from university presidents to strippers. He was curious about everything and everyone.
 
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  • #302
rewebster said:
You say that a lot

Because it is *SOOOOOOOOOOOO* important that you *NOT* care when your talking to people. If you let your EGO get in the way you will be standing next to the wall by yourself, like *MOST* of the guys at bars do because they are worried about failure infront of all those strangers standing around. Its *not an easy fear to put aside at first. I had that fear, and I think everyone does at first until you are comfortable being yourself around a large group of people that are older than you and drinking and having fun. You just get used to it after a while and it all becomes natural. But if you don't go out and talk, you will never pick up this skill.
 
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  • #303
cyrusabdollahi said:
I don't follow you. I don't close my eyes when I look at a girl, ever. I look at her face, or her chest/ass, and then back up at her face.

What you just described is - creepy.

What I meant was with some girls, they are so attractive that I only need a small/short look at them and leave shaking my head in awe. And because they are so attractive, I leave with a very clear image of them in my head even without looking at them for long.
 
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  • #304
I never realized it was so hard for some men. Women have it easy. I'd go out and just pick from the men that were hitting on me. All I had to do to get a guy to come over to me was make eye contact with him. So, I had to learn to avoid looking a guy in the eye if I wanted to discourage him from coming over. Then my girlfriend and I got to the point where if we saw a guy looking our way and we didn't want him, we'd scowl at him. It just becomes a game.

So men, if a woman is avoiding eye contact or scowling, you'd best move along.
 
  • #305
cyrusabdollahi said:
Because it is *SOOOOOOOOOOOO* important that you *NOT* care when your talking to people. If you let your EGO get in the way you will be standing next to the wall by yourself, like *MOST* of the guys at bars do because they are worried about failure infront of all those strangers standing around. Its *not an easy fear to put aside at first. I had that fear, and I think everyone does at first.
Once again, you are correct. The guys I know who are most successful with women easily do and say relatively outrageous things with a complete lack of shame or embarrassment.

I think this is appealing to women because they feel that this is a guy who will blast through all their own sexual hang ups and take them on sexual adventures they wouldn't dare initiate themselves, even though they want to.
 
  • #306
EnumaElish said:
Are you doubting your ability to keep her interested?

Yes if I don't do much.

A pessimist always have doubts.
 
  • #307
You people keep buying drinks for each other when in a bar. But wouldn't you need to go to the toilet very often? It is unnatural to drink so much liquid isn't it.
 
  • #308
Evo said:
I never realized it was so hard for some men. Women have it easy. I'd go out and just pick from the men that were hitting on me. All I had to do to get a guy to come over to me was make eye contact with him. So, I had to learn to avoid looking a guy in the eye if I wanted to discourage him from coming over. Then my girlfriend and I got to the point where if we saw a guy looking our way and we didn't want him, we'd scowl at him. It just becomes a game.

So men, if a woman is avoiding eye contact or scowling, you'd best move along.

Because a girl in a bar is going to get hit on by the guys in there, *Constantly*. So if some chump walks up and says 'hi what's your name', he's going to get a brush off almost instantly. (Unless she thinks your so big a dope she can get you to buy her a drink). I have never in my life seen a girl standing in a bar alone. So that means your now a loser in the eyes of all her friends, and all the people standing around just witnessed you burn in flames. AKA you look like a fool now infront of half the bar. If you ever notice a guy do a *really* bad job talking to a woman, its like man what are you doing here do us all a favor and go home.
 
  • #309
theoritician said:
What I meant was with some girls, they are so attractive that I only need a small/short look at them and leave shaking my head in awe. And because they are so attractive, I leave with a very clear image of them in my head even without looking at them for long.
I know exactly what you're talking about, and it isn't what Cyrus thinks. However, you do have to learn to overcome this awe or you'll be paralyzed and never be able to talk to them.
 
  • #310
theoritician said:
You people keep buying drinks for each other when in a bar. But wouldn't you need to go to the toilet very often? It is unnatural to drink so much liquid isn't it.

wow, you have never been to a bar before. :smile:

women are a dime a dozzen my friend. There is no such thing as "What I meant was with some girls, they are so attractive that I only need a small/short look at them and leave shaking my head in awe." If you do that in public, you look like a scared pathetic creep who has never seen a girl in his life.
 
  • #311
theoritician said:
You people keep buying drinks for each other when in a bar. But wouldn't you need to go to the toilet very often? It is unnatural to drink so much liquid isn't it.
Are you serious? :confused:
 
  • #312
Evo said:
I never realized it was so hard for some men. Women have it easy. I'd go out and just pick from the men that were hitting on me. All I had to do to get a guy to come over to me was make eye contact with him. So, I had to learn to avoid looking a guy in the eye if I wanted to discourage him from coming over. Then my girlfriend and I got to the point where if we saw a guy looking our way and we didn't want him, we'd scowl at him. It just becomes a game.

So men, if a woman is avoiding eye contact or scowling, you'd best move along.

ATTRACTIVE women have it easy. Attractive women that smile have it easier. Attractive women showing some skin that smile have it easiest. Easy at what though? (long list, please)
 
  • #313
cyrusabdollahi said:
wow, you have never been to a bar before. :smile:

women are a dime a dozzen my friend. There is no such thing as "What I meant was with some girls, they are so attractive that I only need a small/short look at them and leave shaking my head in awe." If you do that in public, you look like a scared pathetic creep who has never seen a girl in his life.

what are women good for it your eyes?
 
  • #314
What does it matter what I think women are good for, are you worried I might ask you out? They are good for lots of things. You missed the point of why I told him that - he is obsessed over one girl he does not even know.
 
  • #315
Evo said:
I never realized it was so hard for some men. Women have it easy. I'd go out and just pick from the men that were hitting on me. All I had to do to get a guy to come over to me was make eye contact with him.
The easier it is for a guy to hit on you is a measure of how little that guy cares. The guy who has no problem approaching is the one who's least impressed, who cares the least about everything about you, who is the least interested. As Cyrus says, the second he starts talking to another woman, he will have forgotten you exist. The guys who are most impressed don't dare approach you.

Of course, I think most women are completely aware of this and they are "hooked' by the fact the bolder guy doesn't care, and are sucked into the challenge of trying to reverse that.
 
  • #316
zoobyshoe said:
The guys who are most impressed don't dare approach you.
This is very true, one example is a guy that I ended up dating. He came over to me because he said he got sick of his little brother and his friends sitting all night talking about me and none of them had the courage to approach me. He decided to talk to me to show them how easy it was. Of course, he was fascinating and we hit it off immediately, much to the displeasure of his brother.

Another instance was a guy that came over to me and told me that I was the talk of the men's restroom, no one could get over my legs, and all were too shy to approach me. He was with someone but thought it was funny enough to tell me.
 
  • #317
cyrusabdollahi said:
What does it matter what I think women are good for, are you worried I might ask you out? They are good for lots of things. You missed the point of why I told him that - he is obsessed over one girl he does not even know.

no---but there may be other guys on the thread you can ask

so you haven't read the whole thread yet then?
 
  • #318
Evo said:
...no one could get over my legs...

Sorry to hear that, Evo. I generally don't date anyone if I don't think I'll be able to crawl over their legs.

http://www.ccgb.org.uk/lobby/uploads/Cartoons/tide.jpg
 
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  • #319
Evo said:
This is very true, one example is a guy that I ended up dating. He came over to me because he said he got sick of his little brother and his friends sitting all night talking about me and none of them had the courage to approach me. He decided to talk to me to show them how easy it was. Of course, he was fascinating and we hit it off immediately, much to the displeasure of his brother.

Another instance was a guy that came over to me and told me that I was the talk of the men's restroom, no one could get over my legs, and all were too shy to approach me. He was with someone but thought it was funny enough to tell me.
This happens ALL the time: a group of guys sits and talks about how hot some girl is without any of them ever approaching her. It's pretty irritating.
 
  • #320
cyrusabdollahi said:
Don't try to get dates from people, just learn how to hold a conversation.

Thats what I thought as well but everyone else here are telling me the opposite which is to ask her out and I have been sort of converted. Maybe I should just ask her if she wants to do something neutral with me like playing chess?

That is also why I want to hold until the holidays so our moods are more relaxed and socialising may become easier. There is also a chance that she may be just like me in which case everything will be much more natural.
 
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  • #321
theoritician said:
Thats what I thought as well but everyone else here are telling me the opposite which is to ask her out and I have been sort of converted. Maybe I should just ask her if she wants to do something neutral with me like playing chess?

That is also why I want to hold until the holidays so our moods are more relaxed and socialising may become easier. There is also a chance that she may be just like me in which case everything will be much more natural.
I think one is being exposed to a variety of experiences.

theortician, have you talked to this woman? If not, it would be out of place to abruptly ask her out.

A month ago would have been an opportunity to simply say hello. Start without any expectations and go from there.
 
  • #322
theoritician said:
Thats what I thought as well but everyone else here are telling me the opposite which is to ask her out and I have been sort of converted. Maybe I should just ask her if she wants to do something neutral with me like playing chess?

That is also why I want to hold until the holidays so our moods are more relaxed and socialising may become easier. There is also a chance that she may be just like me in which case everything will be much more natural.

You may not 'feel' comfortable doing/asking anything with or about her at first. Coffee, chess, a walk, a talk, anything dealing with a 'low-expectancy' highest possible chance of an acceptable result---in your mind, it seems, you may be looking too far down the road at 'what is possible' rather than living in the moment with the interplay with her. Lighten up--it's SUPPOSED to be fun--not torture, not a contest, or not a game.
 
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  • #323
theoritician said:
Thats what I thought as well but everyone else here are telling me the opposite which is to ask her out and I have been sort of converted. Maybe I should just ask her if she wants to do something neutral with me like playing chess?

That is also why I want to hold until the holidays so our moods are more relaxed and socialising may become easier. There is also a chance that she may be just like me in which case everything will be much more natural.

I like to play chess. I would never ask a girl if she wanted to play chess with me. Talk about boring. Find something else to do. Take her to starbucks or a bar or somewhere, (if you're going to ask her out, which I don't recomend).

Socializing isn't easier during the holidays. Its easy always. No offense, but stop daydreaming about this girl. Go out and talk to people and forget her all together. You really need to meet people who don't do physics all day long. She isn't going to want to talk about physics with you all day long. If I met a girl that tried to talk physics with me all night I would probably tell her to find a professor during his office hours and stop wasting my time.
 
  • #324
theoritician said:
EnumaElish said:
Are you doubting your ability to keep her interested?
Yes if I don't do much.
That's a contradictory answer. "Yes, you are doubting your ability" but not really because you are aware that you can choose to do or not to do much -- which means you are able.

It's up to you, and you know it.
 
  • #325
theoritician said:
Thats what I thought as well but everyone else here are telling me the opposite which is to ask her out and I have been sort of converted. Maybe I should just ask her if she wants to do something neutral with me like playing chess?

That is also why I want to hold until the holidays so our moods are more relaxed and socialising may become easier. There is also a chance that she may be just like me in which case everything will be much more natural.
I think you should meet and chat with every girl in every one of your classes.
 
  • #326
As Cyrus said, don't ask her to play chess. Asking someone to play chess requires that you know they know how to play chess and enjoy it and would find that a fun way to spend a few hours with someone. Really high probability she might say no only because she doesn't play chess, and not because she isn't interested in doing something with you. As we told you way back on page one or two of this thread, just ask her to join you for coffee, or even for a quick bite at the dining hall...anything that just gives you a chance to talk to her for longer than you can at the end of class. Heck, you could even just strike up conversation and walk with her to her next class or the student center or wherever she heads after class while you talk.
 
  • #327
You could ask her if she plays chess as part of the conversation if you think of it. She may love chess, she may be a 'chess' specialist and would enjoy talking about chess. Until you start talking to her on a causal basis, you don't know anything about her (she may be married).




And if a woman wanted to talk physics to me all night, I wouldn't be aggravated about it and tell her to 'get lost' either--first, I like talking about physics and if she liked it too, it would be something in common. Secondly, she may feel comfortable talking about physics that night and that may be her comfort zone to open up (in the way of conversation and getting to know each other) and be friendly or more.

And if she bought me a drink earlier in the night, I wouldn't think she was a "chump" either.

The idea that she is still 'around' after a month and hasn't moved on (and still having some attention to you), shows, to me, that you two are alike in some ways.

(Some of the 'suggestions' you're getting, seems to me, to be more toward 'getting in her pants' and if that's what you want to do, then you should take their advice.)
 
  • #328
Blind guiding the blind, how nice.
 
  • #329
cyrusabdollahi said:
Blind guiding the blind, how nice.

sorry--I'm not into the 'bulldozer' approach to women.
 
  • #330
I don't think you have one clue what I am saying.
 

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