Mr. Nice Guy?

Howdy, folks. Thanks for stopping by. Today's theme is behavioral interpretation. How can one differentiate between whether someone is acting purely out of kindness, or whether there is a hidden (or not so hidden) motive behind it? This topic causes many people to scratch their heads and wonder...does so and so like me? I am a firm believer that men and women cannot be just friends (sorry for the traditional gender/relationship roles here, it could be two people of any gender or sexual orientation...). There is almost always an element of attraction (even if it is a slight one) on one or both sides. There is also something about the interaction that takes place to generally support this statement. The flirty, teasing, playfulness...people like knowing someone else likes them, even if it is to a small degree. People like being flattered and having their ego stroked. Thus, if someone constantly seems to go the extra mile and is always doing nice things for their "friend", the hand makes its way up towards the cranial region and suddenly has the urge to scratch. Most people never really say anything, they just let it go. But sometimes things go too far and the friendship can potentially become jeopardized. The old question is: Is it better to act on those feelings and risk ruining a friendship or never act on them and stay friends?

Sometimes people (such as your humble author) are completely oblivious and naive about these kinds of things. They always give others the benefit of the doubt. So and so is always so nice! He always smiles and touches me while we talk. He always hold the door open for me. He always shows up to things if I'm there. He offered to let me borrow his car when mine broke down. The list could go on and on. Is that someone being nice? Or is it something more? I guess you'll never know because nice guys won't ever tell you and bad boys will ALWAYS act on it which makes them not nice. Sigh.