6 Ways (Not) To Be A Heart Breaker

All’s fair in love and war? Eh, not exactly. The things you do or say can crush someone’s feelings. While it’s important to be honest and true to you, there are right and wrong ways to handle matters of the heart. Here’s how to avoid accidentally tearing someone’s ticker in two (or three).

6 WAYS TO AVOID CRUSHING THAT CUTIE

Flirting without feeling

Yawn. The pep rally’s a snooze…except for the guy who keeps glancing at you from a few rows back. You don’t usually go for tall, dark and brawny—but he beats boredom, so you throw a wink over your shoulder, start passing notes… and presto: Your pep rally’s way more interesting than it was five minutes ago. Meanwhile, he’s pondering the best way to ask you out.

BE SWEET: “It’s one thing to exchange a glance or a smile with someone,” says Kailen Rosenberg, author of Real Love, Right Now. “It’s another to manipulatively mislead someone.” By all means be fun and friendly, but never act like you’re into someone just because you want the attention.

Sneaking around

Maybe you’re hanging out with someone new on the sly because you’re afraid to end things with your current bae. Maybe you like a little dating drama (wait...did you send that text to the right person?!). Whatever your reason, you’ve gotten in the habit of cheating.