It is these boys-turned-men who girls find specially attractive. This bridge of ‘growing up’ is what separates the boys from a ‘gentleman’. See these 16 signs if you match the attributes of a gentleman:

1. Gentlemen are chivalrous. Boys have no fucking clue.

You believe in the mantra that women and children should be first taken care of, helped in any way possible – not in a way that it would disrespect either of them. A gentleman shall not patronize his woman, but always be there for her when she needs it.

2. Gentlemen are well-read. Boys know only Tolkien and GRRM.

You can hold a normal discussion with members of the opposite sex which doesn’t centre around whether she will date you or not. Also, while you have this discussion – you’re looking in to her eyes, not at her boobs.

3. Gentlemen are wise with words. Boys flick wise quotes off the Internet for status updates.

A true gentleman will always be generous with his advice and words of encouragement in case someone needs it. Share with them the optimism of being inspired by something truly brilliant and striving to work for it.

4. Gentlemen know when to shut up and listen. Boys don’t.

A true gentleman is always smart enough to know that he is ignorant. He knows there are things on this planet which he doesn’t know about, and he is not afraid to learn about them everyday.

5. Gentlemen are quietly confident. Boys shoot their mouth off.

You are quietly confident about things in your domain. You don’t go around gloating about how brilliant you are in your line of work, but you’re no pushover either. You give people a piece of your mind when the need arises.

6. Gentlemen dress specially for things. Boys show up.

A gentleman always pays heed to how he’s dressed and practices basic hygiene. Something like closing your mouth with your hands, while yawning. You understand the fact about life that appearances make the first impression and you need to be well kempt.

7. Gentlemen are always respectful to everyone. Boys know squat about karma.

A person can always tell about your behavior by how you treat those beneath you. If you’re on a date, it always helps to be polite to the waiter. If you’re in office – it helps that you treat your subordinates with equal amounts of respect. Do NOT disrespect anyone unless they do it first.

8. Gentlemen know how to hold their own. Boys freeze with awkwardness.

A true gentleman can deal with the fish-out-of-water kind of situations. He knows about the latest shopping offers while he’s hanging out with the girl gang, knows how to be silly when he’s playing with children, he knows how to be respectful and conduct himself intelligently when he’s meeting your parents.

9. Gentlemen are funny and communicate effectively. Boys don’t feel the need.

A person who doesn’t have a sense of humor, however dry, is not someone anyone would like to spend time with. A gentleman is quick-witted, attentive and able to express himself without being verbose. That is something that points at clarity in the head.

10. Gentlemen are too classy to swear. Boys use the F-word to fit in.

A gentleman does not feel the need to swear to express his displeasure over something. The F word is cool when you’re 18, but you really need to grow up after a point and not use it as a conjunction between thoughts and sentences. Unless you’re from Boston!

11. Gentlemen know how to hold their liquor. Boys pass out.

Going around puking or passing out on a couch is not cool. A gentleman is able to dowse his system with liquor and still be able to stand on his two feet without a slurry speech. Watch Donald Draper from Mad Men for further reference.

12. Gentlemen always have a surprise up their sleeve. Boys don’t see the point.

A gentleman always has a trick up his sleeve – it could be something like cooking up a a huge spread when she comes back from work, broken and tired. A random trip to the nearest amusement park on the weekend to bring back the child in both of you? Yay!

13. Gentlemen respect their bodies. Boys walk around with pot-bellies.

A potbelly is a sign of lethargy. A gentleman respects his body like he respects anyone else in the world – you’ve got to tone up in muscle and give fat a miss.

14. Gentlemen reserve their laughter. Boys LOL in every other sentence.

Growing up has a lot to do with growing out of the Internet lingos. So a gentleman will not LOL at every second funny thing he sees – but instead he will laugh hard at something genuinely funny.

15. Gentlemen strike up a conversation. Boys use pickup lines.

Too classy for pick-up lines with the woman in a nightclub. He will instead strike up a conversation and find a way to involve you in it. Caution Alert: You might genuinely become interested in him!

16. Gentlemen have real hobbies. Boys grumble about their miserable job.

He’s got a job – but he likes to do other things with his leisure time. He likes to strum his guitar, maybe play a sport or even go hiking and then write about his small trips. A gentleman is not a bore – he will find a way to be interesting.

If you’re not doing all of the above, then you know where the problem lies. Restructure your life and we wish you luck!