HOW TO KNOW THAT YOUR GIRLFRIEND WILL SOON DUMP YOU

Given the natural variation of human beings when it comes to their actions, beliefs and tastes, it is tricky to pin down specific reasoning behind specific behavior.

While women cling to the belief that men's actions are downright indecipherable, I don't believe we women are much easier to navigate. That being said, any man deserves a cheat sheet when it comes to finding out if his girlfriend wants out of their relationship.

Knowing our capacity for mood swings and PMS induced outbursts, it may be hard to tell whether we've had a bad day, or we just really want to get out. If anything, you'll avoid a situation that too closely resembles Matt Damon dumping Minnie Driver on national television.

She's Distant – all the time

We all experience moments of distraction, but when your partner is in a constant state of unavailability, it might be a clue to her desire for a break. Many women feel guilty about wanting to break off a relationship and may choose to ignore those inclinations by ignoring you.

It's often easier to be confrontational when fighting about the relationship, if the underlying belief is that you're fighting for the greater good of the relationship itself. If she's given up all hope of saving the union, making eye contact with you and giving you her full attention will only act as reminders of the now-futile relationship.

Essentially, the longer she avoids you, the longer she gets to avoid having that final "talk." Everyone hates the talk.

She's Uninterested in Sex

Unless she really, really enjoys sex, it's very likely that the action between the sheets will wane. Many women have issues separating the emotional aspects of sex from the physical aspects of sex, and therefore may be not be inclined to get physical with someone they are starting to abhor.

If she never really enjoyed sex and only engaged in it to please you – yes, this can be the case sometimes – she certainly won't be willing to do so now that her interests have flown elsewhere. If the idea of breaking your heart is painful to her, she won't want to engage in an act defined by intimate coupling.

She Criticizes you

Whether she criticizes you in the name of saving the relationship, or just to annoy you, either action can be dubbed typical of a woman who wants out. Very much like men, there are some women who will willingly adopt undesirable traits with the hope that their partner will take it upon themselves to call it quits. This saves the woman (or man) from having to cope with the confrontation of breaking up and the guilt associated with being the perpetrator.

No one enjoys being criticized and she knows that sooner or later, you'll get fed up and crack.

She Starts Dating Someone Else

While this might appear ridiculously obvious, it is undertaken for the sake of those boyfriends who just can't seem to comprehend that the relationship is over and done with. Women who immediately take up with another man after the breakup (or even during its final moments) are without a doubt screaming at you, "it's over!" They're hoping against hope that the physical presence of another man will cause send the message that anything between the two of you is done with.

This category also applies to women who are in fact, cheating. Emotionally unfulfilled or tired of your own cheating, women are almost as likely as men to seek their fulfillment elsewhere. While men might attribute their wandering eyes to spontaneous bursts of testosterone, women are more inclined to gain something from their forbidden relationship, whether it's revenge or genuine attraction to another man.

She says She Doesn't Want to See you Anymore

Again a possible no-brainer, there are an assortment of women who will bite the bullet and come right out and say they want to end it. Complications arise when you, the man, start to believe you can save the relationship or change drastically in order to make it function smoothly. But if your girlfriend had the courage to sit down with you – and didn't break up with you over the phone, by e-mail or by text message – chances are she's pretty serious about sticking to it. It might be a good idea to respect her decision.

Of course, all bets are off when she waltzes on up to you at the bar the week after, drunk as a skunk, and whispers dirty things in your ear. Ex-girlfriend etiquette is a whole other ball game.