Editor#5
I think you generalize when you say that girls are confusing. Sure, you will encounter girls who perplex you, but you will also meet girls who are very straightforward. The primary thing is that there are many girls out there who think that guys are equally as confusing and bad at communicating their feelings.
I assume you are asking this because you have experienced mixed signals from one girl in particular that you are interested in. Or, perhaps you have tried several times with several different girls to pick up signals, but none of the attempts have been successful. It is not a matter of if you’ll be successful, it is a matter of when you’ll be successful in getting it right with a girl.
Yes, unfortunately some girls will lure you into thinking that they like you. They may return your texts every time, be playful with you, and, essentially, flirt with you. The tricky thing about being led on by a girl is that you do not know that you are a victim of it until the day when you want to define the relationship you hear the words of rejection: “I do not like you in that way.” Why do girls lead guys on? There is no single straight answer. For one, girls may find it fun or entertaining for themselves. However, they do not consider that the boy’s feelings may be hurt once he finds out his crush does not feel the same way about him. Another reason may be that the girl does like the boy for the period of time while she is flirting, but then reassesses her feelings for him.
When you claim that you are “bad” at picking up signals, think of it this way: Do you even care enough about this girl to even want to look out for signals? You might be looking for signs only if you are interested in her. You like a girl, and that makes you more hopeful to receive signals that she may like you back. However, you might sense that a girl likes you but it is not the girl that you are interested in. So save yourself from any major disappointment and lower your expectations. You would be quite lucky to encounter a girl who makes it obvious right away that she likes you. Perhaps you are waiting to encounter a girl who is less ambiguous with her feelings than others.
Body language is a huge determiner of whether a girl may like you or not. Not only do you want to listen carefully to the things she says to you in person, but you want to keep your eye out for how she moves when you are around. Does she constrain her body, or does she seem loose and comfortable? Interacting with her in person (or even phone calls) will give you more clues than text messages because her response to you will be immediate and unscripted, especially since you can hear her tone of voice and see her facial expressions.
Boys and girls both experience a mutual confusion. Finding out why the opposite sex behaves in certain ways is an issue that will require patience and attention.
Good luck!