Why do so many guys often get the wrong idea and think a woman is interested in them when she's nice to them?

Becuase men are fucking terrible at teaching each other about any subject matter that is even vaguely sensitive or emotional. We're so hyper-competitive about every little fucking thing that we're all completely terrified of asking basic questions that would give our peers the impression that we don't know exactly what to do at all times.

By the time I was growing up, I think a lot of older men had started making an earnest effort to address that problem. But, they were flying blind a lot of the time because they came from environments that are vastly different from ours today. Things have changed very quickly over the past couple generations. Part of it is that it'll just take time. But also, not enough care or understand the importance of teaching young men what is expected of them, and many are actively trying to undermine good faith efforts because they've created some myth in their head of a better time when men were men, and women knew their place.

In short, we're working on it. It's slow going.

/r/AskMen Thread