A hint is encoded information, a clue, often indirect, covert, or a suggestion.
When a woman communicates to a man by hinting, and that man does not decipher that encoded information the way she intended him to, she gets angry and frustrated. In some cases, she punishes that man for not decoding her words the way she intended. She may retaliate by not talking to him at all. Giving him “The Silent Treatment”, which is not a punishment to him as he strives for peace and quiet.
On the flip side, when a man speaks directly to a woman, and she thinks that he’s speaking to her, as she would to him. She will try to decode what he had just said. When she is confused over his direct statement and she can’t find the non existing, hidden meaning within that statement, she may ask him what does he mean by which he said or she will internalize her feelings while thinking that the man is deliberately trying to confuse or insult her.
In short, a woman will encode her thoughts to a man, try to decode direct statements that was not encoded, and shut down when she is upset. Hinting is not an effective form of communication. Yet she will always say, “Communication is key to a healthy relationship”.
