Selena Gomez has entered a ‘curative’ relationship with Benny Blanco, a body language expert has claimed – but the multihyphenate is yet to make a ‘full emotional commitment’.  

The pop sensation, 31, has entered 2024 with a new man, Virginia-born music producer Benny Blanco, 35. 

The duo, who began dating last year have enjoyed a blossoming relationship, and yesterday they packed on the PDA at a Lakers vs Heat game in Los Angeles.

Selena confirmed her romance with Blanco early last month, and later revealed that they had been quietly dating for six months. 

Today, body language expert Judi James told FEMAIL that Benny has offered Selena a ‘place of relative comfort and security’, but she might require ‘more time to build the relationship’.

Judi noted: ‘The body language dynamic between these two here seems to define a “curative” relationship. 

‘Selena has been through some very high-profile and difficult relationships in the past but Benny’s non-verbal signals to towards her suggests he appears to offer a place of relative comfort and security.’ 

The star was previously linked to Zayn Malik and Andrew Taggart from The Chainsmokers and famously dated Justin Bieber on and off from 2009 until early 2018, and The Weeknd in 2017. 

Judi suggested that Benny, born Benjamin Joseph Levin, strives to heal Selena from the aftermath of her former relationships. 

She said: ‘His posture is splayed but relaxed and the way he raises one leg high to cross it over the other thigh suggests a desire to appear strong and high status. 

‘His eye connections with Selena show he is attentive to her though and his facial expressions show him instigating the warm, affectionate smiles with rounded cheeks and narrowed eyes plus a cute, soppy grin that show a desire to cheer her up and to get her to mirror him.’ 

Judi added: ‘His hand-kissing is an old-school ritual that suggests respectful affection. Performed in this way, with the hand held high at lip level, it shows a desire to kiss the mouth but also a level of gentlemanly concern to not push the PDA.’ 

Meanwhile, the expert explained Selena’s warm response to Benny’s displays of affection.

‘Selena’s responses to these signals are to snuggle into Benny and to use a meshed-finger hand clasp to show an appreciation of the support and comfort’, Judi said. 

She added: ‘Her leg is crossed towards him and she seems to feed off his warmth.’

While the couple certainly appeared loved up during the LA-based basketball game, Judi suggested all might not be what it seems.  

Judi said: ‘Her attachment signals are mainly comfort and physical-based though, suggesting she might still not have made a full emotional commitment yet. 

‘She uses very little eye contact in these poses and her own closed-lip smiles look less revealing as his full, happy grins. She places her hand to her mouth in one pose, creating a barrier as he kisses her hand instead and this could be a gentle reminder that she needs more time to build the relationship.

‘She is happy to snuggle to his arm but even then her attention is on her phone and when he makes her smile or laugh she looks away as she responds.’

It comes after Blanco and Gomez worked together on her 2015 songs Same Old Love and Kill ‘Em With Kindness as well as on her 2017 collab with Cashmere Cat called Trust Nobody. 

The duo released their own collaboration with J Balvin and Tainy in 2019 and Blanco appeared in the music video in a teddy bear costume. 

In July, Selena posted about being single ahead of her 31st birthday. Blanco attended her party and The Heart Wants What it Wants songstress posted photos of him.

The following month she released Single Soon, which was produced by Blanco.

She was asked if she was high maintenance during an interview on Sirius XM’s Hits 1 LA and she replied: ‘I think I have standards. And I think I live in a world right now where boys confuse standards with high-maintenance. It really isn’t [the same thing].’ 

Selena went on to clarify what she was looking for, saying: ‘I mean you gotta be cool, man. Not cool in the sense that people think you’re cool. You just gotta be nice and like, please make me laugh and also just be good to my family and people around you.’

Over the fall Blanco showed support for Gomez’s Rare Beauty and she threw out some props for his cookbook, calling him ‘one of my favs.’ 

Earlier this month she liked a post from a celebrity gossip site that said ‘Selena Gomez Seemingly Confirms That She Is in a Relationship’ and commented ‘Facts.’

That same day, she shared a snap on an Instagram Story of herself wearing an B ring for Blanco and said, in another comment, that they had been dating for six months.

On December 7, a source reveled the nature of her relationship to Entertainment Tonight, saying: ‘Selena and Benny have been casually seeing each other for a while and more recently, it became more official. 

‘Things have been going really well between them and Selena is happy. She thinks Benny is very funny and of course, extremely talented. Selena is in a great place in her life and feels content and relaxed. She is enjoying where things are going.’

In the time since then, they’ve gone Instagram official on both their accounts with Blanco posting flirty messages on Selena’s posts and Selena documenting the relationship for her fans to see.