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Warning! Reading body language is like listening to someone. Listed here are the possible
meanings of many different body language signs.
To get it right, look for at least another 2 or 3 signals with the same potential meaning – in
different areas of their body or communication. This is the golden rule of reading body language.
Called the “window of the soul” for a reason, the eyes don’t reveal everything but they are very
expressive!
The way a person looks at someone reveals a lot and the intensity and direction of their stare can
reflect a person’s thoughts.
- Glancing sideways
–> interest in the conversation if face to face while one of you is talking
–> appraisal of sexual attraction – this is true for both men and women, though women are
usually more discreet!
- Avoiding gaze
–> could be lying, or feeling guilty or uncomfortable about the subject discussed. If they are
looking away after a long gaze, it could just mean they are “taking a rest”, or distancing
themselves from the subject.
- Gazing regularly
–> positive, inviting attitude – open to communicate with you
Blinking
–> losing interest (or feeling very sleepy! )- often accompanied by a raised eyebrow. To maintain
your influence, change the conversation quickly or ask a question to get them to refocus.
- Excessive blinking
–> disagreement (or exasperation if very obvious). My best advice if you spot this signal: stop
and ask for their opinion… and listen to them!
Eye Contact
You’ve heard this before. To make people feel good and show your interest, you must maintain
eye contact.
But staring only at someone’s eyes makes it very difficult to maintain your gaze.
The easiest way to maintain eye contact naturally is to look at the person’s whole face above the
tip of their nose – see the picture below. Look at the bridge of their nose, cheek bones, forehead,
hair.
How to keep eye contact
If someone tells you a single word – by itself – it has many possible meanings. In the dictionary,
you’d find several likely meanings for this one word.
Reading body language is as simple. A body language signal by itself can mean many things.
- the context of the situation, mailny the environment and the conversation.
> How to read body language accurately in 90 seconds with the “5 C Questions”
> How to tell if someone is interested in you and the body language of attraction
> How to understand people and graciously influence them
> And many more non verbal communication tactics and body language signs…
- Looking away
–> curious about the surroundings (some people naturally observe their environment more than
others)
–> showing interest in your other movements. This would be natural if you’re carrying out an
activity or using your arms and hands to express yourself.
Otherwise, it may be a sign that this person is attracted to you… Basically, looking at other parts
of your body is part of the unconscious assessment people make about how suitable you are as a
mate…
Whether you like it or not, we all do this. We are simply wired to put ourselves in optimal
conditions for reproduction of our species.
Without going too deep into neuroscience, let’s look at how a person’s eye directions can tell
you what they are actually thinking.
You have probably heard that there are two main parts to the brain:
When we look right or left for a period of time, one side of our brain gets activated more than the
other.
When dealing with a right-handed person, you’re more likely to make the person feel relaxed and
comfortable if you activate their logical side. That is: if you place yourself to their right.
Why?
Because doing the opposite activates their emotional brain… which is home to their emotional
and stressful memories. Doing this makes it much more likely they’ll feel nervous, anxious, and
uncomfortable.
Well, there’s no predictable rule in this case unfortunately. I’m currently researching the best
way to deal with this and will let you know when I find something that works.
The field of NLP also observed that, depending on the conversation’s context, the position of
someone’s eyes can give you clues of where her words are “coming from”.
–>Using their imagination – watch out for exaggeration of the truth or for complete lies.
- Looking down and to their right, or to their left, or up and to their left:
–>Deep in thought.
My view is that it is a model that “works” some of the time, but that it is very difficult to use
anyway – because people’s eyes rarely remain in one position. My best advice is: use it to
potentially confirm meanings you have deducted from several other physical cues – not as a
main reference to judge what someone is thinking.
- Wet eyes
- Excessive blinking
- Enlarged pupils
–> if in broad light, the person is either experiencing deep satisfaction, or is interested in you
–> seeing something pleasant – this a sign professional poker players look out for as a giveaway
that another player may have a good hand…
Want To Know For Sure…?
A single word, by itself, has many possible meanings. In the dictionary, you’ll find several likely
meanings for each word.
Reading body language is as simple. A body language signal by itself can mean many things.
- other signals that could have the same meaning (at least 2 or 3) and
The Mouth
When you meet someone for the first time, it takes that person 3 to 7 seconds to make her
judgement about you. I do it. You do it. We all do it… Unconsciously.
Basically, we decide how comfortable we are with that person. Remember, we are wired for self-
preservation.
In a nutshell…
Once that first assessment is made we adapt our feelings, posture, language, and tone. These first
few seconds alone can make or break a relationship whether when influencing someone in a
sales or presentation situation, or when flirting with a man or a woman…
And the most crucial body language signal to influence our first impression is the smile. This is
also the most recognised signal in every country and every culture.
The Smile
Smiling is a learned phenomenon. Young babies don’t smile naturally. They mimic the
expressions of those looking at them… But by the time we reach adulthood, it has become a
signal critical to making a good first impression.
Smiling also has an actual impact on your physiology… We’ll look at that in a moment. First,
let’s look at the 2 main types of smile…
A genuine smile involves the whole face including the eyes… More than just the mouth, many
facial muscles are in action. The most visible is the tightening around the eyes. This action
around the eyes is extremely difficult to fake and is the main signal you want to look at if you
think somebody might not be telling you their real feelings.
Usually used out of politeness… People who put on a smile only use the muscles around the
mouth. But the top half of their face remains virtually unchanged. Their smile is also less likely
to be showing their teeth. This smile could mean the person is not telling the whole truth.
Do not fake a smile. Research shows that a large majority of people unconsciously recognise the
sincerity of your smile simply looking at the top half of your face.
The easiest way to put on a genuine smile is to use your imagination… A few seconds before
approaching someone, imagine having a really good time with this person. Or recall a recent
situation when you really had a great connection with someone you had just met… this will
recall the feelings you had at the time and will naturally make you smile.
Endorphins send a message to your brain that makes you feel good… confident… satisfied.
Test it for yourself… try to smile and feel sad at the same time.
Your natural reaction when someone is smiling at you is to smile back (remember, you learnt
this as a baby). But there is much more to it…
When you smile at someone, they tends to smile back at you – partially unconsciously… and
endorphins get released in their body.
So, thanks to the endorphins, what their unconscious mind memorizes about you is “this person
makes me feel good” – a great way to break her skepticism and make them trust you.
Now, you see why smiling first is essential and how it can help you greatly when trying to
influence someone, or trying to seduce a man or a woman!
Quick summary:
–> a fake smile to be polite, or the person is embarrassed by their teeth (this applies to many
more people than you may think)
–> while you are talking, they could be surprised by what you said
–> when they are talking, they could be lying or uncomfortable with the conversation
The Lips
- Puckered
- Pursed
–> worried
–> disapproval
- Lip biting
–> anger
–> if someone of the opposite sex is looking at your lips frequently, they are unconsciously
assessing the pleasure they would get if they were kissing you… If you notice other signs of
romantic interest in their body language, you may want to flirt back…
A single word, by itself, has many possible meanings. In the dictionary, you’ll find several likely
meanings for each word.
Reading body language is as simple. A body language signal by itself can mean many things.
- other signals that could have the same meaning (at least 2 or 3) and
–> nervous
–> if it is a woman and she is showing other flirting cues, she could be interested in you
–> relaxed
–> if it is a man and he is showing other flirting cues, he is preening – showing a romantic
interest
The Head
- Level:
–> authoritative
- Tilt:
–> when you’re asking them a question, they’re thinking of the best answer
- Nodding:
–> means Yes, and reflects agreement in most parts of the world (but be careful they are
exceptions – it can mean No in parts of India, Bolivia, or inability to nderstand you in parts of
Asia)
If you use nodding to seduce men or women, or to influence others, be aware of this myth about
nodding:…
Nodding while you are talking only reinforces what the other person has in mind at that moment
– not what you are saying.
However, do nod occasionally while this person is talking to you – to show you are interested
and focused on them. Whether you are selling, persuading, or flirting, listening to someone
always makes that person like you and trust you more.
Beware of any cultural differences with the other person, it means Yes in some countries (see
Nodding).
A single word, by itself, has many possible meanings. In the dictionary, you’ll find several likely
meanings for each word.
Reading body language is as simple. A body language signal by itself can mean many things.
- other signals that could have the same meaning (at least 2 or 3) and
The Hands
- Thumbs
–> superiority
When someone has their hands are in the pockets, leaving the thumbs out, it shows confidence,
they probably feel superior.
The Handshake
The position of the hands while shaking hands is very revealing of how a person is feeling
towards you. Your handshake can also help you seduce men or women and influence others.
–> domination
- Bone-crunching
- Limp
–> doesn’t like being touched or submissive
- Double handshake
–> friendly
Subtly use the double handshake if you are trying to influence someone, or to seduce a man or a
woman. When shaking their hand , briefly brush the back of their hand to effectively create a
double handshake for a split second.
At an unconscious level, this creates a much stronger bond between you and research shows that
it makes the person trust you and like you more.
The Ears
Scratching
–> could be a sign of deceit (usually the ears alos get redder)
The Chin
- Stroking
–> interested, paying attention during a conversation, if in silence, they are pensive
Adam’s Apple
–> anxiety
–> embarrassment
–> stress
The Nose
- Nose flare
- Nose wrinkle
–> repulsed
The Arms
- Closed, crossed
–> uninviting
–> protective
You can subtly influence people and seduce men or women using this. Just as brushing
someone’s hand (see Hands), touching someone’s arm makes them more likely to trust you and
like you.
The Legs
(of course this does not apply if the person is walking or dancing)
- Hands in front of groin or chest area
The Feet
In a nutshell, our feet point in the direction our mind wants to go.
- Jiggling or Tapping
–> nervous gesture or bored (this is not necessarily a sign of irritation as you might sometimes
hear)
If you are trying to influence someone, or to seduce a man or a woman, consciously point your
feet towards that person.
–> lack of interest, impatient to get out (avoid this position when trying to influence someone!)