Spider-man’s Spidey sense has made us all secretly jealous. Since the radioactive spider is as real as a unicorn we’ll all have to settle for the next best thing: body language. The ability to read Body language is also a good alternative to Edward Cullen’s mind-reading abilities. So, how do we read body language?
The key to reading body language is being observant. You need to look for signs in others to pick up what their subconsciousness is trying to convey. For example, a teacher, when trying to check if students are understanding the concepts, would scan their facial expressions and eyes for signs of confusion. Now let’s go through the tell-tale signs of the body that give away our thoughts.
The Eyes, Mouth, and Facial Expressions
The eyes are the most revealing part of our body. Did you know you looked up and to the right when using your imagination and up and to the left when recalling from memory? This is the reason an untruthful person will look to the right but a truthful one to the left. Another thing to look out for is eye contact, where a disinterested person will not be keeping eye contact. Blinking unnaturally fast is a sign of discomfort whereas blinking too slow means they’re trying to hide something. On the other hand, large pupils indicate affection and desire.
You might have heard the phrase ‘the smile doesn’t reach the eyes’. Although it literally means the smile isn’t sincerely from the inside when reading body language you will notice the lips are tightly formed and the eyes aren’t really bright. Lips can giveaway sarcasm and happy feelings. If someone’s lips are slightly tilted upward that means they feel happy whereas a half-smile aka a smirk is a sign of sarcasm.
Facial expressions like happiness, surprise, excitement, anger, sadness, and confusion are universal and can be identified easily
The Arms, Legs, and Gestures
Did you know that the direction of feet when standing or seated can tell whether you want to stay or leave? Arms and legs can be a part of body language but not necessarily so. Crossed arms and legs can show defensiveness and give a closed-off vibe. Hands-on hips can display confidence and control. Gestures and hand signals are important to read and catch non-verbal cues but are often deliberate and not done unconsciously.
The Posture
The way someone is seated can be an indicator of the level of friendliness they have for you. Sitting uptight and open shows confidence and friendliness. Whereas drooping shoulders and round back display anxiety and nervousness.
The mirroring effect can also let you in on a person’s thoughts too. When conversing if someone mimics your movement it shows they like you and are listening to you.
The Personal Bubble
The level of proximity between two people can show how close they are. The smaller the distance the more the depth of the relationship. However, personal space can vary from people to people and culture to culture. So it’s always best to put out feelers and be sure of where the personal bubble is so as not to make anyone uncomfortable.
Learn more on Suicide and Suicidal thoughts here.
Think about it…
At some point, we have all tried to read body language. You probably just weren’t aware of it. When you meet someone closed-off or reluctant to communicate you automatically start looking for answers in the form of body language. Now you can do so more knowingly. Although knowing about body language can be used to fake emotions and cause deception, it still holds many benefits. It can be used to read signs of danger. A person having an aggressive posture or a continuous pattern of lying will cause alarm. So make sure to try to read body language and not only communicate better but be more aware of your surroundings.
Check out this article on finding peace.
