Reading Body Language

 

Ever wonder what someone is thinking?
Here are some body language reading tips that might help

 

55% of what you convey comes from body language, 38% from the tone of your voice, and only 7% from the words you say.
– UCLA Professor Albert Mehrabian

A lack of crinkles around the eyes suggests a fake smile

Is the world filled with fake smiles? According to research, it is just about impossible to smile on command. We are always told to smile when in front of the camera. Some can pull of a generated smile, but many of us look as if we are faking it – and that’s because we are. A real smile will show the crow’s feet around the eyes.
No crinkles = fake smile.

Raised eyebrows can be a sign of discomfort

When we are worried, fearful, or surprised we tend to raise our eyebrows. This indicates that we are experiencing discomfort.

A change in vocal tone (up or down) can indicate a persons interest

A change in voice tone is often easy to spot, however some people are more subtle about it. The slightest change can be meaningful.

Body language mirroring could mean the conversation is going well

Research shows that, ‘we mirror each other when we’re feeling a connection’. So if you’re having a good conversation and you sit down, your partner will to. If you cross your legs, they will too. If you sit and your partner remains standing, there may not be a good connection or understanding.

Eye contact

Eye contact indicates interest, but the interest can be either positive or negative. Positive = someone interested in meeting you tries to make
eye contact. Negative = someone staring you down because of an irritation.

Looking too long into the eyes, might mean someone is lying

The psychology behind this is that the liar thinks they have to make eye contact or they will be found out. The trouble is they overcompensate and look too long. Eye contact is good and shows interest and connection, but too long and it could be the sign of a liar.

A wide open stance means power

For example, after winning a race it is common for the winner to raise their arms to the sky. This expresses their confidence and feeling of power. The same goes in the office and in social situations – If someone sits back in their chair with their arms stretched out, this is a sign of power.

A few others to look for:

If you want to know if someone likes you, there may be a sequence of things to tip you off. After making eye contact, if a person looks down, touches their hair (to primp, for example) and then looks up at you with their chin down a bit – they may be interested in you.

If someone laughs with you, it is a good sign that they would like to have a relationship with you. This doesn’t necessarily mean romantic – it could just be a friendship.

In trying to detect stress, here are some things to look for: a furrowed brow, a clenched jaw and a tight neck. This is actually how humans have been showing their stress for millions of years.

And finally, what about the ever popular arm cross? This is a hard one to decipher. It can indicate defensiveness and being closed off.

Before coming to conclusions, however, you should think about a few other factors. For example, some people will cross their arms if they are cold or if they happen to be sitting in a chair that doesn’t have a place to rest their arms.

Keep in mind, none of the above tips are definitive – every case is different, just as every person is different.
Check out the original article here.