How to read body language

You may not realize it, but people only convey about fifteen percent of their language through the spoken word. What isn’t said, known as body language, makes up the other eight five percent of how we interact with other individuals. Just like what is spoken, not all people have the same body language. If you watch a person closely you can soon begin to see what he isn’t saying out loud.

There are some obvious examples of body language, such as someone shaking their head up and down or side to side. This is a sign of agreement or disagreement, and we often move our heads without realizing it. Also, if someone folds their arms in front of you they usually are not open to what you are saying and are cutting you off with their body. The same can be said about the crossing of ones legs away from the person they are interacting with. If the legs cross, the person is not feeling open and communication will not flow freely.

Eye contact is huge where body language is concerned. If someone consistently makes eye contact with you, it can be assumed that they have a genuine interest in what you have to say. If they are looking around or not looking at you at all, chances are that they are only hearing half of what you are saying. If you ask a question and the person looks to the right, it’s said he is being deceitful. If he looks to the left, he is said to be recalling information. If you notice that the brows of a person are drawn together, it can mean he is either angry or deep in thought.

A sign of disinterest is slouching while engaged in conversation. Typically, the slouching is followed by a shrug of the shoulders, meaning they either don’t know, or don’t care to know the answer to the question. Also, when a person places their hands in their pockets, it usually means they’d like to be left alone and not engaged in any sort of conversation.

Frequently touching the face, especially the nose or chin, while speaking can indicate that the speaker is not being truthful. To what extent he is being deceitful cannot be determined, but it’s been said by scientists the more the face is touched the bigger the lie. Any sort of facial touching such as scratching the nose, touching the ears, rubbing the chin, and scratching the scalp are all said to convey a lie. Watch closely when you see police interrogations on television and you may catch a criminal yourself!

When two people are engaged, their hips will usually be pointed toward each other in an open fashion if they are physically attracted to one another. If one party is not interested, they’ll usually turn their hips to the side slightly. Also, when a person finds someone else desirable his or her pupils tend to dilate in response. The quickened pulse and more rapid breathing cause this response when we are in the presence of someone we like.

These are just some of the body language examples that apply to most, if not all, people. Body language really isn’t something we can control, as it is a physiological response to what we are feeling, even if we aren’t saying everything that we are feeling.