What Every BODY is Saying summary

So when our bodies communicate information our words don’t express, where does that information originate from?

The limbic brain plays a unique role in our self-expression. It’s responsible for our survival and it doesn’t take breaks – it reacts to all our senses and emotions instinctively and instantaneously.

When you were a child your parents probably told you “Don’t make that face!” when there was food on your plate you didn’t like – thereby encouraging you to hide what you were really thinking.

And so, from a young age, we’re trained to make our faces unreliable. They conceal our true intentions because it’s so easy for us to change our expressions. The most common mistake people make when trying to read a partner’s body language is focusing on the face.

The last time you shook hands with a stranger, how long did it take? Did you touch their arm as well? How strong was the grip? We can learn a great deal about someone’s thoughts and intentions by observing their hands.

Why?

So now we’ve learned about the “honest” parts of our bodies. But what about signs of dishonesty? How can we spot them and how are they distinguishable from excitement or overall tiredness?

Well, the limbic brain sends messages directly to other parts of our bodies, like our fingers and feet. When we tell a lie, there’s a conflict between our emotions: we know the truth, but our words say something different. This arouses the limbic brain, and it may cause neurotransmitters, such as adrenaline, to spread.

You need precise observational skills to be able to read body language well. And, like any other skills, they need to be trained.

Simply knowing facts or behavioral patterns that convey certain meanings isn’t enough. If you observe a handshake or smile by itself, it doesn’t really mean anything unless you’re aware of the context and the conversation.

So if you become an expert on decoding and using nonverbal cues, how accurate is it possible to be? How can we detect when someone is trying to deceive us?

When observing a person’s nonverbal signs, pay attention to how their verbal and nonverbal expression match. If they emphasize certain words inappropriately or unnaturally, their conscience most likely doesn’t agree with their words.