The Definitive Book of Body Language (58 page)

The incongruency of gestures is obvious here. The man is pretending to smile confidently as he crosses the room but one hand has crossed his body to adjust his watch and form a partial arm barrier. His smile is a basic fear-face. This shows that he is unsure of himself or his circumstances.

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This woman disapproves of the person at whom she's looking. She has turned neither her head nor body toward him but is giving him a sideways glance with her head slightly down (disapproval), eyebrows slightly turned down (anger), a full arm-cross gesture (defensive), and the corners of her mouth are turned down.

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Dominance, superiority, and territoriality are evident here. The Catapult shows a superior “know-it-all” attitude and feet-on-desk shows a territorial claim to it. To further highlight his ego he has a high-status chair with wheels, arms, and other accessories. He is also sitting in the Competitive/Defensive Position.

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The Hands-on-Hips gesture is used by the child to make himself appear larger and more threatening. The chin is jutting forward to show defiance and the mouth is opened wide to expose the teeth, just as animals do before they attack.

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This cluster can be summed up in one word—negative. The folder is used as a barrier and the arms and legs are folded due to nervousness or defensiveness. His coat is buttoned and his sunglasses hide any eye or pupil signals. Considering that people form 90 percent of their opinion of someone in the first four minutes, it's unlikely that this man will ever get to first base with another person.

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Both men are using aggressive and readiness gestures, the man on the left using the Hands-on-Hips gesture and the man on the right, the Thumbs-in-Belt. The man on the left is less aggressive than the man on the right as he is leaning backward and his body is pointing slightly away from the man on the right. The man on the right, however, has assumed an intimidating pose by pointing his body directly at the other man and taking an erect stance. His facial expression is also consistent with his body gestures and his mouth is turned down.

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The man on the left is straddling his chair in an attempt to take control of the discussion or to dominate the man on the right. He is also pointing his body directly at the man on the right. He has clenched fingers and his feet are locked together under his chair, showing a frustrated attitude, which means that he's
probably having difficulty getting his point across. The man in the center feels superior to the other two because of the Catapult gesture he is using. He also has the Figure Four leg position, indicating that he could be competitive or argumentative. He has a high-status chair that swivels, leans back, and has wheels and armrests. The man on the right is seated on a low-status chair that has fixed legs and no accessories. His arms and legs are tightly crossed (defensive) and his head is down (hostile), body pointing away (disinterest), indicating that he doesn't like what he hears.

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The woman is displaying classic courtship gestures. She has one foot forward, pointing toward the man on the far left (interest), a combination of Hand-on-Hip and Thumb-in-Belt (assertive, readiness), her left wrist is being flashed (sensual), and she is blowing cigarette smoke upward (confident, positive). She is also giving a sideways glance to the man on the far left and he is responding to her courtship gestures by adjusting
his tie (preening) and pointing his foot at her. His head is up (interested). The man in the center is clearly unimpressed with the other man as he has his body pointing away and is giving him an aggressive sideways glance. He has his palms out of sight and is blowing his cigarette smoke down (negative). He is also leaning against the wall (territorial aggression).

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The man on the left is using superiority gestures and has an arrogant attitude toward the man sitting opposite. He is using eye block signals to block the other man from sight and his head is tilted back to “look down his nose” at him. Defensiveness is also evident because his knees are held tightly together and he is holding his wineglass with both hands to form a barrier. The man in the middle has been excluded from the conversation by the two other men not forming a triangle to include him. He does, however, seem aloof, as shown by his Thumbs-in-Waistcoat gesture (superiority), leaning back on his chair, and using a Crotch Display (macho). The man on the right has heard enough and has taken the Starter's Position (ready to leave) and his foot and body are pointed toward the nearest exit. His eyebrows and the corners of his mouth are turned down, and his head is slightly down, revealing disapproval.

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