#Body language guides how to

The Definitive Book of Body Language, for example, tells us that the crotch display (legs open, crotch slightly thrust forward, hand on the belt) is used by 'macho men and tough guys'.

#Body language guides how to

These popular books have two main aims (apart from making money)-they explain how to 'expertly' read body language but also how to fake it for maximum effect. They promise success at work and at home along with how to read the 'tells' of your friends and neighbors. There are body language books that promise success in the boardroom, the bedroom, bars and restaurants. More recent scientific research suggests that the real number of facial expressions is actually closer to 21. But in the ' Definitive Book of Body Language,' published in 2004 by Allan and Barbara Pease, that number suddenly increased to 250,000.Ī quarter of a million different facial expressions-no wonder you need to read a guide on body language to decode those. For example, in a book published in 1970, author Ray Birdwhistell claimed that humans have 20,000 different facial expressions.

Indeed, you can't trust everything you read in body language guides. For example, eye contact in Japan can be considered an act of aggression or rudeness. But it's important to remember that it's not an exact science and there can be cultural or individual variations in how people express themselves through body language.

Reading body language can be a useful skill in understanding how someone is feeling or what they might be thinking.