Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Secrets revealed by leg movements

Mark sat on the chair with his legs stretched out, pulling his tie with one hand and rubbing the salt shaker with the other.He didn't notice at all that for the past 20 minutes, the girl across from him had kept her legs crossed and leaned back, pointing her toes at the nearest exit. The farther a body part is from the head, the less we pay attention to it.For example, most people are very conscious of their faces and consciously control facial expressions and head posture.We can even master some expressions proficiently through repeated practice.For example, pretending to be nonchalant, expressing disapproving eyes, forcing a smile, etc.If grandma gives you ugly underwear on your birthday, I believe you will be able to show a happy smile without any effort.But apart from the face, we pay little attention to the posture of the arms and hands, nor the chest and abdomen, not to mention the movement of the legs, and the feet are almost completely ignored by us.

This means that people's legs and feet are a rich source of information that can reveal people's inner secrets.Because most people don't pay much attention to the movements of their legs and feet, and they don't even think about covering up or disguising this part of their body movements, and this kind of concealment and camouflage are often staged on people's faces.A person may be able to fake a calm expression, but if his feet keep tapping the floor or his legs are shaking slightly, it means that under the calm expression, he is full of inner feelings that he wants to escape but cannot escape. frustration.

The slight swaying of the feet conceals the subject's attempt to escape from the current predicament. The way a person moves their arms as they walk can give you insight into their personality, or the personality they wish to present to you.When young, healthy, and athletic people walk, they walk significantly faster than older people, and they also swing their arms back and forth more, sometimes like a march.This is due in part to the young man's brisk pace and good muscle flexibility.Because of this, the standard posture of the troops marching has gradually evolved into a more exaggerated gait, the purpose is to create a young, strong and energetic image of the soldiers.Many politicians and public figures who want to show healthy vitality have also adopted this gait, which is why politicians always stride.Women swing their arms back more when they walk because their elbows are more able to bend outward, a feature that allows them to hold a child more firmly while carrying them.

We once had managers take part in a series of tests in which they were asked to lie in a situational interview and to appear as convincing as possible.We found that all test managers, male and female, had significantly more subconscious foot movements when lying. Most managers fake facial expressions and even control the posture of their hands, but are almost unaware of the movements of their legs and feet.Most managers fake facial expressions and even control the posture of their hands, but are almost unaware of the movements of their legs and feet.The test results fully verified the research results of Paul Ekman.It was this psychologist who pointed out that when people lie, the lower part of the body moves a lot, so as long as the observer can see the whole body of the liar, the success rate of detecting lies can be greatly improved.It also explains why many business people are only comfortable sitting behind a solid desk—a desk that hides the lower half of their body.

If you're not sure if your guy is cheating on you, look down at his feet. Glass tabletops put more stress on us than solid tabletops because the clear glass allows us to see our legs, making us feel less in control of our bodies. In the process of human evolution, leg movements mainly serve two purposes: one is to move forward to obtain food, and the other is to escape when encountering danger.Since the human brain is directly connected to these two basic purposes, moving towards what one wants and moving away from what one dislikes, so people's legs and feet can show the movement of their heart.In other words, by looking at someone's legs, you can tell whether the other person is willing to continue the conversation with you.Legs that are not crossed or wide apart suggest an open stance, or dominance, while crossed legs suggest a reserved, or uncertain attitude.

Legs that are not crossed or wide apart suggest an open stance, or dominance, while crossed legs suggest a reserved, or uncertain attitude.If a woman is not interested in the man in front of her, she will fold her arms over her chest, cross her legs, and move away from the man's body, sending a physical signal to the man that no one is allowed to enter.If she's interested in the man, she'll take an open body stance. 1. Standing at attention This is a very formal stance that suggests a neutral attitude, not expressing any inclination to go or stay.In heterosexual interviews, women use this posture more often than men, and the erect and closed legs convey a "noncommittal" signal.Pupils at school often stand at attention when they talk to their teachers, it's the same posture used when subordinates in companies report to their superiors, when people meet royals or when employees talk to their bosses.

Attention posture 2. Spread the legs As mentioned earlier, this is an action that conveys a sense of dominance, which is very typical of male body language, like a standing posture showing the crotch.This stance will put your feet firmly on the ground, as if clearly telling others that you have no intention of leaving.What makes the crotch-showing stance a quintessential masculine pose is the fact that it emphasizes the male reproductive organs, which makes the stance masculine. Show the crotch - highlight the man's masculinity During the intermission of sports games, we often see male players standing in a circle, each in a posture showing their crotch, and constantly changing the posture of their crotch.This transformation has nothing to do with body itching, just because such movements can show their masculinity, and all players adopt the same standing posture to show the unity of the team.Tough guys love crotch-showing stances

3. Resting posture Resting posture: The direction pointed by the outstretched toes is where the heart is yearning. Put the center of gravity of the body on one side of the buttocks and legs, so that the other foot can be stretched forward and take a break.In medieval paintings, the dignified male protagonists always maintain a relaxed posture, because this stance allows them to show off their exquisite socks, shoes and trousers. This posture is very helpful for us to judge a person's current intentions, because the direction that people's outstretched toes point to is often where they want to go in their hearts, and this posture also looks like a person is about to go. Ready to move.If we are with a group of people, our outstretched foot will always point towards the person who is most humorous or attractive to us; but if we want to leave, that foot will point towards the person closest to us. an exit.

4. Cross your legs The next time you're in a meeting with some co-workers of both sexes, look out for the type of person who always stands with their arms and legs crossed.If you look a little more closely, you can also see that these people are keeping a greater distance from other attendees than the normal social distance that people are used to.Standing with legs crossed If these people are wearing coats or jackets, they are likely to be buttoned up.This is also a subconscious reaction of most people when they are in an unfamiliar environment.So, if you talk to these people, you will find that they don't know each other well with the other attendees.

A spread-legged posture shows an open or dominant attitude; a crossed-legged posture shows a reserved, submissive, or defensive attitude, because this posture symbolizes denial of anyone's access to one's genitals. Scissors stance: expresses a "non-determined" attitude, but does not intend to leave it at that For women, the scissors stance or the one-legged cross (one leg held upright and the other bent to form a cross with the upright leg) The standing posture conveys two messages: first, she will continue to stay where she is and has no intention of leaving; second, she has an attitude of refusing to approach.However, if a man makes such a gesture, although it also means the idea of ​​staying in place, it also expresses another intention: hope that the other party will not attack his weakness.The spread legs are to highlight the man's masculinity, while the crossed legs are an attempt to protect the man's male capital.If a man is meeting another man who feels that the other man is not as strong as himself, then a stance showing his crotch is very appropriate; but if he is dealing with a man who is stronger than himself, this stance will make him Appears aggressive and aggressive, and he himself feels vulnerable.Studies have shown that people who lack self-confidence often use the crossed-legs position.People who lack self-confidence often use the crossed-legs pose.

Spreading your legs is a sign of confidence in a man; crossing your legs is a sign of reticence. Imagine that there is another kind of person in a meeting who stands with arms outstretched, palms in front of body, jacket button unbuttoned, looks very relaxed; their body centered on one leg with the other leg stretched forward naturally, with the toe pointing towards the other participants.This group of people frequently made various gestures and went to and from their respective private spaces.As long as you conduct a little in-depth investigation, you will find that these people are friends with each other, or have a certain personal relationship.And the group of people with arms and legs crossed before, maybe they also have a relaxed expression, and the conversation with other people sounds natural and casual, but the crossed arms and legs tell us that when talking to other people When attendees engage, they are not as relaxed and confident as they appear to be. Try this move: Join a small group that you're chatting with, making sure you don't know anyone in it; keep your arms and legs tightly crossed, and keep a serious look on your face.Soon, one by one, the rest of the small group will cross arms and legs until you, the strange participant, leave.You might as well go a little farther and watch how, one by one, the people in this group regain their original open body posture. A crossed-legs posture not only conveys negativity and defensiveness, it can also make a person appear insecure and trigger others around them to cross their legs in response. Does she seem to be suffering from the cold?Or just looking for a break room? Many people might say that they don't cross their arms or legs out of defensiveness or insecurity, they just do it because they feel cold.But if one wants to ward off the cold, one tucks one's hands under the armpits, rather than folding them behind the elbows, which is the defensively folded arms.Second, if a person is really cold, he probably crosses his legs.But usually in cold conditions, the crossed legs will remain rigid and close together; instead of crossing the arms and legs as when the legs are crossed out of defense People always attribute this action to the cold, and are unwilling to admit the tension, anxiety or defensive psychology hidden behind the action.The legs remain relaxed. People who are used to crossing their arms and legs will always attribute this action to the cold, and are unwilling to admit the nervousness, anxiety or defensiveness behind the movement.There are also many people who say that they only do it because it feels comfortable.This statement may be true—when a person feels insecure and defensive, crossing arms and legs does feel good because it matches his mood. In a party, as people gradually get to know their peers and feel more at ease, their body posture will undergo a series of changes, from the guarded arms and legs crossed posture to the open and natural posture. .In any environment, the process of such transformation follows exactly the same formula. A doesn't know each other very well, B has a frank attitude and accepts each other This transformation process begins in a closed body position, where the arms and legs are crossed (Figure A). When the conversation between two people becomes more pleasant and a harmonious and friendly relationship is established between them, the first thing that changes is the movement of the legs.When the conversation between two people becomes more pleasant and a harmonious and friendly relationship is established between them, the first thing that changes is the movement of the legs.They no longer maintain a cross-legged posture, but put their feet together in a standing posture. Then, the upper arm of the crossed arms will be stretched out, and the palm will make some gestures while speaking.Although the outstretched arm has not been completely released, it is no longer a barrier to the opponent. At this time, it is only used as a support for the other hand, making the entire upper body present a posture of covering the chest with one arm.Gradually, both arms relax, and one hand is gesticulating, either on the hip or in the pocket of a trousers.Finally, the two people who are familiar with each other adopt a relaxed standing posture, with their arms stretched naturally, showing an attitude of being willing to accept each other (as shown in Figure B). European version of sitting with legs crossed not interested in talking Place one leg lightly on top of the other while sitting.In business communication, if a person sits with his arms and legs crossed, he tends to use short sentences, is more negative about other people's suggestions, and is less concerned about what is being discussed. The details will be a little careless.About 70 percent of people do this with their left leg over their right.This position is the most common leg-crossing position in Continental European, Asian and British cultures. When a guy crosses his arms and legs while he's talking to you, it's a sign that his mind is drifting away from the conversation.At this time, if you want him to express his sincerity to your point of view, it must be very difficult. We found that in business communication, if a person sits with arms and legs crossed, he tends to use shorter sentences, responds more negatively to suggestions from others, and The details discussed by everyone will be a little casual.Relatively speaking, those who sit naturally and openly are much more active and engaged. Placing the ankle of one foot on the knee of the other leg so that the legs form a figure 4 is the American version of the cross-legged sitting.This is also a seated version of the crotch-showing pose, as it also highlights the penis.Generally speaking, American men often use this posture; young people in other countries that are more influenced by American culture, such as Singapore, Japan and the Philippines, also like to adopt this posture.This posture shows an attitude of arguing or winning.Monkeys and chimpanzees also use this posture to display their genitals when they have a fighting mentality, because a successful demonstration can avoid injuries caused by physical fighting.Of all primates, males are most likely to adopt this pose to display their masculine capital when they are victors.In countries such as Australia and New Zealand, people use both the European version of the cross-legged position and the American version of the "figure 4" position.During World War II, the Nazis paid special attention to how people sat. Once they found someone in a "figure four" position, they could immediately tell that the person was definitely not German, or that he had lived in the United States.Ready to Debate: America's Version of the "Figure 4" Sitting Elderly people in continental Europe and Great Britain seldom sit in a "figure 4" sitting posture.However, this sitting posture has widely existed in various cultural backgrounds, such as Russia, Japan, Sardinia, and Malta. Young people in these places are deeply influenced by American movies and TV programs, and gradually begin to imitate the sitting posture on the screen. American sitting posture.When a man assumes this sitting position, he can not only show his confidence and dominance, but also appear relaxed and youthful at the same time.However, in some parts of the Middle East and Asia, the "figure 4" sitting position is considered an insult to others because it exposes the soles of the shoes, and people will inevitably make people feel uncomfortable when walking. Dirt on the soles. Women sometimes sit in the "figure 4" position while wearing trousers or jeans, but this usually happens at parties between women.Women rarely pose in this way in front of men because they don't want to come across as masculine or fool him into thinking they're being sexually seduced. Research also shows that most people like to keep their feet on the ground when making important decisions, so when someone else is sitting in a "figure 4", it's best not to ask him to make a decision right away.Most people like to keep their feet on the ground when making important decisions, so when someone is sitting in a "figure 4", it's best not to ask him to make a decision right away. We once attended a conference with 100 sales managers and 500 salespeople, 50/50 men and 500 salespeople.The topic of this meeting is to discuss what kind of treatment the company should provide to the salesmen.A well-known salesman, who is also the president of the Salesmen's Union, will speak at the conference.When the salesman walked up to the podium, almost all male managers and 25% of female managers crossed their legs and arms in a guarded gesture, expressing their concern and fear for the salesman's speech .The managers' reaction was not unreasonable. The salesman angrily criticized the managers for their low management ability, and believed that this was the biggest problem in the company's employee management.While the salesman was speaking, most of the salespeople in the auditorium either leaned forward, showed interest, or made gestures of thinking; but the managers kept their guarded bodies throughout. When the heart door is closed, the body posture will also change accordingly. Next, the salesman argues that, in his view, the question is what role sales managers should play relative to salespeople.At this time, just like the musicians of the symphony orchestra received the instructions from the conductor, most of the male managers immediately changed their sitting posture and made a "four-legged" posture.This means that they are all mentally refuting the salesman's point of view.Later facts verified this point, and many managers did raise objections later.We also noticed that some managers did not change their sitting positions even though they disagreed with the salesman.However, through further research, we found that most of these managers are unable to perform the "four-legged" posture due to physical conditions or diseases, such as being too obese, having leg injuries or suffering from arthritis. If you are trying to persuade someone who is in a defensive position to agree with you, it is best to try to get him to change his body position before trying to persuade him.If you are trying to persuade someone who is in a defensive position to agree with you, it is best to try to get him to change his body position before trying to persuade him.You can show him some information, invite him to sit by your side, or ask him to do a little thing for you, fetch something for you, and so on.In this way, his body posture will change, such as bowing his head to take notes or holding manuals, samples, etc.Also, offering him a cup of tea or coffee works well, as it's hard to cross your arms or legs while holding a cup, unless he's not afraid of burning himself. If a person is sitting in a "figure 4" position while holding the upper leg with one or even both hands, it shows that they are not just having a competitive attitude.The posture of fixing the "figure 4 legs" with hands shows that this person is a very assertive and quite stubborn person. He will not agree with anyone's point of view, but only believes in himself. Grasping the "Figure 4 Leg" with Hands: The Winning Attitude Posture When a man interlocks his ankles, his hands are usually clenched into fists and resting on his knees, or he is gripping the arm of a chair while posing in a position that shows his crotch (as shown in the photo below).Women's body movements are slightly different when the ankles are interlaced: they will bring their knees together, feet on the same side of the body, and their hands lightly on the upper leg side by side or overlapped. Interlocking ankles: Men keep their knees wide open; women try to keep their knees together to reduce the gap between the legs Based on more than three decades of experience as interviewers and salespeople, we've found that when your interviewee's ankles are locked, a subconscious "bite your lips" kicks in. This gesture shows that he is trying to suppress some kind of negative emotion, perhaps lack of certainty or panic fear.This gesture shows that he is trying to suppress some kind of negative emotion, perhaps lack of certainty or panic fear.The interlocking feet tend to move quietly under the chair, which corresponds to the taciturn attitude.If a person is very engaged in conversation, then his feet will naturally stretch forward. Research we have done with lawyers has shown that defendants are three times more likely than plaintiffs to interlock their ankles while awaiting sentencing because putting their interlaced feet under a chair helps them control themselves Emotions.Another survey of 319 dental patients found that 88% of patients would engage their ankles as soon as they sat in the dental chair.Only 68% of the patients clasped their ankles if it was just a routine dental check-up, but 98% of the patients clasped their ankles as long as they received an injection from the dentist. The taxman is more likely to make ankle-knuckles than the dentist. We have conducted in-depth investigations in judicial organs and government departments, such as police stations, customs, tax bureaus, etc. The results of the investigations show that most of the people who are summoned will make ankle clasps when they start to be interrogated .But the motivation for making this move is more out of fear than shame. We also conducted research in human resources departments and found that most candidates have interlocked their ankles during the interview process.This shows that when they make this action, they are trying to suppress a certain emotion or attitude of their own.Nirenberg and Calero found that in a political negotiation, if a politician interlocks his ankles, it often means that he is ready to make a big concession, but is still trying to refrain from making it. This decision.They pointed out that as long as the right questioning skills are mastered at this time, it is likely to induce the politician to loosen his ankles and eventually make concessions. By asking positive questions to guide the other person's mood towards optimism, you can often get the other person to loosen their ankles. When we first started researching the body language of interlocking ankles, we found that the right questioning technique was effective (42 percent of the time) in getting people to let go of their ankles and return to a natural state of relaxation.Appropriate questioning techniques can effectively (42% success rate) make the interviewee release their ankles and return to a natural state of relaxation.In addition, if the interviewer walks up to the conversation partner and sits down in a nearby chair, it also relaxes the conversation partner because there is no barrier of the table between the two interacting people.Then, as the emotions calm down, the ankles of the conversation partner will be loosened, and the atmosphere of the whole conversation will become more open and cordial. A company once asked us to propose a solution to improve the quality and efficiency of customer service calls.During our research on the company, we got to know a man who had an unenviable job: collecting client debts.We saw him call a lot of clients and although his voice seemed relaxed, we noticed that his ankles were always clasped and placed under the chair; however, when he was talking to us, he wouldn't do it make such an action.We asked him: "Do you like this job?" He immediately replied: "I like it very much! This job is very interesting." Although his expression and tone are very convincing, such an answer is really different from his body language. Contradictory.So we asked again, "Do you really think so?" The man was silent for a moment, let go of his ankles, spread his palms, and replied, "Oh, actually, I'm going crazy !” He told us that every day he receives a lot of calls from customers, some of whom are very rude and some of them are very aggressive, so he must constantly practice controlling his emotions so as not to let customers see his dissatisfaction.In addition to this man, we also found that salespeople who do not like to communicate with customers on the phone are mostly accustomed to sitting with their ankles locked. It's self-evident why women in miniskirts must keep their legs and ankles crossed over each other.However, years of habit keep many older women sitting with their legs crossed.But not only does such a posture make them look very reserved, but others can unknowingly misinterpret it as a signal of defensiveness and thus be more cautious when dealing with them. Miniskirts can make a woman appear unapproachable. Many people will still claim that, whether it's sitting with their ankles interlocked or crossing their arms and legs in a defensive position, they're only doing it "for comfort".If you're in this group, remember that these poses are only comfortable if you're defensive, passive, or reserved. A negative body posture can reinforce or perpetuate your negative attitude, which can lead others to perceive you as someone who is worried, on guard, or on the sidelines.A negative body posture can reinforce or perpetuate your negative attitude, which can lead others to perceive you as someone who is worried, on guard, or on the sidelines.So, you should always practice and use positive, open body postures.Not only will this help boost your self-confidence, but it will also make a big difference in other people's impressions of you. The cross-legged position is often used by shy and timid people This move is basically exclusive to women, and is a label for shy and timid women and part-time jiu-jitsu performers.Clinging the toes of one foot to the other leg further accentuates the client's insecurities.No matter how relaxed the girl's upper body was, she was like a timid turtle at this moment, hoping that she could hide in a thick shell.If you want her to shed her hard shell, approach her slowly with warmth, friendliness, and gentleness. This sitting position can be difficult to achieve due to the different bone structure of men's legs and hips than women's.Because of this, the pose is extremely feminine. Sitting with legs crossed and calves parallel, voted by men as their favorite sitting position for women One leg is pressed tightly against the other. This position makes the legs look healthier and younger, and it is very attractive to men because of its extremely sexy.Women are taught this posture in manners classes and modeling sessions.Some women always cross and loosen their legs frequently when they get along with the man they like.While she also sits with her calves parallel when she crosses her legs, this is not to be confused with demure sitting with her calves parallel, as these women do it only to draw the man's attention to their legs. When we are interested in the topic of conversation or the person we are talking to, we will stretch our feet forward to shorten the distance between us and the person we are talking to.If we are not interested or do not want to speak, we will put our feet back; if we are sitting, we will put our feet under the chair.When we are interested in the topic of conversation or the person we are talking to, we will stretch our feet forward to shorten the distance between us and the person we are talking to.If we are not interested or do not want to speak, we will put our feet back; if we are sitting, we will put our feet under the chair. In the picture below, the man is trying to express his affection to the woman, using a series of typical male courtship body language: one foot extended towards the woman, legs spread apart, showing crotch, arms spread out to the side of the body, To make yourself appear stronger and take up more space. The man is in a very aggressive stance of resting and showing his crotch; the woman next to him is noncommittal or uninterested Women use typical female body language that expresses "no entry for idlers": keep your legs together, your body is not facing the man, your arms are crossed, and the space you occupy is as small as possible.It seemed that the man's efforts were a waste of time. Here's a simple rule of thumb for you - there's nothing wrong with crossing your legs to show off your beautiful legs if it's a social setting, but never do it in a business setting.Our legs tell others where we want to go and what we like and dislike about them.If you're a woman, try to avoid crossing your legs in a business meeting unless you're wearing an A-line dress or a skirt that's at least below the knee.Because women showing their thighs make almost all men uneasy.The consequence of this is that these business people will be distracted while listening to you.They may remember who you are, but they probably won't remember exactly what you said.Many women wear miniskirts to business because the look is hyped up by the media; more than 90 percent of female TV presenters wear miniskirts, exposing their thighs.In fact, this is because many studies have shown that female hosts can attract male viewers to spend more time watching TV.But the study also showed that the more a woman showed her legs, the less likely men were to remember what they said.Here's a simple rule of thumb for you - there's nothing wrong with crossing your legs to show off your beautiful legs if it's a social setting, but never do it in a business setting.If you're a man who deals with women in the business world a lot, here's a rule for you too—remind yourself to keep your knees together.