The Definitive Book of Body Language: The Hidden Meaning Behind People's Gestures and Expressions

Overall: This book was exactly what I was looking for. It does not go into every type of common body gesture, but definitely enough to keep you busy for a while. Immediately after I started reading this book I began to notice the behaviors in myself and my colleagues. I think this book is more useful for reading people in social or personal situations because it is much easier to accurately read someone's body language in a purer/ more natural state. For example, in a business meeting a colleague may rub their chin. The book would say that can indicate someone who is thinking/contemplating and secondary gestures should be watched to indicate what their decision may be. In a business meeting that same gesture could be a cover up for day dreaming, an attempt to please their boss or simply trying to stay awake. When I make assumptions based on the book in business settings I have been wrong because so many factors could lead to the emotion that is creating the language and most of which have nothing to do with me or the current interaction. In personal settings it is spot on and can sometimes be very entertaining. The chapter talking about women and what their facial expressions indicate is priceless and men should read it just so they know when to chance course in their behavior or conversation. On a social front I tested out some of the attractive and open female gestures in courting or even talking with men and they certainly do work. For example showing the inner wrist is supposed to be a sign of openness and femininity and when I casually had that part facing I was treated much differently. Layout: The material is interesting, but the illustrations and simple descriptions make the lessons learned in this book easy to remember. They also make connections to the animal kingdom or how the gesture evolved from a functional action when possible which helps me remember and feel more engaged with the material. The author also has a sense of humor and provides the right about of space and breaks in the text with humor, pictures and examples to keep it from getting too dry. This layout also follows the tell you, tell you again and tell you what they told you approach so you can even read it in public and watch for the behaviors while you are reading. There is not a whole lot I would change about this book except the claims are much greater than anyone can possibly make. Sure it can help you read someone's true feelings, attract people more easily and tell when someone is lying, but it is not a surefire method and cannot make you successful in all types of interpersonal situations on its own. This is just a tool and should be clearly described as such.

This book gives an overview of reading nonverbal cues that people give and receive. Learning to interpret clusters of signals can improve social interaction in both business and personal lives. I found this book to be extremely informative and easy to read. It draws on both academic research in psychology and other social sciences as well as the authors’ lifelong careers as business consultants. I learned a lot but not as much as I thought I did based on the scenarios illustrated at the end and the answers provided. Will have to use this book as a general reference and refer back to it in the future. Looking at nonverbal cues has given me a different perspective for looking back on meetings (one on one and group) I’ve had at work and in social situations. Some of the info is a bit outdated - particularly the signals used when smoking at work, which has been a no-no in the US for awhile now. So the book has been useful to me and worth the price. This book may be of interest to anyone in a role working with lots of people, decision makers, and in situations involving negotiation of some sort. One section handles the cues given off by office furniture arrangement. I wish the authors discussed how to better arrange a cubicle which doesn’t have the luxury of space or the option to set how visible it’s occupant is, or it’s location relative to other colleagues/roles. The next thing I need to know is how to read all these cues through videoconferencing, where there are sometimes lags or low resolution or imperfect camera angles and such!

I gave this to my daughter so she can tell when an audience is getting bored during her speeches. People drag body language books like it's junk science and maybe it is but anything that helps her be more engaging is worth it.

As creatures of many senses, coming from different ethnic, cultural, and social backgrounds, it is a wonder that we can communicate with others as well as we do. For most of our lives, particularly in our educational system, the focus is on the words that we use. Yet studies have shown that the actual spoken words comprise only 7% of the message received by the listener. Tone of voice accounts for 38% of the message with the remainder (55%) of the message resulting from body language. Non-verbal communication drastically alters, modifies or filters the message, often resulting in a discontinuity between what is "said" and what is "heard." THE DEFINITIVE BOOK OF BODY LANGUAGE, by Allan and Barbara Pease, provides an engaging, informative, and easy-to-read exploration of how we communicate we communicate with each other. Drawing on decades of experience, the authors show how body language originates from both biological and environmental sources. With clear and simple illustrations and photographs, individual elements are isolated and analyzed, and then are placed in a more holistic context. Topics include the basics of body language, and then move to specific elements including hand and arm movements and gestures, facial expressions, eye signals, leg and body positioning. These areas are examined separately as well is together in general or within a specific cultural context. There are chapters dealing with the body language of power, deceit, emotions, flirtation and sexual overtones - both innate and learned. One of the most helpful chapters on improving communication is in their discussion of mirroring techniques as a means to build rapport. This is an enlightening book from cover to cover. Its table of contents provide and effective index should the reader wish to explore individual topics or refer back to specific areas of study. The book is invaluable for all who seek to improve their interactions with others. I recommend it highly to those in counseling, ministry, business, and politics - in short, to anyone who must communicate with others (just about everyone).

I would recommend this book to whoever wants to start learning body language. This is my first book ever to read on body language. When I picked up this book, I was particularly curious about how to read signals in social encounter. This book not only answered my questions but also helped me to understand the significance of body language in various situations such as business negotiations, job interviews and politics. What I particularly like about this book is to come to understand that body language is a way to understand how we are feeling regardless of what we say. This understanding made me a better communicator who can be in touch with feelings. It is this usually unnoticed correlation between physical body and emotion that this book implicitly centers upon, providing a whole range of body language in various occasions that counts the most in our lives. Throughout the book, the author provides scientific explanations for why a certain type of body language is connected with a certain emotion. It not only drives his points home but also makes it hard for me to forget what I read. "The Definitive Book of Body Language" is also full of illustrations and pictures. You would hardly miss a type of body language that the author refers to in his book. Overall, I am very happy with the experience of reading this book. It is an easy and enjoyable read. "The Definitive Book of Body Language" is a comprehensive, yet practical guide for those who are interested in body language.

I agree that this THE "definitive" book on body language. I have read many books on the subject---for no other reason than I find it fascinating--and this book is the best, in my opinion. Pros: All body signal are covered---soup to nuts. They also explain the theory behind each gesture, which really makes you think, "Ahh . . . that makes complete sense." You are taught how to read body movements in clusters, which is quite different than a single gesture. Things are put into context, which I feel is very important to driving home a point. I like the fact that when they explain a certain gesture someone makes, not only do they explain what the gesture means, but they also provide advice for dealing with it. e.g. What you should do when closes their eyes for long "blinks" when talking with you, with their hands on their hips. Additionally, they provide little "tests" for you to conduct with other (unknowing) people to really understand what you are reading is true. Finally, the book does use a lot of examples that are geared toward business relationships. Cons: I found the section on courtship displays a little dry. I guess it is because I am a middle-aged, married man with kids, and at this point in life care little about courtships. ;-) They also have a section on "props" and what they really mean (glasses, cigarettes, etc.) that I found somewhat boring. All in all I give this five stars. Regardless if you are new to learning body language or (more importantly) if you are fairly adept and want to learn more---this book is for you!

After seeing high praise for this book, I was excited. After reading through half of it, I was less so. This book is written almost as if for idiots. A LOT of it covers fairly obvious gestures that we all know about, it really is a matter of paying attention to these things. There are a number of topics that were introduced to me that I found rather interesting, not sure how much truth or relevance there is, but nevertheless was new grounds. The fact that the book is heavily illustrated and includes many photographs of famous individuals makes this a quick and easy reference guide. But the writing of it is so basic, it makes me feel understimulated. The reading level is so low that this could very well be read by middle schoolers. Maybe that's a good thing for some, but for me it just cheapened the potential information I could get out of it. Don't expect to become an expert and knowing if a girl likes you or winning at poker games, etc. There is no ultimate definition of certain movements meaning certain things... there's a generality, and it's very interesting stuff but, if you feel you need something more in depth I would look at other literature and skip this very basic overview.

Arrived sooner than expected.

Nice book, good visualisations. Great to learn some basics

I'm a dog trainer and studied intensely dog behaviour, I equally enjoy understanding and learning about human body language, reading and understanding what they are really projecting. I have other books on studying human body language; however, this book I find amazing. It has well illustrated photos and the material is to the point and easy to understand. Very detailed information and worth the purchase especially if you want just one book that covers everything. This is better than some of the others I have purchased in the past. Very pleased with this purchase.

When I read it, I though it should be recommended for university studies on psychiatry, psychology and criminology, to say the least. it is the hidden face of protocol and truly fascinating information.

Quasi mai metto 5 stelle ad un prodotto, ma questo li vale tutti. "The Definitive Book of Body Language" e appunto un libro "definitivo": ti dice tutto sulle interazioni umane e sui comportamenti che le governano. Il linguaggio corporeo è affascinante: saperlo leggere riesce a dare molta più consapevolezza di ciò che vediamo. Il libro svela il linguaggio del corpo da tutte le prospettive: affronta i gesti più comuni di mani, gambe, occhi e tutte le parti del corpo, illustra le differenze culturali, la prossemica, il mirroring e una marea di altre cose. Dovrebbe essere un libro obbligatorio da leggere nelle scuole, non quelle cavolate che adesso va di moda dare, perché (se ci si impegna per qualche mese seguendo i consigli dati) ti da una marcia in più nella vita di tutti i giorni, rendendoti una persona più comunicativa e ricettiva. Inutile descrivere poi i vantaggi che si hanno se si devono vendere dei prodotti o se ci si deve relazionare con estranei per lavoro... Il fatto che sia in inglese non è stato un problema, il linguaggio è chiaro e bisogna consultare il dizionario un numero limitato di volte.

Good book for those looking to improve their understanding and communication with others. It is really easy to read and to understand the principles.