To some almost from birth it is often easy to see others true thoughts.
But interesting just how many do not know, their body betrays their inner thoughts.
It came to me Today, mowing a strip outside my home and the three nearby a real estate agent pulled up bringing people to look at one .
I just gave a brief wave and continued to mow away but glancing up saw a look of pure contempt on the face of a teenage girl.
I doubt ever could I change my first thoughts about her.
But it is not unusual.
People in all walks of life have neon signs shouting just what their inner thoughts are.
Maybe we learn more about this instinct as we grow old, some would do well to learn early.

Could just be teenage angst Belly. Body language does tell a lot but often people may be shy or not aware of the facial expressions if they are a bit nervous - rather than overtly rude.

I know what you mean though, a surly cash register operator almost has me saying 'I hope your day gets better' when I leave; even after attempts at cheery comments fail to reveal the most sour of faces sometimes cannot change.

Body language is very important in conversation. The offences or slights taken on forums like OLO highlight the way our words without benefit of body language can seem harsher than if holding the same discussion in real life.

All very true pelican but some of us are unaware of just how much our body can tell about us.
That young girl in all probability was thinking why would we want to live here.
But she gave of different thoughts in my view, fact is the young some times do not regard elders as living beings.
It is all so true that written word too can have much between the lines, hence the saying.
More than once I have seen evidenc of it here.
That old line if you can fake sincerity you have it made seems true, conman and women can even control body talk.

Dear Belly,

I've had some bad experiences while taking my
mother (she's in her eighties), out shopping.
The impatience of some sales staff - and their
condescending attitudes often has me upset.
Although, I do admit - they are a minority.
Most people are understanding and helpful.

However, I had an incident in a restaurant that
made me giggle. I placed mum's order for lunch,
and when the meal arrived I didn't realize that
mum was pulling faces as she was cutting up her
food. The restaurant owner (who knows me well),
came up to our table and asked if mum's food
was allright? It was then I realised that she was
pulling faces. I re-assured him that everything
was fine. Mum had left her glasses at home - and
couldn't see what was on her plate - she was
pulling faces as she tried cutting up what was in
front of her. I ended up helping her, and her
face pulling stopped (much to the relief of the
restaurant owner).

Belly, regarding that teenager - forget about her.
She'll hopefully learn as she grows older - that
home is what you make of it - and not to judge
things superficially. She sounds like a bit of a
spoiled princess. Life will be the best teacher.

All very true foxy I too looked after my mum in her final years, well 25 of them.
She liked to laugh as I do and I often told her it was like living in mother and son a TV show.
But she had the last laugh.
Yes that young girl will learn but she's not alone.
Some of us instinctively read BL other may have heard of it and even read a book.
I am learning more daily about it and it is interesting to see so many are unaware they broadcast what they are thinking.

Dear Belly,

Body language is a fascinating thing to study.
Apparently people give a lot away without
even realising they're doing it. You have to
be careful how you come across in job interviews
for example. Don't swing your legs, or wear
jingly bracelets, if you're nervous. Don't avoid
eye-contact, give a firm handshake, et cetera.

I tend to play with my hair when I'm nervous - this
has been pointed out to me. Now I consciously try
to avoid doing that. My girlfriend rolls her tongue
around in her mouth, when she's concentrating. Which
is not a good look. And so on.

Body language gives so much away...

Like yo yo and such the subject of BL gos in and out of fashion.
It is however second nature for some to read it.
And others have little conscience idea about it.
I must say I did not understand what I was seeing until middle age.
But it is the strangest thing,in my job you truly sometimes can use it as a tool.
In another thread some time ago I spoke about fakes.
People who are faking every thing, I just cannot except such people.
Thing that lets them down, shows them as they are is often BL.

Belly

I wouldn't rely too much on trying to read the body language of others.

The clean, ethical and far more effective path is to strive for respect and honesty in your own communication and dealings.

That is not to say that you shouldn't be aware of seemingly obvious body language and be careful not to offend others, but scrutinising another for non-verbal clues is wasted time when a simple clarifying question can clear the air.

To take an example, it is always better to ask your partner what s/he means than avoid communication or cancel out options because you think you saw a familiar 'no-go' signal. Allan & Barbara Pease are fun to read but always use your noggin and ask the obvious simple questions - at least that proves you were in fact listening rather than studying your 'opponent' for clues or attempting to read his/her mind.

Yours in haste as always, have fun and don't be a worry wort.

Cornflower you are wrong in thinking I speak of personal relation ships here.
A very weak person in a relationship would need other than spoken words to communicate.
But in written spoken words or BL we communicate every minute of the day.
Ross if you read my posts your BL said clearly today I do not trust this bloke, me, while your words said mate@! old pal! we can work together.
A real event in my day.
Thread is not progressing so I will not feed it but anyone not fully aware should borrow a book on BL read enjoy but remember you unconsciously knew most of it before.

Dear Belly,

Your thread has inspired me to do a bit more
research on the topic. And I found out a few
interesting facts:

According to sociologist Ian Robertson, in his
book, "Sociology," "It is estimated that the
human face is capable of about 240,000 different
expressions, many of them extremely subtle.

Additionally, the head, fingers, hands, arms,
shoulders, trunk, hips, and legs can also be
used to signify meaning.

Taken together, these potential sources of
communication make possible literally millions of
messages through the "language" of body movement.

If two people were enclosed in a box and every aspect
of their behaviour recorded down to microscopic
levels, it would be possible to isolate as many as
5,000 separate bits of information every second.
Although nearly all this behaviour passes unnoticed
in ordinary social interaction, some of it "give off"
information that others are consciously or unconsciously
aware of."

Although the meaning of gestures varies greatly from
one culture to another, the facial expressions that
convey basic emotions of things like - happiness, anger,
sadness, surprise, disgust, and fear are innate in our
species, and can usually be understood by people in any
culture.

Another facial expression is a slight raising of the
eyebrows whenever one person recognises or meets
another. Most of us have probably never noticed this
particular form of body language before - but watch for
it when next you meet someone, in both that person and
yourself.

Another thing to notice is - when you're at a meeting -
check out the people around you and their degree of
interest in what a speaker is saying by the inclination of
people's heads, the positioning of their limbs, the
focus of their gaze, and how much they fidget.

All these signals can convey powerful messages, without
people being consciously aware of them.

Interesting thread Belly. I'll be paying more attention
to people's body language in the future.

Yes foxy skim across he surface or go very deep it is interesting.
My understanding is only a small part, other know far more.
But as a past workplace trainer I know who is listening who is not who is bored who disagrees with me.
Daily I meet my Ross,as I did yesterday twice.
The warm hand clasp, the overly friendly names and jokes, all betrayed by a few sideways glances ,the eyes are indeed a window to our inner thoughts.