Reading the Signs

‘“I have seen those symptoms before,” said Holmes, throwing his cigarette into the fire. “Oscillation upon the pavement always means an
affaire de coeur.”’
‘A CASE OF IDENTITY’
It is difficult to overestimate the importance of body language in our day-to-day dealings with the world. Albert Mehrabian, Professor Emeritus of
Psychology at UCLA, argues that there are three major components in face-to-face communication: words, tone of voice and non-verbal
communication.



Of these, he rates verbal communication as the least important aspect (accounting for seven per cent of communication), then tone
of voice (thirty-eight per cent) and, finally, body language (fifty-five per cent).
Body language encompasses gestures, facial expressions (the eyes, it is said, are a window to the soul), the positioning of the body and the
proximity between subjects, interaction with objects (e.g. a cigarette or a pen) and even physical signs such as sweating or rate of breathing.
Becoming an adept reader of non-verbal communication and, consequently, more aware of your own body language gives you an advantage in
all walks of life, whether socialising, in a professional context, in matters of the heart, or even facing-off across the card table.
Body language may not be the exact science of the type Holmes most enjoyed but he was nonetheless extravagantly adept at it. After all, this was
a man whose greatness lay in his almost superhuman ability to read signs. This ability was never more evident than in his off-the-cuff analyses of
his prospective clients, in which he would draw conclusions long before they had muttered a word. Consider the evidence presented by Watson in
‘A Case of Identity’:
He had risen from his chair and was standing between the parted blinds gazing down into the dull neutral-tinted London street. Looking over
his shoulder, I saw that on the pavement opposite there stood a large woman with a heavy fur boa round her neck, and a large curling red
feather in a broad-brimmed hat which was tilted in a coquettish Duchess of Devonshire fashion over her ear. From under this great panoply
she peeped up in a nervous, hesitating fashion at our windows, while her body oscillated backward and forward, and her fingers fidgeted with
her glove buttons. Suddenly, with a plunge, as of the swimmer who leaves the bank, she hurried across the road, and we heard the sharp clang
of the bell.
‘I have seen those symptoms before,’ said Holmes, throwing his cigarette into the fire. ‘Oscillation upon the pavement always means an
affaire de coeur. She would like advice, but is not sure that the matter is not too delicate for communication. And yet even here we may
discriminate. When a woman has been seriously wronged by a man she no longer oscillates, and the usual symptom is a broken bell wire.
Here we may take it that there is a love matter, but that the maiden is not so much angry as perplexed, or grieved. But here she comes in
person to resolve our doubts.’
‘The Blanched Soldier’ contains another scene in which Holmes (narrating himself on this occasion) presents a character with an assertion about a
rather delicate matter. Note Holmes’s close reading of his subject’s body language:
He stared at the writing with a face from which every expression save amazement had vanished.
‘How do you know?’ he gasped, sitting down heavily in his chair.
‘It is my business to know things. That is my trade.’
He sat in deep thought, his gaunt hand tugging at his straggling beard. Then he made a gesture of resignation.
The interpretation of body language is not something that may be learned overnight. It is a skill to be developed over a lifetime, your increasing
experience of the world honing your abilities. Yet even after a lifetime, you cannot expect to be correct in your assumptions all of the time. In forming
opinions of people, it is a tool that must only be used in conjunction with a great many other factors.
Let’s start with a few basic things to consider when reading body language:
Context
A sign can have a multitude of meanings. If a gent is chatting to a young lady in a bar and she is constantly playing with her hair, it might well be
that her action is unconsciously flirtatious. If she does the same thing in a job interview, it is more likely a sign of nervousness. Similarly,
crossing your arms tight against yourself can, in many contexts, give away your sense of defensiveness. But if you’re doing it in an igloo, it
simply indicates that you’re cold.
Culture
Certain actions have different meanings in different parts of the world. For instance, in Bulgaria, a nod of the head means ‘no’ and a shake
means ‘yes’, a reversal of the custom followed in most other places. Similarly, in many parts of the world, an innocent ‘thumbs-up’ gesture can
get you into an awful lot of trouble (for reasons that will go unexplained here in the interests of good taste).
Clusters
Read body language in clusters of consistent symbols to make the most effective reading. Just as taking a single word out of context from a
sentence might leave you confused or thoroughly misled, so will reading non-verbal signs in isolation.
The simplest way to become better at reading body language is to practise. Keep an eye out for signals in your own interactions but watch others
too. Sitting in a café for an hour and watching how the other customers interact with each other – the displays of affection, the temper tantrums, the
seething resentments and complex power plays – can be a most instructive experience.
Here are a few useful tips to bear in mind when studying body language. Remember, these are necessarily generalities, not hard and fast rules.
Indeed, some people will deliberately manipulate their own body language to mislead you. This list is but the tiniest tip of a vast iceberg:
Different sides of the brain deal with different functions. In simplistic terms, the right side deals with emotions and creativity and the left with
facts and memories. If you ask someone a question and they look to the right, this may be an indication that they are fabricating or guessing.
Looking to the left is indicative of fact retrieval.
Direct eye contact implies honesty, interest and even attraction. Dilated pupils and widened eyes may also be a signal of attraction, while
excessive blinking is suggestive of nervousness or excitement. Making ‘doe eyes’ by looking up and sideways (especially when done by a
female) suggests both vulnerability and interest in a subject. Holding eye contact for an extended moment then looking away can be another
signal of attraction.
A full-bodied, genuine laugh is indicative of a relaxed subject, but a tight-lipped smile is more likely to mean they are keeping something back.
Male posturing such as standing with chest out and shoulders back can be a sign of aggression or an attempt to capture female attention.
Nervous ticks include nail-biting, trembling hands and activities such as fiddling with a pen.
A raised chin is indicative of confidence and sometimes defiance (hence admonitions to ‘keep your chin up’ when the chips are down).
Crossed arms suggest defensiveness, as does the use of a prop such as a bag as a barrier between two subjects.
Touching or scratching the nose while speaking is sometimes suggestive that the subject is lying. Touching an ear while speaking might
indicate indecisiveness.
Playing with hair can be a sign of flirtation or, conversely, a symptom of exasperation.
Handshakes can tell you much. A handshake in which both of a subject’s hands are used implies they want to be trusted by the recipient of the
handshake. A palm-up handshake suggests an element of submission, while a palm-down shake is a sign of wishing to dominate.
Leg direction while sitting. The feet and legs tend to point toward a subject of interest and away from one that is uninteresting or unwanted.
The mirroring of body language between two subjects is indicative of empathy, while non-synchronisation suggests the opposite. But mirroring
should not be consciously forced, as it can appear as mockery.
Remember that while you are watching someone else’s body language, they will be picking up signals from you too. Body language is a
dialogue.