Reading People

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I seem to be able to read people a lot better on television. If I have the mindset of "I'm going to watch this tv show and focus directly on the way people interact", I can interpret everything a lot better. Can anyone else read people better on tv?

In real life, I cannot really do this because if I focus on just the interpreting and conversation flow combined with eye contact, I lose track of the conversation itself.

Also, add a Tapatalk version! Sorry for grammatical errors as I'm typing on my phone.

Yes I can read people better on TV. And in real life when I am just watching other people and I am not personally involved.

I tend to be better at picking up things from TV characters too, but I do a decent job in "real life". Perhaps part of the reason we pick up things better from the TV screen is because the actors are trying harder to convey those emotions so the viewers are more engaged in the show.

A couple Sundays ago at church, I overheard Someone telling our Bishop that he hoped to watch all of the Superbowl coming up. The Bishop said, "I'm pretty sure we're going to be in meetings all the entire time, possibly until very late, like 10,11PM. "

It took me several days to realize he was not serious.

I don't care about the Superbowl, but these other guys do.

i wouldnt know where to begin with reading people, i dont really know what to look at and how to translate it.

I've been watching Criminal Minds for years, and recently my friend started watching it with me. She's mentioned in passing social things about the characters that I never picked up, even after watching the episodes half a dozen times, and is surprised when I ask, "Really? Is that what that means?"

Thats a good point, you're right ppl are easier to read on TV shows.
Maybe it has to do with camera angles and stuff. But also I wonder if its cause they are not talking to you.
I bet I can read two ppl taking to each other better in real life too. I will try putting that to the test.

Yeah, I usually think that I can understand T.V. characters really well but when I watch an episode of the Big Bang Theory or The Simpsons that I've seen many times before with my mum, my mum sometimes picks up on something that I just never noticed. She'll make a comment about a character's motive that I hadn't ever thought of like "he's feeling guilty because of X so he's trying to Y".

Still, in general, I think I'm better at reading T.V. characters' intentions and motivations than that of real people when I'm interacting with them.

This! Not only is it much easier to get it on TV, I'm also better at getting it when I'm just observing rather than being a participating party. It's easier to understand and see when I can just focus on them without them focusing on me. Both at home and in schools I have even observed people talking past each other and seen what they don't see.

Yes! I think it's because actors are trying to convey their emotions in a dramatic and obvious way, whereas real people are more subtle with their facial expressions.

Also, social situations we see on TV are carefully scripted, and presented in a way that's supposed to make logical sense to us, whereas real-life interactions are usually random and unplanned.