How to understand body language

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A quite useful guide about how to understand body language.

I really like how the guide is set up using really clear pictures. But I wonder is it accurate across situations and from one person to another? It's seems to be a pretty good guide though.

Try a good book on the subject, Manhunting by Dr Desmond Morris.

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OMG!! !! I took a quick look at some of those and I was like, are you serious??? You can actually read all that into these simple looks and gestures? SERIOUSLY???? I had no idea that those little things could be saying all that stuff!! I just realized that I am so much worse at knowing body and face language than I ever imagined I was.

The whole point about body language is that it is intuitive, and cannot be taught. The body language industry is similar to the autism industry - it mainly consists of eye-catching illustrations in glossy magazine articles or ghost-written paperbacks with celebrity names on the by-line.

So do NT's actually know these "signals" mean all that stuff intuitively? That's amazing.

It seem as if all these would only be discerned by an "expert" in body language.

definitely not by me. that's for sure!

That's a great question. Simply looking at the pictures and reading the descriptions drained me. I get so tired constantly having to think, "what does that look mean."

Welcome to WP Perpetual Padawan. I LOVE your screen name and avatar.

I got exhausted just looking at the pictures too and that was just the first 8 or so. I had to close the page because I really could not look at any more. I really thought that I was good at reading body and face signs but now I see how deceived I was. I can tell if they are super obvious like if someone is laughing or smiling or if someone is frowning or crying but all those nuances that the pictures showed, there is no way in a million years that I could have known those. And it's tiring just to look at them on the screen. This was really good for me to see and find out about myself.

I have studied this stuff before but I'm still surprised by it every time I see it. I can't believe that people really (think they can) communicate this way. It makes no sense to me.

What annoys me is all those pictures and interpretations are about emotions or attitude, or how receptive people are to connecting. But I think body language is primarily about the state of the body and how a person feels physically. Like if you are tired or sleep deprived, or hungry, or have a headache or some other kind of pain it will most likely show in your face and your posture and how you move your body.

But it seems like NTs interpret every tiny physical gesture and nuance as an emotion or else some kind of statement about how much you like them. Because when they comment on little things that I do they always have some kind of emotional interpretation about it. But sometimes it is just a physical thing.

What I saw in the pictures on that page was...neck pain...back pain...sciatic nerve pain...(LOL)

Yeah, they did look like they were in pain! LOL!! !

The one that really got me laughing was one where the lady was looking kind of up and to the side and they said that because of how she looked you could tell that she was thinking about images! HUH???? Really? Am I supposed to really get that? Does anyone really get that? And then the guy who was holding his arm with his hand behind his back and holding one part of the arm meant one thing but holding it lower down meant another. Maybe he just likes to hold his arm because he balances better that way. I don't think I will ever understand that kind of thing. And I don't want to even be bothered to learn. It's too exhausting, too much work. Just tell me how you feel already.

If people expect me to respond correctly to that stuff, they are in for a great disappointment!

I looked at the pictures and maybe some of it might be useful sometimes, but we really have to be careful reading body language, it is not an exact science. A person might be expressing a feeling, but people don't express themselves all the same way, either verbally or physically, and it can also mean nothing and they could be in a certain position simply for physical comfort. For example the guy who is holding his neck (or scratching the back of his neck) could be simply scratching his neck because it itches, the other guy could be rubbing his eye just because it itches, the woman with her legs crossed a certain way because she is supposedly shy, I'm very shy and I never cross my legs that way. etc etc.

Anyway, my point is just that we really have to be careful with the body language interpretation, and this is true just as much for NTs trying to interpret body language.

I think you can't believe everything you read on the internet. Also, the sexual glance area is shaped like a penis - at least I got a laugh out of it.

The real problem is that 90% (number pulled out of my behind) of body language is unconscious and happens well before you even get a chance to analyze anything. While you're analyzing, you've already missed everything and not reciprocated appropriately. So, apart from the really obvious stuff, this is only useful for post-hoc analysis (i.e. not very).
Even if you know everything about the theory of body language, it's still the makup of your brain that decides whether you can do anything with it.

That is funny. I did not notice until I read your post!