The Ultimate Body Language Book

to recommend that you do something naughty to become more proficient at reading body language. I’m
instructing you to picture your body language subjects as if they were totally nude! Body language cues
came about over our evolutionary history, so it naturally follows that they developed without clothing
or coverings. Imagine, for example, a full body steeple where the arms are placed behind the head and
the body leans back with the legs spread wide open – a crotch display! It is the way a proud (or
arrogant) man sits to put his full package on display. True, it is slightly less offensive with clothing on,
but it still carries the exact same meaning since its true intentions were delivered as if the clothing were
absent. Picturing people naked helps us to think about not just the message, but also the route behind
the message. Men who hold their legs spread wide open are perceived as arrogant but women who hold
the exact same posture will be thought of as sexually open or “easy.” While each party might not
specifically intend to deliver this message, it matters little to how others subconsciously perceive them.
What is her body saying with it’s “openness.”
Arrogance and sexual openness are not the only gestures that are made more salient by picturing people
naked but they are the most dramatic. We can also picture meek gestures in the same way. Women that
place their hands over their laps are doing so for just the opposite reason as do women who spread their
legs, they do so to hide or protect their genitals for view or from access. The same intention is obvious
when women fold their arms over their chest. They are trying to hide and protect their breasts since
someone or something has made them withdraw and has made them insecure. Naturally, their arms
fold, one over the other, and they hide from view something important to them. There will be times
though, when protection isn’t the reason, arm crossing due to being cold is one of them. We will
discuss the importance of context in this regard in more detail later. There are other times still, when
women put themselves on full display. Women do so by walking with their hips forward and chest
back. This is called the parade and her intension is to have men and subordinate women take notice. If
you have trouble visualizing this, put it in the context of the local nightclub. Suddenly you see that it
follows naturally, and next time at a bar, you might actually notice it in an authentic context.
While we are on the subject of nudity, think about how and where we hold our possessions. A handbag
can be held to our sides, but equally, it can be placed on our laps or held to our chest. Handbags
therefore, can have a protective shielding purpose, as do other objects in our environment and some
women will even admit this as fact by tell you that they feel naked without one! Desks can be used as