Body Language With Fred Trivia Quiz

Answer: Recalling facts

Looking to the left when asked a direct question ("On what day a month ago did you send that parcel?") indicates that Fred is trying to recall or remember certain facts. He may still get them wrong, however. If he looks up to the left, he's telling the truth as he remembers it, if he looks down to the left, he's trying to recall things as they happened. If he looks up to the right, though, he hasn't got a clue about the question and if he looks down to the right, naughty Fred is probably going to tell you a fib. It's important to note this is dependent on whether a person is left or right handed. If Fred looks straight at you when answering, he's being honest OR he's a dishonest person who knows that a straight glance is an indication of honesty. He'll probably give himself away with other body language though if he's being deceptive.

If Fred is looking straight at you, and listening to what you are saying, that either indicates a genuine interest - or he is rather attracted to you. Other body language will allow you to interpret this. If he is looking straight at you with dilated pupils, he's VERY attracted to you - or he has a medical condition of the eye - or the room is too dark - or he's on some drug. For centuries, women with a vested interest in looking beautiful, have known that dilated pupils make them look more appealing, so have used belladonna drops in their eyes to make their pupils dilate. Interestingly as well is the fact that the eyes of small children and babies have bigger pupils than older humans. This is not deliberate, but a gift from mother nature, because they're so helpless and vulnerable at that age, to make them look more appealing and helpless and in need of loving care and protection.

Answer: He is wishing you'd stop talking

The hand across or slightly covering the mouth means one of several things as far as body language goes. 1. If you are talking, Fred wishes you'd dry up for a while and he's bored stiff. Check his feet for further body revelations. Or 2. Fred thinks you're telling a pack of lies. However, if FRED is talking and has his mouth half covered, then he's either 1. Telling lies himself or 2. Not wanting anyone else to hear what he's saying (criminals often use this action). You'll note with children that when they tell you a fib - as in a missing packet of lollies and they have chocolate round their lips - they will openly cover their mouth with a hand when they deny eating them. The adult slightly covering the lips with the hand is the more sophisticated version of this. You may note too, that after Fred inadvertently lets a secret out, or says the wrong thing, he will clasp his hand immediately over his mouth. Children do likewise.

Regarding telling a lie in particular, some people who are skilled in this practice and know that the hand partially obscuring the mouth is a dead giveaway (as is touching some other part of the face instead, such as the nose), and will train themselves not to do this. They will keep their hands motionless, for example, or busy them in some other action such as turning the pages of a book instead - and thus believe the lie hasn't been detected. Or so they think. However the body's reaction to a lie is so built in since childhood, that not too long after the lie has been told, one of their hands will, without their realisation, touch their face in some way. A disguised scratch of the nose perhaps, a tug of the ear, a touch of the eyebrow or a flick back of a loose strand of hair for example.

By the way, did you know that if Fred often sucks on a pen or pencil, or his thumb, or smokes cigarettes, all are signs that, at heart, he needs comforting and reassurance. This gets right back to the early days of the comfort and feelings of security that breastfeeding or bottle feeding provided. The pen, the thumb or the cigarette represent the nipple or the teat.

Answer: For Pete's sake hurry up

A slow nod on the other hand usually indicates agreement and someone who is listening attentively UNLESS of course it's Fred, and he has a finger curled under his bottom lip and over his chin as well. That usually indicated that Fred feels far superior to you, or that he's faking agreement in order to meet your approval, or that he's humouring you by pretending to agree. You'll often see university students doing this when professors are boring them stiff.

Other head signals are as follows:

1. Tilted to one side - indicates perplexity or a non-threatening attitude, OR, if it comes with an upward glance and smile - is a fine piece of flirtation
2. Head held overly high and accompanied by a jutting chin - arrogance
3. Head thrust forward with teeth clenched - look out, you're being threatened
4. Head tilted down - lack of interest or disagreement

Answer: Hostile and stubborn

You're not going to make Fred change his mind if he's standing like that, so forget it. If his arms are just folded normally, that could still mean a degree of disagreement, but it could also be a position of waiting for someone (if the feet are tapping, he's annoyed though) - or that he's cold - or that he feels a little threatened and has adopted a position of defence. If the hands on either side are gripping the upper arms on the other side OR if one arm is crossed and holding tightly to the other arm that is hanging down - as you'll often see in teenage girls - that indicates feelings of insecurity.

Other arm positions:

1. Walking along with arms clasped behind the body indicates confidence in one's position - usually of authority (as with school teachers in bullet proof vests)
2. Walking with a handbag or book held as a barrier close to the body - a little insecurity and nervousness
3. Twiddling a cufflink or wristwatch on one arm (or a bracelet) with the other arm, or adjusting a tie and swallowing - all indicate forms of barriers and feelings of nervousness. You'll often see members of the British Royal family doing these gestures as they're entering a new area to carry out another public performance duty
4. Hands clasped nervously over the genital area - a very common form of body language particularly seen by relatively inexperienced male actors or singers about to commence their act

And so on. Watch for those barrier signals to see how nervous somebody is really feeling. Confident people don't do barriers. Instead they keep their bodies open and approachable.

Answer: Stopping himself from speaking

Fred has been paying attention but he is probably disagreeing with what you're saying, so he is holding himself back from speaking with this gesture. Hand movements have so many meanings that I'll only list a few of those below:

1. Palms up and open - Fred is being truthful or submissive
2. Resting on a table or lap with palms up - he is approachable
3. Palms down - be careful as this indicates authority and dominance
4. Palm on heart - he is trying to convince listeners he is speaking truthfully
5. Pointing a finger at someone - Fred is feeling aggressive
6. Fingers and thumbs steepling together - thoughtfulness, but also with some people, it indicates that they are feeling superior to their listeners
7. Rubbing hands together - Fred is gleefully anticipating something good coming his way
8. Waving finger from side to side - this is a warning or a refusal
9. Thumbs hidden inside hands - Fred is feeling somewhat insecure but also has a dislike of people knowing too much about himself
10. Thumb and fingers formed into a circle - considered a rude gesture in some countries, but is also an indication that Fred doesn't respect his listeners one iota

Answer: Relaxed and at ease

The way a person shakes another's hand is quite fascinating to watch. If, for example, Fred's palm had been facing down when he went to shake, he'd be feeling superior to his acquaintance; and if facing up, he'd be willing to negotiate whatever they were going to discuss. However, and as you'll see many politicians do, if they use both hands to shake the hand of another, they're going to try to dominate that person. This is particularly the case if, when doing a normal shake with one hand, they use the other to grab the shaking arm of the person they're meeting. Be wary with people who shake like that. And also the idiots who've read somewhere that a firm handshake is an indication of a honest and genuine personality and who almost break all the bones in your hand when shaking it.

Queen Elizabeth II and many other members of royalty, because they shake so many hands in the course of a working week, have apparently developed special handshakes where they tuck their thumbs in close to the palms. That is not an indication of a timid personality or someone wishing to conceal their thoughts, but a method of self-preservation and stopping their hands being permanently bruised black and blue. It's very hard to get a good grip on a palm held that way.

Answer: No

Definitely not. She wants to get away in fact. The position of people's feet is very interesting to watch when they're talking in groups or in pairs. No matter which way the upper parts of their bodies are facing or if they appear to be listening attentively by their facial expressions, if their feet are pointing away from the speaker they want out. If their feet are pointing towards another speaker in the group, that is the person they really wish to talk to. This is a good indication of romantic interest as well. Knees can also reveal these feelings as well, but these are often hidden by clothing, so are harder to read.

The way in which a person sits is also an indication of how they're feeling but you have to be a little careful with that, bearing in mind how that person has been brought up. Older women for example will usually sit with ankles crossed neatly or, knees together, with their legs sloped to one side. Look at the overall sitting position instead of any particular aspect of it if you're trying to interpret it. Some things you can rely on though are as follows:

1. If anyone is sitting with their legs twined around each other, that person is usually feeling nervous and insecure
2. If a man is sitting with his legs wide open, his body leading back, and with arms resting on the back of a couch for example, he's feeling very confident, overly confident really, and sure of himself. He also could be rather pushy in nature
3. If a woman is sitting cross-legged but dangling her shoe up and down on her upper foot - and if that foot is pointing towards you, she's well and truly feeling playful or flirtatious. Watch out, Fred.

Answer: Very subtly copying another's actions or speech

This has to be subtle though, or you're a goner. Fred, who hasn't got a clue, tried it on his football coach, but was too obvious, and he ended up with a black eye instead of a position on the team. Mirroring is very, very subtly and slowly copying the body language of the person you're trying to influence or win over. If person B - the guinea pig - leans forward, you too lean forward shortly after, or if he leans back, then do the same. If that person rests his chin on his fist, then you do likewise. And so on. You must never make this obvious though. You will note, too, that if that person likes or respects you, or begins to become interested in what you're saying (or trying to sell) then he or she will often unconsciously begin to mirror YOUR body language. You've won that person over if that's the case. You can even do the same with speech if you're an expert at body language, by matching their speed and manner of talking.

Even where you place your chair in relation to someone else can influence the thinking patterns of another person. Side by side is too much and can be considered an invasion of body space, while directly opposite can be interpreted as challenging or aggressive. The best position for working cooperatively and harmoniously is at forty-five degrees. An intelligent boss for example, wishing to have employees feeling comfortable around him (or her), will position the office furniture so that the employees are never sitting directly opposite across the desk, but to the side instead.

Answer: Her inner wrist and forearm

Women are very adept at giving off flirtatious or availability signals, but most men aren't so good at interpreting them. The inner wrist and forearm of a woman's body is considered an erogenous zone for some odd reason and when she deliberately exposes this to a man, she is telling him loud and clear that she is more than interested in him. She usually has to be much less subtle than that however before he gets the message consciously, even though he may have subconsciously recognised it. Other flirtatious signals given off by the fairer sex include the following:

1. The good old hair flick or twiddling with her hair while talking to him - that also exposes her upper arms
2. Longer than normal eye contact or the eyelash flicker - also dropping her gaze from his eyes down to his mouth and back up again
3. Parted lips and the moistening of same while looking at him
4. Looking up at him sideways or back over her shoulder (exposes her soft neck)
5. Smiling at him, listening intently to him, lightly touching his arm now and then, or pretending to dust off his shirt
6. Drawing attention to her body by touching parts of it now and then - straightening a neck chain perhaps, or her hair, or the top of her legs
7. Leaning in to him whenever he's talking, and pouting to draw attention to her lips

You know what? I feel sorry for men. They haven't got a chance. Fred's goose is cooked.

Answer: Suck in his stomach and stick out his chest

Men don't have as many signals to attract the fairer sex as women do with men. That's because subconsciously, according to psychologists and body language experts, they're interested in ALL women - watch how their eyes follow women in the street - and are opportunists at heart (it's the way the sexes evolved), whereas women are subconsciously looking for someone in particular with whom to breed, one who has the ability to defend the nest and offspring, and who will pass on specific genes. Men are also designed to respond at any time with the breeding process, whereas women have to have certain hormones switched onto do so. Men then don't need a wide range of signals and lures. They do have certain ones though. These include the following:

1. Sucking in the stomach to make it appear flatter
2. Sticking out the chest to make it appear broader and more muscular
3. Holding the head up higher to appear dominant and in control (and flatten out the double chin)
4. Standing with their legs apart to appear bigger
5. Drawing attention to themselves by punching or clowning around with other males, and laughing or talking loudly
6. Hooking their fingers in their belts with hands pointing down to their breeding equipment
7. Hitching their trousers up when talking to an attractive women (More breeding equipment pointers)
8. Preening - such as straightening shirts, flicking their hands through their hair (my father used to keep his nose hair trimmed), and tugging at their crotch

I read out a similar list to this to my milkman once, so, every time he delivered milk after that, he hitched his trousers up as a joke...or at least I hope it was a joke.