How to Analyze People
How To Read Anyone Like A Book
By Madison Taylor
Copyright 2017 by Make Profits Easy LLC
[email protected] Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Secrets to Reading People
Chapter 2: Becoming a Better Listener
Chapter 3: Reading People for Clues
Chapter 4: What Isn’t Said Aloud: Reading Facial
Expressions and Body Language
Chapter 5: Guessing Peoples’ Hidden Intentions
Chapter 6: Looking at Clues in Someone’s Life
Conclusion
Introduction
Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to read people like
books? You could know their hidden intentions and true
feelings. You could avoid all miscommunication and
deception. The guesswork would be taken out of social
interaction. This sounds like a dream come true, right?
While it is not possible to read minds, you can get
pretty close to clairvoyance with the tips in this book.
This book is your guide to the fundamentals of reading
people like books. You will learn everything you need to
know about body language, facial expressions, nuances
of speech, and other signs that reveal what a person is
trying to conceal.
It may seem very difficult to figure out what a
person is trying to hide. People may seem like obscure,
impenetrable mysteries. But that is just because you
don’t know the cues and signs to watch for. Once you
learn them, reading people is actually very easy.
Some people make a living out of reading others.
FBI profilers, cops, job interviewers, and even dating
profile matchmakers are excellent reads of character who
are adroit at finding out who people really are without
being told. These people are not in possession of some
secret superhuman talent. Rather, they have mastered
tips and tricks that you can master yourself. This book
will help you become as good as an FBI profiler at
reading other people.
You first have to learn some of the main tells that
people exhibit. These tells not only betray when someone
is lying, but they also indicate what a person is not
saying. Tells give away what a person is hiding inside,
whether or not the person is being dishonest. One of the
best tells is any inconsistency between someone’s talk
and body language. Eye contact is another great tell.
Fidgeting can indicate nervousness.
You can glean a lot of information about people by
what they do directly say, however. People are
surprisingly open. You just have to pay attention.
Learning to read people involves learning to really listen
and absorb what someone says to you.
Furthermore, you must learn to make people want
to open up to you. You can make yourself the type of
person that people want to talk to. You want to project
an aura of caring and compassion that make others trust
you and feel comfortable around you.
There are so many different ways to read people.
From being introspective to carefully observing others,
this book will cover them all.
You may wonder why reading people is so
important. There are countless benefits to being able to
understand the people around you right off the bat. Your
understanding of people can certainly make your life
easier.
For one thing, you can become a more sensitive and
empathetic lover and friend because you understand
people better. You can read the signs of someone’s
emotions and respond appropriately. You will no longer
be clueless about what those around you feel.
You also can avoid a lot of pain and problems by
learning to identify the true intentions of people. Some
people are just bad. Most bad people are good at hiding
it, however. You can see through their ruses and protect
yourself. On the flip side, you can spot good people who
will treat you well. As a result, you can avoid bad friends
and pick good ones. Your dating life will improve as well
as you become more discerning about your partners.
Work can become easier. If you work in sales or
customer service, you will be able to read your customers
for clues about whether or not they are happy. If you
work for clients, you can understand their wants better.
You can become more empathetic and understanding of
co-workers and superiors. This can help you satisfy
people that you work with better.
In addition, you will get along better with your
family. By being able to read your family members, you
can tell what they are feeling and what they expect.
Fights over “nothing” will stop because you will be able
to spot the warning signs that a fight is coming. You will
also be more empathetic, which your family members
will appreciate.
Even on the street, you can become more
discerning about the intentions of others. You can spot
people who mean you harm and take steps to protect
yourself. This is quite important for self-defense.
The life skill of people reading is very helpful and
essential to your success in your social life. Therefore,
you should start learning today. You have started in the
right place with this book.
Chapter 1: The Secrets to Reading
People
Free Your Judgement
There are many things that can cloud your
judgement when reading people. Biases, intimidation,
and sexual attraction are just some of the things that can
make you choose to ignore your gut and misread
someone. You may think that someone’s harsh actions
are admirable if you admire the person, while their
actions would appear despicable if you did not admire
them. Do not let anything cloud your judgement.
Men are more likely to judge pretty young women
less harshly. They let pretty young women get away with
disrespectful behavior in hopes of winning their favor. If
you are attracted to someone, you are more likely to
ignore red flags about the person. Try to look past sexual
attraction. Understand that there are plenty of attractive
people in the world, so fixating on one person’s
attractiveness is not necessary. You just need to view an
attractive person more objectively. Try to focus on his or
her character as a separate thing from his or her looks.
Status or certain jobs can also make you admire
someone. But understand that someone is not perfect
just because of his or her status. Do not let someone’s
status intimidate you or bamboozle you. In fact, they
probably got to where they are today by being cruel to
others. Read their character separately from their status
or work.
Being in your own emotional funk can really distort
your judgement, too. When you are emotionally down,
you may be harsher to judge others in your state of
bitterness. You may also be more vulnerable to kind
actions from others. Unfortunately, manipulators are
great at spotting when you are upset and offering a kind
action in order to gain favor with you. Do not let your
emotional state make you vulnerable in judgement.
Emotional wounds can make it hard for you to trust
people. This is especially true after you been through a
divorce or bad break-up. As a result, you might judge the
gender that you are attracted to unfairly. You may
instantly dislike all people of that gender. Do not be so
quick to write off people that you do not know. Use your
scars as lessons to read people who remind you of those
that have hurt you in the past, but do not make the
mistake of thinking that the entire gender is bad. Give
individuals a chance. Try to read them for who they are,
not who your ex was.
Don’t Just Base it Off of Behavior
Many people make the mistake of trying to read
people off of behavior alone. But often behavior offers an
incomplete and inaccurate picture. There is so much
going on under the surface that you cannot reasonably
read someone’s inner turmoil based on their behavior
alone. You must consider someone’s biases, mood, and
even the context of the situation. Often, you cannot know
all of this information, so don’t even attempt to read
someone based off of behavior alone.
Sometimes behavior is inaccurate because it is fake.
Many people are great at creating a façade. They appear
totally normal and upstanding, while hiding their
horrendous internal flaws. Think of most serial killers.
Often they go to work, keep nice houses, and look like
totally normal people. The world is shocked when they
are finally caught with a basement full of hacked up
bodies and torture devices. Sexual deviants who get
caught watching child porn are often politicians and
businessmen with great jobs and totally normal outside
appearances. While these examples are extreme, many
people are adept at hiding their bad personalities under
totally normal behavior. Therefore, you cannot base
judgements off of the outward behavior of others, as this
behavior can be faked and misleading.
Create a Baseline
Try to gauge a baseline of someone’s normal
behavior. Watch for unusual mannerisms that a person
often displays. Quirks and habits that you frequently
observe in someone over time form the person’s baseline.
A baseline does not take long to form once you become
more adept at reading people with practice. FBI profilers
will usually gather this information within the first
fifteen seconds of meeting a person.
From this baseline, you are able to tell when
someone is behaving abnormally. When someone is
behaving abnormally, you can determine that something
is going on. Perhaps the person is lying or is upset about
something.
It is difficult to start a baseline on someone if you
do not have a chance to observe him over a period of
time and you are not yet adept at reading people in just a
few seconds. Therefore, it is a good idea to watch for
really odd behavior. Behavior that stands out as unusual
may be a quirk or it may be a sign of something more
ominous, such as deception. You may want to ask other
people who know the person well if this behavior is
normal for him. If you can’t do that, then you simply
must rely on your gut. But do not rely too much on
behavior to form judgements about people.
You can start a baseline just by asking someone
how they are doing today. Watch how the person reacts.
From there, you can determine what his or her normal
mannerisms are. The more you talk, the more you can
gather about the person’s baseline. Does his eye tic
often? Does he often gesticulate with his hands? Does he
stutter normally, or is he normally articulate? Also gauge
the speed with which he speaks in normal conversation
and the tone and pitch of his voice.
You must establish a baseline in order to tell when
someone is behaving inconsistently. In addition, a
baseline lets you know how a person is in normal
settings. If a person is typically nervous, you can decide if
you want to be around someone who is frequently
nervous and therefore probably insecure with social
anxiety. If a person is typically rude and blunt, you can
determine if you want to deal with that kind of behavior
in the future.
Infer Things from the Initial Reaction
Of course, strangers tend to be tense in their initial
behavior toward you because they do not know you well.
But a person’s initial reaction to you indicates a lot of
information about how he feels about himself and how
he feels about other people. This initial reaction shows
the hang-ups he may have and the guard that he puts up
to protect himself or the façade that he erects to charm
people that he meets for the first time. As a result, this
reaction says a lot about who he is as a person and the
things that you may expect from him as you get to know
him better.
If he is initially rude, for instance, he may thaw and
become nicer toward you, but you know that at heart he
has his guard up against new people. You can then
wonder why he has his guard up. He is probably a
sensitive and insecure person with a lot of emotional
baggage; he feels that he has to act tough and careless in
order to avoid getting hurt.
Particularly articulate and charming people usually
have a lot to hide. They are great at being around people
and hiding who they really are. They have designed
behavior that is intended to hook people. Very charming
behavior is often indicative of manipulative and
deceptive personalities.
A person who is overly nervous usually has social
anxiety and is rife with insecurities. This person will
probably get more comfortable with you over time.
However, you may want to avoid trusting him too much.
As a general rule, people who are insecure are not
reliable and will act in ways that are not always
appropriate. Insecure people tend to have trust issues
and they will act out in ways that are hurtful because
they believe that they are not good enough. You are not
responsible for the insecurities of another person, so
don’t allow such a person to burden you with his
problems and doubts.
A person who acts too calm is probably also a
sufferer of social anxiety. However, he is adept at
projecting calmness to hide how nervous he is. Become
suspicious of people who are just “too chill.”
Also watch for people who only want to talk about
themselves. People who are obsessed with themselves
and don’t even try to ask you questions about yourself
are typically very selfish. This behavior will not change
with time.
Another behavior that will not change with time is
someone who is negative, even on your first meeting.
People like this are very toxic and will simply try to drag
you down.
A person who talks about others shamelessly when
he first meets you is also probably a chronic gossip. It is
not normal for someone to start gossiping when he first
meets you.
Positivity and enthusiasm are great signs in a
person that you have just met. However, if someone talks
too much of a big game and brags overly much, you can
assume that this person is trying to impress you or even
make up for something that he feels that he is lacking.
Mild positivity and enthusiasm is a great sign, but being
overly enthusiastic is not.
Confidence and assurance of one’s self is a good
sign in a stranger. A person who is willing to introduce
himself to you, look you in the eye, and talk to you is
usually secure in himself. He has developed good social
skills and hence might be a more sensitive friend, lover,
or work associate. While you want to be wary of people
who are too smooth and charming, someone who acts
normal yet confident is usually a good person to know.
Ask Pointed Questions
If you want to get to know someone, feel free to ask
him questions about himself. He will probably volunteer
a lot of the information that you want to know. You don’t
even have to ask him things to find out a lot of
information about who he is as a person, what he likes,
and what he is looking for from his association with you.
This is why you should be a good listener, which I cover
in the next chapter.
But if he does not volunteer what you want to
know, then ask. It is best to ask pointed questions and to
not be vague. If you are vague, you run the risk of
miscommunication. As an adult, there is no use or time
for games anymore. You know that you cannot be a mind
reader and neither can anyone else. So ask what you
want to know without shame.
You do not want appear like you are interrogating
someone. Asking rapid-fire questions can really put a
person off. Asking overly personal questions about
someone’s life, family, or personality is also off-putting.
But do not be afraid to ask general, socially acceptable
questions whenever there is a break in the conversation.
Monitor a person in how he answers your
questions. Since you have already more or less
established a good baseline, you can tell when there are
inconsistences in his responses. If his gestures, tone,
pitch, or eye contact suddenly shifts away from his
baseline, then you can tell that he is not being truthful or
that a question makes him uncomfortable for some
reason. You can change the subject or pursue it more,
depending on your goal in communication with him.
Word Choice is Important
How a person talks indicates a lot about what he is
feeling and thinking. Listen for key words that indicate
his intentions and his basic state of mind. The words that
he chooses say a lot about how he is as a human being
and what he is really feeling at the moment. If you are
meeting someone for the first time, remember that the
initial meeting speaks volumes about who a person is
inside. How he chooses to speak to you right off the bat
indicates a lot about who he is generally.
Someone who uses very harsh, aggressive language
is an aggressive person or else he is currently in an angry
mood. You never want someone to show you anger when
you first meet; this indicates that the person may have an
anger management problem.
Someone who uses very vague wording is possibly
passive aggressive and trying to skirt around a hard
subject. This type of person is not able to be direct.
Expect games and behavior like shirking responsibility.
If this person wrongs you, he will probably never admit
to it and apologize. If he has a problem with you, he will
probably never tell you to your face, but rather will hint
about it or tell everyone else how he feels except for you.
Another troubling sign is when someone repeatedly
says sorry or seems to take the blame for things. This
type of person is very sinecure and blames himself for
everything.
Someone who uses conceited language, such as
bragging about how he just won “another” award,
indicates how proud he is of himself. Watch for people
who brag too much about themselves. These people are
usually narcissistic and egotistical or else they are over
compensating for feelings of inadequacy.
A person who uses very critical language is
probably an overly judgmental person or a perfectionist.
Watch for someone who nitpicks everything. This is a
trait that will not lessen with time. If anything, it will
only grow worse with time.
Most people use “I” terms more frequently than any
other. This is not a troubling sign, but someone who uses
more “we” terms is a better team player who is looking to
collaborate with you. Someone who uses more “you”
terms is focused on you. This can be a great sign that
someone is focused on pleasing you and getting to know
you, or else it can be a worrisome sign that someone is
trying to manipulate you. Watch for other word choices
in order to tell the difference. If someone is asking you
about what you like or who you are, then that is usually a
sign that he wants to get to know you or find out how to
best please you. This is a great sign in a date, a new
friend, or a person that you are thinking about hiring for
a service. But if he seems to be fishing for pertinent
information with overly personal questions, if he keeps
trying to find ways that he can commiserate with you so
that you will confide in him, or if he is using fancy
language and flattery to make you feel ingratiated and
charmed by him, then that is a bad sign that he is trying
to get an emotional hook into you in order to manipulate
you.
A good sign that someone is being shifty is vague
language. Someone who refuses to answer yes or no
questions is probably lying. Someone who uses confusing
language is probably deliberately creating a sort of
mirage of vagueness in order to hide something.
What is Unsaid Says a Lot
Studies suggest that ninety-three percent of human
communication is unspoken. Since this is such a huge
topic, I have dedicated an entire chapter to reading the
tonality, body language, eye contact, and other nonverbal
cues of other people for clues about what they are really
trying to say. You can gather a lot of information about
people from what they don’t directly say, so read on to
Chapter 4.
Chapter 2: Becoming a Better
Listener
Becoming a better listener is the best thing that you
can do when you want to read people. People are not
always great at communication. Without meaning to,
they often miscommunicate their needs or wants. But if
you are very careful and astute listener, you can find out
all the clues that people leave around and create a more
complete picture of what people are trying to say to you.
By becoming a better listener, you also make people want
to open up to you. They will want to talk to you more and
tell you things. You will become the person that everyone
wants to confide in, and then you will bear a lot of
pertinent information about people.
Create an Aura of Caring
If you project that you care, people will trust you
and feel at ease around you. They will be more inclined
to talk to you and confess intimate things to you.
Creating this image that you are a caring person involves
making yourself look trustworthy and interested.
Body language is important in this endeavor. You
should also lean toward the person who is talking. Hold
eye contact. Nod now and then. You can cross your legs
to indicate that you feel comfortable, but avoid crossing
your arms as this makes you appear closed off. Try
having a more open stance instead, with your chest
facing the person that is speaking to you. Of course
always look at the speaker with a normal level of eye
contact to show your deference in listening.
You also want to show genuine interest. Nodding is
one way to do this. Frequently murmur in an assenting
or sympathetic way. You can input enough of your own
words to keep the conversation going, but it is important
to not talk too much. The focus needs to be on the other
person.
Stop talking about yourself. As a human being, you
will want to talk about yourself. It is natural. But to be a
good listener, you should keep the entire conversation
focused on the other person, at least while he or she is
talking. Not talking about yourself or constantly trying to
turn the conversation onto yourself will make you appear
like a better listener.
Mirroring is another way that you can make
someone feel at ease around you. I will cover mirroring
more in the next section.
Mirroring
You can set people at ease by mirroring their
physical movements. Basically you just want to copy
whatever someone does during conversation. If someone
leans forward, lean forward about four seconds later. If
someone leans back in his seat, lean back in your seat.
Matching your breath to the same rhythm as
someone else’s is a subliminal form of mirroring that
often will set a person at ease. The person won’t even
know why he feels so comfortable around you. But he
will and he will open up.
It may be hard to do this if you are not close to
someone. Just notice when his chest fills with air and
inhale at the same time. When his nostrils inflate with
exhalation, exhale as well.
Ask Questions
Get a person to talk about himself. Since people
love to talk about themselves, asking lots of questions
will make people happy in conversation. Keep the
conversation focused on the other person and ask him
plenty of questions to keep him going. If he is telling you
about work, for instance, be sure to ask lots of questions
about his job. Keep your questions calm and insert them
at natural moments or lulls in the conversation to avoid
looking like you are interrogating him.
If someone is passionate about something,
definitely start asking him questions about his passion.
This is a great way to get someone to open up to you. It
also makes people want to talk to you. You can get to
know people just by finding out what they like and then
asking a few questions about it to get them talking.
Asking also is better than mind reading. If you want
to understand someone, ask him what he is thinking. Ask
him what he really means when he says something that
you don’t quite understand. Don’t attempt to play the
mind reading game because this is how
miscommunication can arise. Clear all
miscommunication by asking questions instead.
Reduce Distractions
Nothing makes you look like you don’t care as
much as you being distracted. Put your phone away.
Don’t stare at the TV. Don’t stare out the window or try
to eavesdrop on other people. Give your full attention to
the person that you are currently speaking to. Everyone
that you speak to will feel valued and appreciated as a
result. You will become more liked.
You will also free yourself of distractions so that
you can devote all of your energy to the conversation.
This makes you a better conversationalist. You are better
able to listen and retain information. You are better able
to remember what is said. You can think of appropriate
responses to keep the conversation from going flat or
awkward.
Summarize What was Said
After a person tells you something, it can help to
offer a recap to show that you were listening and to make
sure that you got everything understood correctly. Your
summary can be brief; you don’t have to regurgitate the
entire conversation. But a brief recap can help both you
and the other party assure that you listened well and the
conversation was properly understood. It also assures
the other party that you cared enough to reiterate.
Recognize what is Unsaid
A large part of human communication is silent.
What someone does not say in person is often said in
other subtle ways, such as through sighs, long pauses,
tear-glistening eyes, raised or lowered tone and pitch of
voice, and tense body language. Notice when someone is
not saying and ask if everything is OK. If the person
doesn’t want to talk about what he is not saying, then
don’t press the issue. But carefully watch his body
language and eye contact to try to gauge what he is not
telling you. I will cover using body language to read
people more in Chapter 4.
Don’t Think Ahead
You may race to think ahead about what to say
next. You think that you know how the conversation will
go and what the person will say next, so you think that
you can decide what to say ahead of time. Unfortunately,
you are not a mind reader. Your predictions will often
prove inaccurate. Prevent confusion or embarrassment
by holding your tongue. Only decide what to say when it
is your turn to speak. Then you know what was fully said
and you are able to make an informed and suitable
response.
Be Careful about Interrupting
Typically, it is wise to never interrupt. When you
interrupt someone, you invalidate what he is saying. You
can insult and even anger people by interrupting them. It
is best to just wait your turn to speak.
However, there are times when you must speak out
of turn. One good time is when the person you are
speaking to begins to get overly emotional. You should
interrupt politely to offer him reassurance and tell him
that he should not be so upset. Another time is when
someone is talking about making a very foolish mistake.
You can interrupt to offer cautionary advice. But be sure
to only pick times when it is necessary to interrupt.
Otherwise, avoid doing so, no matter how excited you are
to jump in with what you have to say.
Determine if You Should Add Input
Sometimes, it is OK to just sit there and listen. Few
people ever do this, so you will stand out as a good
listener should you do this. By being silent, you allow the
person you are speaking to the opportunity to
unabashedly open up. He can vent and tell you all and
you will absorb it all.
Other times, your input is required. People rely on
for advice, for instance, or they need you to offer some
words to show your interest. Wait for certain pauses in
conversation when the person seems expectant. This is
when you should add input.
A friendly conversation or a conversation where
you are trying to get to know someone is usually a back
and forth. This is when your input is absolutely required.
You seem like a stick in the mud if you don’t contribute
to such conversations. A conversation where someone is
explaining something to you or venting about his life is
when your silence is required.
As a human being, you have certain social instincts.
You should follow these instincts. You also know the
person that you are speaking to and the nature of your
conversation the best. Listen to your gut about when to
speak and what to say.
Remember Things
Remembering what people say to you is a crucial
part of listening. If you can reiterate what someone says
to you later on, you can prove that you were listening.
You can continue the conversation where it was left off if
you get cut off. You can also retain important
information that someone imparts to you about him- or
herself.
It is easier to remember everything when you
genuinely care about it. But what if you don’t care? Or
what if you have a lot on your mind so you have trouble
retaining information in the short term? The human
mind chooses to dump any information that it does not
find relevant and important to your overall life. Let’s face
it, a lot of the conversations you have are not that
relevant or important. Therefore, it is hard to remember
what you hear in conversation all of the time. Shocking
or really important things might stick with you, but other
details quickly fade away. You can certainly improve
your ability to remember conversations by using some of
the following tricks.
One trick to remembering what is said to you can
be to think that you will narrate this whole conversation
to someone else later on. While this may not be true, it
tricks your mind into remembering what someone says
to you better.
Another trick is to memorize important images that
stand out to you in the conversation. If someone talks
about what she expects from a lover, assign images to the
things she says. You can assign flowers to romance, for
instance. Then, you will be able to remember a series of
images better than a long string of words.
The mind is often good at remembering emotions
above all else. Therefore, you should try to remember the
emotional textures of the conversation. What made the
speaker very sad? What made you sad? Adding
emotional charges to the conversation can help you
remember its main themes better.
Now what about little details when you are getting
to know someone? Things like birthdays are easy to
forget. You are welcome to note these things down in a
notebook or a notepad app on your phone while the
details are still fresh in your mind. You can even whip
out your phone and ask someone their birthday. This is
one time when getting on your phone will make your
conversation partner feel valued. He will love that you
are trying so hard to remember a simple detail like his
birthday.
Chapter 3: Reading People for
Clues
First Impressions
First impressions are typically accurate. You should
listen to your gut. Your subconscious mind is adept at
picking out clues about people that your rational mind
cannot possibly pick up on. Your gut will tell you the
most accurate information about someone right off of the
bat.
After you make a first impression, you may try to
rationalize it. You may try to explain away negative
feelings as poor judgement or jealousy. You may think
that you read a person wrong. While these are vaguely
possible, you will usually find out that your first
impression was right in the end.
A good example is when you first meet a woman
that you would like to be friends with. But your gut
reaction to her is that she is not very nice. You decide to
give her a chance since everyone else likes her and you
get along after a while. After a while, however, you
realize that all she does is say mean things about other
people. Or she may betray you after years of friendship.
Your first impression is often all you have in
business and situations like speed dating. So trust it.
Your first impression is most likely correct, so act on it if
you do not have time to get to know the person further.
Red Flags
There are some major red flags that automatically
tell you that someone is toxic. When you observe these
traits or habits in someone, you know that someone is
not good to be around. Run away when you spot these
red flags. Do not try to somehow rationalize or justify
these traits, as they are serious signs of underlying
emotional issues or sociopathy.
Easy to Anger
A person who is easily ignited has anger problems.
One day you will probably be the victim of his anger if
you are not careful. Therefore, you should avoid people
who are angered easily.
A history of violence is one sign that a person is
easy to anger. Another sign is if he seems to demonstrate
an angry posture. He will talk about fighting people or
getting angry. He will immediately appear angry over the
tiniest setbacks, such as his food being late at a
restaurant.
Blaming Others
Right off the bat, you will notice if someone
frequently blames others for what is wrong in his life. He
will tell you all about how he is a victim. He will
complain about how his ex-spouse cheated on him and
brought about the divorce, he will blame getting fired
recently on the fact that his former boss is just a huge
jerk, and he will blame his recent car accident on the
other stupid driver. Nothing will ever be his fault. He will
claim that everyone else is responsible for his problems.
And he will have plenty of problems to talk about. He
will always be a victim.
Someone who plays the victim will probably one
day accuse you of doing something wrong to him. He will
never see how he is at fault. He will certainly never own
up to his own bad actions or offer you any kind of
apology.
Constant Complaining
A person who is very negative will just ooze that
negativity through his speech. He will constantly
complain about everything. It will appear as if the world
is against him and nothing in life is good or worth doing.
Just being around this person too long will make you feel
depressed.
Sadly, many people are like this. They only see the
bad in life. You can assume that a person like this will
only bring you down. You will never be able to lighten
someone like this up because he chooses to stay in a
depressed mood.
Gossiping and Two-Facing
Some gossip is just human nature. Once you know
someone well, a little bit of gossip now and then is
normal. It is not a warning sign.
But when you first meet someone, the first thing
you hear should not be a bunch of gossip about other
people. A person who sits there talking about everyone
else has a gossiping problem. He is obviously two-faced.
Don’t be fooled and think that you are the only one that
he gossips to. Once you leave the room, he will start
gossiping about you.
If someone gossips a lot, you want to watch what
you say around him. You do not want to reveal too much,
or it will become public information in two seconds. You
also do not want to let his negativity sour you against
other people. He will try to make you hate everyone else
with the juicy, horrible details that he shares, but
remember that gossip is rarely true. Even if it is, you do
not have to be a part of this gossip’s drama.
Women have the worst reputations as gossips. But
men can be just as bad. Anyone who talks about other
people a lot is a gossip. Be careful around such people.
Lacking Compassion
Have you ever met someone who laughs when
other people fall? He seems to get some sick satisfaction
from the suffering of others. Even if he doesn’t snicker at
other people, he never demonstrates any remorse or
compassion. When he speaks about other people, he uses
very callous and cold language. When you point out
someone’s bad luck, for instance, he will snort and say
that it is the person’s own fault. This is the sign of a
sociopath or psychopath. This person is very dangerous
and certainly not the type of person that you want in
your life.
The average person is capable of at least some
compassion in conversation. He will feel bad when you
mention that you are going through tough times or when
someone falls, for instance. Someone who does not show
any compassion and just ignores you or offers a callous
remark when you say something that calls for
compassion is not someone that you should associate
with. If you do associate with this person, never expect
him to show you compassion when you need it.
Things to Read
What He is Driven By
People are driven by various things. They will
usually show what drives them by talking about it. For
example, someone might say that he wants to go out to
pick up chicks. Obviously sex drives him. Someone who
frequently talks about money and making money is
driven by financial security and wealth. Someone who
talks about socializing a lot is an extrovert who is driven
by having social interaction.
What drives a person can indicate what he wants
from you. Read a person’s language to gather clues about
what he wants in life. His drive can indicate why he is
seeking any sort of relationship with you, either
professionally or personally. It also indicates what is
important to him. If your goals align with his, then a
relationship is a great idea. Otherwise, you may want to
steer clear of this person.
What Feeds His Ego
Watch a person’s ego to find out what feeds it. A lot
of people are fed by accomplishments, such as making
money or finishing a tough marathon. Some people are
fed by flattery and being the object of desire. Some
people are fed by sex and interactions with the opposite
sex. What feeds someone’s ego is apparent by what he
talks about the most and what makes him smile.
Also, watch his responses to life situations. If a
member of the opposite sex flirts with someone and his
or her ego blossoms, you can assume that he or she has
low self-esteem and requires lots of sexual attention to
feel good. If he brags about his boat and other material
possessions, you can tell that material success is what
makes him feel complete.
If someone has a fragile ego that is fed by
superficial things like material possessions and sexual
attention, you can be sure that he has little confidence.
The issues that come with insecurity are thus probably
prevalent in this person. He will also do things to satisfy
his own ego, and will chase after things and make stupid
decisions just to keep his ego buoyed. Expect vices in
someone like this.
But if someone’s ego is fed by more solid things,
such as his own accomplishments or the love of his
family, then he is probably a secure and reliable person
with healthy confidence and wholesome interests. You
can trust someone like this to be a more solid companion
in business or in your personal life.
What Stresses Him Out
Watch out for someone’s stressors. Everyone has a
source of stress. What a person complains about the
most usually indicates what causes him the most
emotional stress. If he complains about family,
communication, commitment, and not always getting his
way or not feeling loved may cause him stress. If he
complains about work, his line of work and the tasks that
he must do are probably not well-suited to his
personality. If he seems to get quiet or upset in large
crowds, you can assume that large crowds are not his
forte.
Knowing what stresses someone out is very useful
information. You can learn what to avoid doing around
someone. You can become more sensitive to what
someone does not like and also to situations that a
person does not function well in. This is great
information to know if you hire someone to work for you
or if you begin dating someone.
What Pleases Him
People will go on and on about what makes them
happy. You will most likely find out what makes
someone happy relatively early in conversation. But you
can also look for clues in what makes someone smile or
what someone fixates on with dilated pupils.
This is also useful to know. You learn what you can
do to please someone. This can make you a better lover,
friend, or even employer and co-worker.
How Does He Behave Under Stress
How someone handles stress says a lot about how
he will treat you when things get hard. Life can throw a
lot of challenges your way, so you usually want people
around who can handle stress well. If a stressful situation
arises and someone literally falls apart or gets fiercely
angry, just know that he is probably not a reliable friend
during times of stress. He is also not a good prospect in a
stressful line of business. On the other hand, if he is able
to remain calm and collected under stress, he is someone
that you can rely on in the future.
Chapter 4: What Isn’t Said Aloud:
Reading Facial Expressions and
Body Language
Leaning
People lean forward to things that they like or feel
attracted to you. It is a good sign when someone leans
toward you. If someone is really listening to you or really
likes you, he will lean toward you or position his torso to
face you.
However, if someone leans his torso away from
you, that indicates that he is going through some type of
stress. Either he does not like what you are saying, or he
is having some sort of negative reaction to you as a
person. This reaction is also not always directed toward
you. You may also notice someone pulling away from you
and leaning away from you if he receives bad news in a
text message or phone call or sees something that
distresses him.
Hands
Really watch someone’s hands. What he does with
his hands indicate a lot about what he is feeling. His
hand movements are an even better indicator of
deception than his eye contact.
Fidgeting or constant hand movements indicate
intense nervousness. If someone tries to make
smoothing gestures with his hands, he is probably lying.
If he is balling his hands into fists, that indicates
aggression.
Fidgeting and Pacifying Gestures
Fidgeting is a sign of nervousness and emotional
distress. Picking at one’s nails, rubbing one’s thighs or
forehead, and scooting around in one’s seat are some of
the forms of fidgeting that indicate that someone is
experiencing some sort of emotional duress. This
emotional duress may be related to the conversation. It
may be because he is lying to you and feels guilty and
nervous about getting caught. It may even be because he
is going through something bad in his life and it is
manifesting even though he is trying to focus on talking
to you.
Especially watch for pacifying gestures. This is any
kind of rubbing or smoothing motion that a person
performs on his own body. When someone rubs himself
in any way, he is trying to soothe himself. Consider what
he may be trying to soothe himself about. If you are
talking about his job and he starts rubbing his forehead
while telling you that everything at work is stellar, you
can assume that there are problems in his work life. If he
repeatedly rubs his thighs while bragging about what a
great guy he is, you can safely assume that he is thinking
of all the ways that he has been a bad guy and he is trying
to soothe his guilt. When you bring up a subject such as
divorce, you can tell that someone is distressed by the
topic by his sudden influx of pacifying gestures. A person
who is constantly trying to pacify himself during a
normal conversation is probably socially anxious.
If someone touches the crook of his neck, this is a
gesture of discomfort and even fear. The throat is
vulnerable, so when a person grabs at it or touches the
crook of it, this is a self-defensive gesture. This gesture
can show that a person feels threatened by you or
someone else that he is talking to. Also, this gesture is
most common in women rather than men. Watch for
women who perform this fidgety gesture around their
husbands or boyfriends as a clue about abuse.
Facial Expressions
Facial expressions essentially leak someone’s
internal emotions. This leakage is very hard for people to
control. Most people can’t control it and their initial
reactions to things will flash across their faces before
they regain control and put on their normal social mask
of a smile or serious frown.
If you bring up a subject and you notice that
someone suddenly clenches his jaw or furrows his brow,
you can assume that the subject upsets him in some way.
A person who attempts to act serene or happy yet keeps
clenching his jaw is probably either an aggressive person
at heart or has something upsetting on his mind that he
is not telling you about. Tense facial expressions in
someone’s baseline often indicate that someone is
naturally tense and aggressive, insecure, or often
depressed.
If you notice a brief smile, you can tell that
something brings someone great pleasure. Watch for
brief flashes of mirth when you are talking about
upsetting or serious subjects. This can indicate that a
person gets sadistic pleasure from the upsetting subject
matter. This is a troubling sign of sociopathy or
psychopathy. Alternatively, if someone can’t hide his
mirth at a serious matter, you can assume that he doesn’t
take things seriously and lacks proper respect.
Facial expressions tend to leave their marks on
people’s faces. Most people adopt a general mood based
on their outlook on life. This general mood is reflected in
a general facial expression. As people wear certain
expressions over time, these expressions carve
permanent wrinkles or grooves into their facial tissue.
People who are often depressed will have frown lines in
their brow and on either side of their mouths. People
who are generally jovial will have laugh lines and
dimples from smiling. People who are often angry will
have tense lines around their eyes and a hard gaze. Lines
along the top of the nose can indicate someone who is
frequently wrinkling up his nose in disgust and hence is a
very critical and judgmental person.
Silence
If someone takes a long pause, clears their throat,
or falls silent, then they are trying to think of what to say.
They may be stalling for time as they manufacture the
best response. They may just be waiting for you to offer
guidelines about where the conversation should go.
Silence is not always bad. You should listen to your
gut about it. If there is an uneasy vibe with the silence,
then you can safely assume that the silence is not natural
and easy. If there is a comfortable vibe, don’t doubt that
and make yourself nervous. You can enjoy silence with
someone if it feels right to you.
Eye Contact
Eyes are considered windows into the soul because
of the wealth of information that they provide about a
person’s emotional state and feelings toward you. Eye
contact helps maintain emotional connection between
people. Changes in eye contact can break the connection
or show problems within it.
When someone closes his eyes, this is a sign that he
is thinking really hard about his response and is stalling
for time. This does not necessarily mean that he is
thinking of a lie. But it can mean that this subject is
difficult for him to talk about, either emotionally or
mentally, and he needs time to think of the perfect
words.
A lack of eye contact can indicate that someone is
not comfortable in what he is telling you. This is not
necessarily a sign of deceit. It could just be a sign of
nervousness or shyness. It can also be a sign that
someone feels ashamed of something. A lack of eye
contact is often cited as an accurate way to spot
deception, but in fact good liars are perfectly able to
maintain normal eye contact while lying. Eye contact is
not the best gauge of deception.
Piercing eye contact can make you uncomfortable,
and for good reason. Someone who looks into your eyes
too piercingly is likely searching you for information. He
may be trying to force a connection on false grounds. Too
much eye contact is a better indicator of deception than
lack of eye contact, as a matter of fact.
Pupils
Another clue that eye contact can offer is pupil
dilation. If someone’s pupils dilate around you, that is a
sign that he likes you or likes what you are saying.
During a business meeting, you may notice that your
client’s pupils dilate when he hears that he is about to
make bank on a new product if he chooses to invest.
When you are trying to sell something, pupil dilation
indicates that someone is interested. Watch for pupil
dilation in your dates, too, to tell if they really like you.
Pupil constriction means the opposite. When
someone’s pupils constrict, he isn’t happy with what he
sees. He is displeased and pulling away emotionally. He
may be upset and bothered or seriously offended. Watch
for pupil constriction in people when you bring up
unpleasant subject matter or when a gruesomely violent
scene occurs during a movie.
Breath
Someone’s breathing rates indicates his heart rate.
His heart rate indicates his emotional state. Someone
who is calm will have normal, level breathing, while
someone who is upset will have more rapid breathing.
Do not read too much into breath, however. Some
people have health issues that affect their breathing
rates. Exercise, high wind, allergies, and other factors
can all make someone breathe heavily around you.
However, you cannot ignore things like heavy exhales or
sharp inhales. These indicate someone’s immediate
emotional response to something.
A sharp inhale often shows that someone is
shocked or surprised. A long, heavy exhale means that
someone feels defeated and is under intense emotional
distress. Often a liar will make this exhale when he has
been caught in a lie.
Walking
How a person walks suggests a lot about his
confidence and what he is feeling. A confident person
walks with big, firm gestures and keeps his spine straight
and his head held up straight. You want to deal with
confident people, as they know how to take care of
themselves.
Less confident people will shrink into themselves.
Their shoulders will be hunched, their heads will be held
down, and their spines will be slouched. They will
probably shuffle along, trying to avoid attracting too
much attention.
A person who is sad may also walk like this. A
happy person will bounce along, showing his joy in big
movements. An angry person will usually be tense, with
his fists balled up and his shoulders forced up.
Chapter 5: Guessing Peoples’
Hidden Intentions
Deceit
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could tell when people
are lying to you? Your lie detector will become much
stronger if you watch for these signs in people. Once you
are able to determine when people are lying, you possess
a great deal of power. You can really encourage honesty
and you can offer consequences to the liars in your life.
Most people do lie. The worst liars in your life are
probably people that you actually know quite well. Your
significant other is shown in studies to be the most likely
to lie to you. From little white lies to keep the
relationship healthy to big lies about where he or she was
last night, you can expect your lover to lie. But family
members and friends and business partners are all
equally capable of lying as well. Many people use
deception as a means for survival; lying is shown to start
as early as infancy. You don’t have to tolerate lying,
however. Demand that people respect your intelligence
and treat you with integrity and honesty.
Difference from the Baseline
Marked differences in someone’s behavior from his
usual baseline is a good indicator that deception is going
on. His gestures, body language, eye contact, and tone
will differ from the usual. You will wonder why he is
acting so strangely. The likely answer is that he is being
less than truthful with you.
Quavering Voice
Someone who is nervous and suffering from a lot of
emotional tension will have a quavering voice. It is
difficult for most people to tell bold, direct lies. So when
they do, they have a lot of trouble talking to you directly.
They won’t want to speak in a normal, confident tone
because they lack confidence in what they are saying.
Sweating
Lying takes a lot of effort. The thought of getting
caught is quite scary. Therefore, a liar is often under
intense emotional stress while lying. He will start
sweating. You will notice beads of sweat forming on his
face, particularly along his brow and temples. If he
frequently wipes at this sweat to hide it from you, that is
an even greater affirmation that he is lying.
Grooming and Cleaning Gestures
A liar can feel dirty from his lies if he has a
conscience. Therefore, he will try to placate his sense of
dirtiness by performing grooming gestures. He may
smooth out his tie or the wrinkles in his pants. He may
pick at his nails, inspecting them for cleanliness. He may
even groom his hair or facial hair. The key to watch for is
when he does these things while talking to you. His
grooming habits will interest him much more than
looking right at you.
In addition, neatening or organizing things while
talking to you also indicates deception. A liar will
straighten out stacks of paper on the desk in front of him
or will preoccupy himself with cleaning things while
avoiding looking at you. A lie can make someone feel
disorganized, as someone attempts to straighten out his
story. Therefore, his efforts to create a neat and tight
story will manifest in him organizing things around him.
Mismatched Cues
His gestures and body language will not match his
words. He may be saying that he is happy, but the
unhappy droop in his shoulders will alert you otherwise.
He may be saying that he is not lying to you, but
meanwhile he is hiding his hands from you.
Usually people are consistent between their
nonverbal and verbal communication. Inconsistencies
are cause for alarm. When an inconsistency exists,
someone is experiencing a mismatch between what he
says and what he feels. This is a good sign that he is not
telling the truth. You can spot even tiny white lies this
way.
Mismatched Verb Tenses
Most people tell their stories in a specific order:
back story, main content, and aftermath. Most people
will use the past tense, since the story occurred in the
past. If at any point during the story someone switches to
a different tense, namely the present tense, then you
have a good indication that something is not entirely
truthful in the story that he is telling.
A person will switch to the present tense because
his mind is busy manufacturing details in the present as
he tells the story. Therefore, the present tense often
indicates that a story is not truthful. Rather, it is made
up on the spot.
Descriptive Vagueness
Remember how I said liars have a tough time being
direct? A liar will be very vague in his language because
he has trouble being direct due to his lack of honesty.
Therefore, watch for intentionally vague language and
word choice.
For instance, if you are accusing an employee of not
locking the doors to your store last night, she may lie and
say, “But I swear that the door got locked.” Notice how
vague that statement is. She doesn’t directly say that she
herself locked the door. She uses the passive term “got
locked.”
A liar will try to remove himself from blame or
from a situation that he does not want to be implicated
in. He will do this with more passive language. A person
who is being honest will usually use more direct and
non-passive language.
Lessening the Impact
A liar will try to lessen the impact of what he is
being accused of by choosing words that carry softer
connotations. Someone who is lying may choose a word
like “taken” over “stolen,” or “stepped out” instead of
“cheated.” He will pick words that make what he did
seem less offensive. This is his way of trying to lessen the
impact of what he did and trying to convince you that
what you are upset about is not that big of a deal. He is
essentially trying to take the heat off of himself. But don’t
fall for this.
Defensiveness
A liar will get defensive if you confront him. Instead
of just saying that he is being honest, he will try to
manipulate you into feeling bad for doubting his honesty.
He will say things like, “Why wouldn’t you believe me?”
or “Would I lie to you?” He may also act angry and ask
why you have the nerve to question his integrity.
Some key terms to watch out for include:
“Why would I lie?”
“Would I ever lie to you?”
“You know me. I’m not a liar. And I hate the
accusation.”
“Have I ever lied to you?”
“Why wouldn’t you believe me?”
“You can believe me or not. It’s your choice.”
“I swear to God/I swear on my mother’s grave.”
“You won’t believe me, I know, but I wouldn’t lie
about this.”
An honest person may get defensive too. But this is
because he is desperate to get you to believe him. He will
probably say things more like, “I am being honest,” or “I
am an honest person. Please believe me.”
Sharp Exhale
A sharp exhale can indicate when someone has
been caught. If you confront someone about something
and he sharply exhales, you can assume that he is
probably guilty. An exhale is an automatic reaction that
many people have to getting caught in some sort of lie or
other action. It is a sign of emotional distress, often guilt.
Clusters of Actions
Often, a single action does not offer very much
information about someone. But clusters of actions can
really tell you if someone is lying. A liar will usually have
more than just one tell. Watch for several aberrations in
behavior to clue you in on his honesty.
Manipulation
Have you ever met a seemingly really nice person,
then find out that he or she is just using you? After a
while, you start to notice that you are being manipulated.
You get that yucky feeling that you don’t matter to the
person. Well, you can avoid that yucky feeling altogether
by recognizing when someone is manipulating you.
Manipulators are typically emotionally stuck in
childhood. They have never developed the proper adult
skills of communication. Because of how they were
raised, they found that playing games were more
effective at getting them what they wanted than just
asking. But they never outgrew this and adjusted to
normal adulthood. Now, they feel that they must play
games.
On the other hand, some manipulators are
sociopaths. They have literally no empathy or
compassion for others. They view other people as tools
that they can use to their own ends.
No matter why someone is manipulative, you do
not deserve that kind of treatment. You are not a pawn
for someone to use. You should learn to identify this
behavior to avoid a lot of problems and hurt in the
future. Remember that you can never change a
manipulator. Besides, it is not your job to heal or change
a manipulator.
Flattery
A manipulator will be great at making you feel like
you need him in your life. He gets an emotional hook
into you by first making you feel like you depend on him
for your happiness. He will flatter you and charm you
until you just can’t get enough.
However, this flattery is all fake. Somewhere in
your gut you will probably feel that is fake. Whether you
feel that eerie sense that something is not right or not,
just be very wary of someone who is too nice.
Lots of Small Favors
Watch out for someone who is extremely generous
right after meeting you. Usually a stranger is not so nice.
Therefore, a lot of small favors is a bad sign. It means
that someone is trying to put you in his debt. He is doing
you a lot of favors to get you to feel like you must do
things for him in return. He is essentially collecting
favors to call on for later.
Threats
The other trick that a manipulator uses is getting
you to feel too scared to do anything without him in your
life. Whether he is a romantic partner or a business
partner, he will use threats to make you feel like only he
would want to be around you. He will make it seem like
you are a horrible person and only he is able to put up
with you. He will do this so that you feel as if you cannot
do anything without him. You feel that he is the only one
who will tolerate you, so that you never leave the
situation with him.
A manipulative person will start doing this
relatively quickly after meeting you. He knows that in
reality he is a terrible person with little to offer you.
Therefore, he will want to ensure that you never leave
him and move on to someone better for love, business,
friendship, or anything else.
Drama
A manipulator will try to create a lot of drama in
your life. By creating drama, his aim is to get you to
relent to what he wants just to end the drama. He tries to
make your life miserable until you give in.
He may also try to create drama in order to drive
away your loved ones and friends. That way, he can
isolate you. When you are isolated, you are vulnerable.
You have no one to protect you or tell you that you are
being treated wrongly. A manipulator likes to have you in
this spot so that he can exploit you.
Guilt
One of the most powerful human emotions is guilt.
Guilt will make you do things just to escape the feeling.
Manipulators understand this fact. As a result, they love
to use guilt to make you feel bad so that you do what they
want. They are fantastic at making you feel guilty just for
being alive.
If someone frequently makes you feel guilty or
ashamed, then you are being manipulated. No one who
cares about you will make you feel this way. A stranger
certainly has no right to make you feel this way. Watch
for people that frequently bring up your mistakes, tell
you that you are a bad person, or tell you that you are
somehow inadequate. Watch for people who act put
upon when you ask them to do things, so that you feel
guilty just for asking. These are all signs of manipulation
and you should run far away when you encounter them,
especially in people that you just meet.
Behaving Unbearably
Another form of manipulation is when a person
throws a childish fit rather than acting like an adult. He
will sulk, pout, yell, or otherwise act like a jerk until you
do what he wants. He gets his way by making you
miserable. You finally do what he wants just to get him to
stop.
An example of this is when you want to go to a
certain restaurant to meet someone. He doesn’t really
want to go there. But instead of telling you that, he
comes along to the restaurant and then pouts the entire
time. He makes you so miserable that you finally just
want to leave the restaurant.
He Won’t Tell You Things to Your Face
If a manipulator is unhappy about something, he
will not have the strength to tell you to your face.
Instead, he will tell everyone else in the world but you.
He will make sure that it gets back to you through other
people how unhappy he is. In this way, he tells you how
unhappy he is without having to tell you himself. He
avoids confrontation in a very chicken way.
For example, someone might tell you that he is
happy to work for you late. But then he complains to the
entire office about how you shoved off your workload on
him. You find out how unhappy he is to work for you
from everyone in the office. He could have just told you
no to your face.
Lying
A manipulator is usually also a liar. If you
frequently catch someone lying to you, you should watch
out. You do not need liars in your life. But usually a liar
brings loads of other problems along with him.
Refusing to Take Blame
If someone does something bad to you, you will
naturally want to confront him. But if he immediately
twists what he did to you to seem like your fault, then he
is manipulative. He will be adept at making you feel as if
everything is your fault. He will have an amazing way of
always escaping blame. Also, he will never, ever admit to
wrongdoing and he will never say that he is sorry for
anything.
Chapter 6: Looking at Clues in
Someone’s Life
When it comes to reading people, sometimes you
cannot learn a lot about a person based just on how he
acts on a first meeting. Behavior can be extremely
deceptive, especially during a first meeting when
someone is putting on the charm for you. But watching
someone’s behavior over time and observing someone’s
past for clues about their general behavior can give you a
lot of clues about a person’s real personality.
Past Behavior
You should get to know a person the best that you
can. That way, you can observe patterns in his general
behavior. You can also hear more and more stories about
his past, as well. Generally, someone will open up to you
and tell you about his past. From his past behavior, you
can gather a lot of clues about who he is.
A long string of bad relationships or several
divorces are one warning sign that he is unable to be a
sensitive and communicative lover. It is likely that he is
unable to learn from his mistakes, as well. If he has a lot
of enemies, that suggests that he is a hard person to get
along with and he may be a traitorous personality. A
history of spending money frivolously, large amounts of
debt, poor financial decisions, and gambling indicate
poor planning and an inability to handle his life.
Someone who frequently gets into trouble with the law
by fighting or other behavior has poor impulse and poor
emotional control. If he frequently bails on plans and
doesn’t demonstrate any follow-through, then he is
probably not someone to trust with any serious
commitment in business or even romance and family.
One thing to really watch out for is someone who has
kids with many different people. This shows a huge lack
of responsibility and an inability to commit.
It is true that people can change. Just because
someone screwed up when he was younger does not
mean that you should judge him for the rest of his life.
However, repeated behavior indicates that he never
learned from his mistakes. This is very troubling. Even if
he says that he has learned his lessons, his repetition of
the same mistakes is living proof that he has not. Watch
for repeated mistakes or very recent mistakes that show
that he has not really changed.
Earlier I mentioned that you should never judge
someone based off of behavior only. While this holds
true, repeated behavior is something that you can safely
judge. A person who does the same things over and over
is likely rooted in such behavior. Watch how someone
frequently acts around you. Watch for patterns in
behavior. Patterns should never be ignored.
Reputation
What other people say is not always reliable. You
can’t believe everything that you hear on the rumor mill.
Sometimes, people will have a vendetta against someone
and will spread vicious rumors. Sometimes, just one
person is able to spread enough false information about
another person to create his bad reputation.
But usually, a large number of people don’t
conspire against one person. If you hear several people
say the same thing about someone, you might want to
listen. It is probably true. A person gains a reputation
over time by doing the same thing to many people. A
reputation is a good thing to pay attention to. The odds
are that if someone is repeatedly bad to other people, he
will be bad to you.
Meanwhile, a good reputation is an encouraging
sign. Someone who gains a reputation as being honest or
nice is usually really that way. However, don’t rely on
reputation alone. Someone may be good at pulling the
wool over everyone’s eyes. You might be able to read bad
things in him that no one else can. Trust your gut in this
scenario. Just because everyone else likes someone does
not mean that you should, too. Sometimes the most
upstanding citizens are hiding very dark secrets and
underneath their honest reputations they have dirty
souls.
Conclusion
Now you know how to read people like a book. Your
life will become so much easier now that you have
finished this book and learned the critical life skill of
reading other people.
You can become a better person by knowing how to
read people. Reading people allows you to develop
empathy. You can tell what others are feeling and
respond accordingly. Your sensitivity will make you a
more responsive and caring lover, parent, friend, and
family member.
You can also protect yourself better from the harm
of people with bad intentions. When you are able to read
people, you are consequently able to spot people that will
not benefit you. Before you get too far into a relationship
of any nature with someone harmful, you can see what
the person is about and prevent further harm from
happening.
When it comes to choosing a good friend or lover,
you are now better able to pick people that are good for
your life. You can spot those that actually care for you
and have the capability of treating you well. You can pick
lovers and friends that have good track records.
All of these benefits are now yours. Thanks for
reading.