7 Subtle Signs How To Read People

People are mysterious creatures. While it’s human instinct to figure others out, we are not always accurate with our judgments. So how can we improve upon that? Well, it starts with understanding how to read people.

Most of what you need to consider when you are trying to figure out how to read people is their body language. Believe it or not, people’s nonverbal communication contributes to somewhere between 80-90% of the meaning of any message.

Why is that? Well, think about it. Are you always aware of your body language? Most of us are not. That is because it happens at the unconscious level. While we are deliberate with the words we choose to use *usually*, we are often unaware of what messages our body is sending. So, if you want to know how to read people, you need to start with looking at not what they say, but how they say it.

# Eye contact

They often say that the eyes are the window to the soul. Eye contact can be intimate, but it can also be intimidating as well. The key to knowing which kind of eye contact someone is giving you is to consider the context.

Is it your romantic partner… or a cute person across from the bar? Well, maybe they think you’re cute. But if you’re in a business meeting and suddenly your boss glares at you from across the table, that might not be a good sign. Sometimes you have to look to cues in your environment, not just for eye contact, but really, for all the areas of body language.

# Posture

How someone carries themselves can give you some indications about their self-confidence. For example, if someone is walking upright with their shoulders back and looking straight ahead, that gives the indication that they feel good about themselves and have confidence.

However, if someone is slouching over and looking at the ground when they walk, that gives a much different impression. It may not necessarily mean that they have low self-esteem, but that’s the message it gives off.

# Paralanguage

Paralanguage is a fancy way of saying that you need to pay attention to how someone says something. For instance, the use of sarcasm is a good example.

When someone uses sarcasm, what the person means is actually the opposite of what the words say. So, pay attention to the emphasis they put on words and how they say it. It gives you a big clue as to what their true intentions are.

# Touch

Touch can mean a lot of different things. It can be anything from romantic and flirty to domineering and threatening. How and where someone touches another person has a lot to do with who they are. So, pay attention to people’s patterns of touching others.

# Appearance

How someone dresses and presents themselves can say volumes about them. At one extreme, if they have tons of piercings and a purple mohawk, well, they are probably the kind of person who doesn’t care much about social norms.

And if they look unkempt and smelly, then they just might be a really lazy person. This is a huge clue as to what kind of person they are. So take a good look at them, and you might be able to figure out more about who they are.

# Environment

How someone decorates or keeps their environment is a form of self-expression. If they don’t put anything on their walls at their house, or maybe it’s filled with family photos everywhere… whatever it is, it says lot about who they are. Even how well they take care of the inside of their car can really give some indications about their personality.

# Use of time

This is one of the most commonly overlooked channel of nonverbal communication. Sorry for all you “running late all the time” people out there, but it says a lot about you. Whether it’s that you just don’t have a good sense of time, or maybe it’s a power play to keep people waiting… it says something.