GETTING A GRIP 157HAND DISPLAYS OF LOW CONFIDENCE OR STRESSLow-confidence displays are the flip side of their high-confidence
counterparts. They reflect brain discomfort, insecurity, and self-doubt.
Low-confidence displays should alert us that the individual is experi-
encing negative emotions that may be caused by being in an uncom-
fortable situation or by thoughts that induce self-doubt or limited
confidence.
Frozen HandsResearch tells us liars tend to gesture less, touch less, and move their
arms and legs less than honest people (Vrij, 2003, 65). This is consistent
with limbic reactions. In the face of a threat (in this case having a lie de-
tected), we move less or freeze so as not to attract attention. This behavior
is often quite observable during conversation because a person’s arms
become very restrained while telling a lie and otherwise are animated
when telling the truth. Because such changes are controlled by the limbic
system rather than the thinking brain, they are more reliable and useful
than spoken words; they indicate what is really going on in the mind of
the individual who is speaking (see box 42). So look for hand and arm
movements that are suddenly restrained; they say a lot about what is go-
ing on in that person’s brain.
Hand-wringingWhen people wring their hands or interlace their fingers, particularly in
response to a significant comment, event, or change in their environ-
ment, it is normally indicative of stress or low confidence (see figure 50
on page 149). This common pacifier, seen in people around the world,
actually makes it look like they are engaged in prayer—and perhaps,
subconsciously or otherwise, they are. As the intensity of the hand-wring-
ing increases, the color of the fingers may change as areas blanch due to