GETTING A LEG UP ON BODY LANGUAGE 57accurately, watch the feet and the legs; they are truly remarkable and hon-
est in the information they convey. The lower limbs must be viewed as a
significant part of the entire body when collecting nonverbal intelligence.
SIGNIFICANT NONVERBAL BEHAVIORS
INVOLVING THE FEET AND LEGSHappy FeetHappy feet are feet and legs that wiggle and/or bounce with joy. When
people suddenly display happy feet—particularly if this occurs right after
they have heard or seen something of significance—it’s because it has af-
fected them in a positive emotional way. Happy feet are a high-confidence
tell, a signal that a person feels he is getting what he wants or is in an
advantageous position to gain something of value from another person
or from something else in his environment (see box 13). Lovers seeing
each other after a long separation will get happy feet at their airport re-
union.
You don’t need to look under the table to see happy feet. Just look at a
person’s shirt and/or his shoulders. If his feet are wiggling or bouncing,
his shirt and shoulders will be vibrating or moving up and down. These
are not grossly exaggerated movements; in fact, they are relatively subtle.
But if you watch for them, they are discernible.
Try this little demonstration for yourself. Sit in a chair in front of a full-
length mirror and begin wiggling or bouncing your feet. As you do, you’ll
start to see your shirt and/or shoulders move. While with others, if you’re
not watching carefully above the table for these telltale signs of lower-limb
behaviors, you might miss them. But if you’re willing to take the time and
effort to look, you’ll be able to detect them. The key to using happy feet as
an effective nonverbal signal is first to note a person’s foot behavior, and then
to watch for any sudden changes that take place (see box 14 on page 59).
Allow me to express two points of caution. First, as with all non-
verbal behavior, happy feet must be taken in context to determine if