GETTING A LEG UP ON BODY LANGUAGE 83Sometimes a person will signal stress by attempting to hide the feet alto-
gether. When you are speaking with someone, watch to see if that individ-
ual moves his or her feet from in front of the chair to under the chair. There
is no scientific research (yet) to document what I am about to say. However,
over the years, I have observed that when a high-stress question is asked, the
respondent will often withdraw his or her feet beneath the chair, which
could be seen as a distancing reaction and one that attempts to minimize
the exposed parts of the body. This cue can be used to evince discomfort
about particular issues and help channel the investigative inquiry. As the
observer watches, the interviewee—through his feet and legs—will tell you
those things about which he does not wish to talk. As the subject changes
and becomes less stressful, the feet will emerge again, expressing the limbic
brain’s relief that the stressful topic is no longer being discussed.
SUMMING IT UPBecause they have been so directly critical to our survival throughout hu-
man evolution, our feet and legs are the most honest parts of the body.
BOX 19: MAKE THAT A DOUBLE FREEZEYou should always be on the lookout for multiple tells (tell clusters) that
point to the same behavioral conclusion. They strengthen the likelihood
that your conclusion is correct. In the case of the foot lock, watch for the
individual who locks his feet around his chair legs and then moves his
hand along his pants leg (as if drying his hand on his trousers). The foot
lock is a freeze response and the leg rubbing is a pacifying behavior. The
two, taken together, make it more likely that the person has been uncov-
ered; he fears something he has done will be found out and he is experi-
encing stress because of this.