E The Holistic View 135
Excitement
Energy high, direction scattered, focus stimulus dependent.
Arguably, excitement is a category under which many of the
other moods can fall. For a moment, suspend disbelief and imagine
that excitement is only a single mood not caused by anger, joy, and
so on. It’s just a feeling that comes from your synapses firing.
As the happy-excited person comes to life, his center of gravity
seems to rise, as though the weight of years is leaving. His face
lights up and he seems desperate to communicate. This kind of
excitement creates a youthful appearance even in the elderly, as
the posture becomes more erect and pace of movement increases.
Think of a child at Christmas, or even an adult at Christmas who
anticipates receiving or giving the perfect gift.
Excitement could also stem from anxiety, aggravation, or a num-
ber of other negatives. The face would show the big distinctions,
but the body will show similarities to that of the happy-excited
person, specifically, signs of increased animation.
All of that energy needs to go somewhere. If the person is in
the presence of others and the cause of the excitement is open for
public discussion, the person will want to share. She’ll probably
lock on to any keyword in the conversation that can steer it back to
the subject of her excitement. If the cause of it is not open for
discussion—an illicit affair at the office—she will leak her feelings
when oblique references to the subject come up. Whether you can
see the source of the excitement or not, you can easily see the aura
caused by the bouncing energy. For this reason, few people can
keep a secret that affects their own lives.