What Every BODY Is Saying : An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed Reading People

GETTING A GRIP 159

begin to rub up and down. I speculate that the increased tactile contact
between the hands provides the brain with more pacifying messages.

Neck Touching

I am discussing neck touching in this chapter on hand behaviors because
if you keep an eye on the hands, they eventually take you to the neck.
People who touch their necks (anywhere) while speaking are, in fact, re-
flecting lower-than-normal confidence or are relieving stress. The cover-
ing of the neck area, throat, and/or the suprasternal notch during times
of stress is a universal and strong indicator that the brain is actively pro-
cessing something that is threatening, objectionable, unsettling, ques-
tionable, or emotional. It has nothing to do with deception, although
deceptive people may demonstrate such behavior if they are troubled. So
again, keep your eyes on the hands, and as feelings of discomfort and
distress surface in people, their hands will rise to the occasion, and cover
or touch their neck.

FPO

text: #58

We often pacify anxiety or

nervousness by stroking our fingers

across the palm or rubbing our

hands together.

When the fingers interlace to rub

up and down, as in this photo, the

brain is asking for extra hand

contact to pacify more serious

concerns or anxiety.

Fig. 57 Fig. 58