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

THE MIND’S CANVAS 171

BOX 47: WHAT YOU WON’T SEE IN AN ELEVATOR

Try to tilt your head in an elevator full of strangers and leave it that way for

the complete duration of the ride. For most people this is extremely diffi-

cult to accomplish, because head tilt is a behavior reserved for times

when we are truly comfortable—and standing in an elevator surrounded

by strangers is certainly not one of those times. Try tilting your head while

looking directly at someone in the elevator. You will find that even more

difficult, if not impossible.

eyes to protect them from hazards. For example, muscles inside the eye-
ball protect the delicate receptors from excessive light by constricting the
pupil, and muscles around the eyes will close them immediately if a dan-
gerous object comes near. These automatic responses help make the eyes
a very honest part of our face, so let’s examine some specific eye behaviors

Head tilt says in a powerful way, “I am

comfortable, I am receptive, I am friendly.”

It is very difficult to do this around people

we don’t like.

Fig. 60