58 WHAT EVERY BODY IS SAYING
BOX 13: HAPPY FEET MEAN LIFE IS SWEETA while back, I was watching a poker tournament on television and I saw
a guy dealt a flush (a powerful hand). Below the table, his feet were going
wild! They were wiggling and bouncing like the feet of a child who’s just
learned he’s going to Disney World. The player’s face was stoic, his de-
meanor above the table was calm, but down near the floor there was a
whole lot of shakin’ goin’ on! Meanwhile, I was pointing at the TV set and
urging the other players to fold their hands and get out of the game. Too
bad they couldn’t hear me, because two players called his bets and lost
their money to his unbeatable hand.
This player has learned how to put on his best poker face. Obviously,
however, he has a long way to go when it comes to putting on his best
poker feet. Fortunately for him, his opponents—like most people—have
spent a lifetime ignoring three-quarters of the human body (from the
chest on down), paying no attention to the critical nonverbal tells that can
be found there.
Poker rooms aren’t the only place where you see happy feet. I have
seen them in plenty of meeting rooms and boardrooms and just about
everywhere else. While writing this chapter, I was at the airport and over-
heard a young mother sitting next to me as she was talking on her cell
phone to members of her family. At first, her feet were flat on the ground,
but when her son got on the phone, her feet began bouncing up and
down effusively. I did not need her to tell me how she felt about her child
or his priority in her life. Her feet shouted it to me.
Remember, whether you are playing cards, doing business, or simply
are engaged in a conversation with friends, happy feet are one of the most
honest ways our brains truthfully exclaim, “I am elated.”