The Definitive Book of Body Languageyou've asked for a decision, it's a signal that he is unsure and
reassurance is needed. The object in the mouth allows him to
stall and not feel any urgency in giving an immediate response.
Sometimes boredom, evaluation and decision-making ges-
tures come in combinations, each showing different elements
of the person's attitude.
The next illustration shows the evaluation gesture moved to
the chin, and the hand may also be stroking the chin. This
person is evaluating the proposition and drawing conclusions
simultaneously.
Evaluation/decision-making
clusterWhen the listener begins to lose interest in the speaker, the
head begins to rest on the hand. The next picture shows eval-
uation with the head supported by the thumb as the listener
becomes uninterested.
Evaluation, decision,
boredom cluster