The Definitive Book of Body Language

Eye Signals

knees together and locking our ankles under a chair, dropping

our chin to the chest to protect the throat and averting our

gaze by looking away. These gestures activate an 'off switch' in

the brain of the aggressor and the attack can be avoided.

Making yourself appear smaller turns off

the aggression switch in an aggressor's brain.

This is an ideal position to take if you are being reprimanded

by a superior when you actually deserve the reprimand, but it

would be detrimental against a random street attack. From a

person who is walking past a group of possible assailants in

the street it would signal fear and this can contribute to incit-

ing an attack. If you walk upright with larger movements,

swinging your arms and legs and having your front open, you

will project that you could defend yourself if necessary and so

are less likely to be attacked.

The Sideways Glance

The Sideways Glance is used to communicate interest, uncer-
tainty or hostility. When it is combined with slightly raised
eyebrows or a smile, it communicates interest and is frequently
used as a courtship signal, mostly by women. If it is clustered
with down-turned eyebrows, furrowed brow or the corners of
the mouth down-turned, it signals a suspicious, hostile or crit-
ical attitude.

Extended Blinking

A normal, relaxed blinking rate is six to eight blinks per
minute and the eyes are closed for only about one tenth of a
second. People under pressure, for instance when they are
lying, are likely to dramatically increase their blinking rate.