The Definitive Book of Body Language

The 13 Most Common Gestures You'll See Daily

defensively. Instead, try talking to his crotch — responses such

as 'You've got a good point there, Bob' and 'I can see where

you're coming from' can teach a valuable lesson as well as

causing riotous laughter when used at the right time.

Leg-Over-the-Arm-of-Chair

This is mainly done by men because it also uses the Legs-
Spread. It not only signifies the man's ownership of the chair,
it also signals that he has an informal, aggressive attitude.

Informality, indifference

and lack of concern

It is common to see two male friends laughing and joking with
each other while sitting this way, but let's consider its impact in
different circumstances. Let's say an employee has a personal
problem and goes to ask his boss for advice. As the employee
explains, he leans forward in the chair, his hands on his knees,
his head down, with a dejected expression and voice lowered.
The boss listens, sitting motionless, then leans back in his chair
and puts one leg over the arm. The boss's attitude has now
changed to lack of concern or indifference. In other words, he
has little concern for the employee or his problem and he may
even feel that his time is being wasted with the 'same old story'.
So what was the boss indifferent about? He may have consid-
ered the employee's problem, decided that it's not much of a
problem anyway and become disinterested. He may even tell his
employee not to worry and that the problem will simply go away