Reading people is a skill that can be learned.
Many of us are aware of the basics, but there are many psychology tricks to help you read people more quickly and better understand what they’re thinking or feeling.
This article will teach you 7 tricks to help you understand human behavior and how to read people.
#1 – The Body Language
Think of the last conversation you had with someone. How did they react to what you said? How were their body movements and facial expressions while speaking with them?
How people hold their bodies often tells you what they’re actually feeling.
Suppose that a person is making more movements than usual – you can easily guess that they are tensed or nervous over something.
If they are crossing their arms, it’s often a sign that they feel threatened or uncomfortable.
For example, if someone’s arms are crossed over their chest, and the head is tilted to one side, they may be angry or frustrated with something that has happened. On the other hand, if someone stands up tall and puffs out their chest, they might feel proud of themselves.
Some people might have their arms on the back of a chair, with one leg crossed over the other. This is often an indication that this person feels relaxed.
Investing time and effort into understanding human behavior is always worthwhile; there are many psychology tricks to help you read people easily and better understand what they’re thinking or feeling.
This way, you will know precisely how to react in different life situations.
#2 – Observe the Voice and Tone
Once you master the art of reading people through their voices, you will start detecting hidden emotions immediately.
If you’re in a group of people and one person starts talking, how does the voice change? How do they stand or sit while speaking with others?
How fast are their words coming out; can you detect any pauses between sentences?
If someone talks fast, it can often be an indication that they’re worried. If there are pauses in between sentences and words come out very slowly or distinctly slower than usual, the person might feel sad or depressed.
#3 – Pay Attention to Facial Features
The human face can convey countless emotions without them saying anything. It’s easier to read people through their facial expressions because these messages are often more concise than other forms of communication; it is essential to understand the meaning behind an expression for you to read someone easily.
The next time you’re in a conversation with somebody, try to observe the facial expressions of that person and see what they are trying to communicate or feel.
For example, how does their brow look while speaking? How do they hold their mouth when listening?
Do not forget about eye contact – it may seem simple but is an important aspect of communication. How do they look at you when speaking? How often do their eyes shift from your face to something else or close momentarily before opening again?
We need to know the meaning hidden behind words and body language to read people more easily.
#4 – Listen to the Words Carefully
Sometimes, by carefully hearing the spoken language, you get to know the hidden meaning behind the veil of the words. In addition, you get to know a lot about a person’s personality when you put special focus on their spoken language.
For instance, you get to know about their ideas, beliefs, assumptions, biases, inclinations, and many more. Also, do not forget to ignore the silence between the spoken language.
You must have heard of how powerful the silence is. Therefore, identify the pauses. You can tell from the break if it’s a hesitation pause or a sigh pause.
How do you know the difference? For example, how long is each pause in between words or sentences?
In a hesitation pause, there should be no more than two seconds of silence before continuing. A sigh type of pause can often last up to five seconds and sometimes even longer because this person could be tired or frustrated with what is being said.
#5 – Focus on Your Intuitive Cues
Often understanding people is less about how your mind perceives and judges them rather more about what your gut tells about them. Undoubtedly, gut feeling is a trustworthy one.
What does your instinct tell you? How does the person make you feel about them?
The more time and effort invested into understanding human behavior, the better it is.
The following two steps will help you improve your intuition and make it easier for you to know what other people are thinking.
- Notice sensations in your body. How does your body feel while you’re with other people? How do they make you feel about yourself? Pay attention to small details that might not seem important at first. Guided body scans help improve awareness of our inner landscape.
- Clear your mind & relax. Think only about the body, not using your mind. Focus on how it feels to be in that moment and notice what you feel with no judgmental thoughts or analysis. Observe yourself and other people without judging them. Remind yourself of this feeling when you are trying to read someone else’s emotions.
#6 – Observe How They Walk
Often, people who shuffle along, lack a flowing motion in their movements or keep their head down lack self-confidence. LaRae Quy, FBI Agent
Keep in mind that there are other aspects to consider about someone’s stride when you’re trying to read them more easily: how long somebody steps for or if they lift from the balls of their feet or heels as opposed to staying on one foot at a time – these are all things that can give you a good idea of what someone is feeling.
Furthermore, the way somebody walks can tell you if they feel vulnerable or not at ease in their own skin. Often people take short steps when they’re either intimidated by where they are or don’t want to interact with who is ahead of them.
#7 – Sum Up All Your Observations
Keep in mind that one of the traits can never tell the exact thing about an individual. It would be best if you observed different actions. Therefore, after paying attention, observing, and noticing all the patterns of behaviors, the final trick is to compile them and then decide about a person or their intentions.
Your Turn!
You have now learned how to read people easily with these seven psychology tricks. Remember that one of the traits can never tell you everything about a person or their intentions because there are always many other things in consideration when reading someone else’s emotions and what they’re thinking.
The more time and effort invested into understanding human behavior, the better it will be in your life. Likewise, understanding others’ feelings or intentions can help build stronger relationships with them as well!
Which of these 7 tricks did you found the most useful?
Let us know in the comments!
