Everything you need to know about Body Language Part I – The legs

The most honest body part

Do you know that the legs are the most honest part of the human body. From the start of human evolution, even further than the time that we learned how to use tools, feet were the most active part of a human body. It carries us to food to shelter or run away from dangers, plagues. Human has always been a communicative species, we live and depend on each other and talked even before we know how to speak. Sounds weird, but we communicated by looking at others’ leg to gain information ever since the dawn of human time.

Fast forward to modern day, body language is more aware by everyone, but people only find cues in the face. Human is also a smart and deceptive species we’ve found way to cheat the face expression. But imagine sitting in a desk in front of your boss lying about the reason you’re being late this morning, your face is out there so you have to lie, but what’s the body part that is hidden from the confrontation? The legs. It never learned to lie.

Although body language is a continual science and hard to grab everything, there are a few pointers that you can see in everyday life.

Positive sign

The legs can be interpreted as how it’s intended to be used. If it’s planted on the ground, meaning that person is ready to do something and if it’s up on the air, that person is comfortable and stay right there.

• If the legs are jumping, that person is happy. A lot of people don’t just show this but if that person is sitting behind a desk, you might catch the legs jumping.
• When the legs are cross with one leg on the thigh, that person is comfortable.
• Same position but the feet is pointing upward can be interpreted as that person is happy.
• When the feet are pointing toward someone, they’re comfortable with that person. Or when the tip of the toe is on the ground too.
• If 2 people have the same leg cross either sitting down or standing up, they are really comfortable with each other.
• When 2 people are walking together, they often have the same walk, same rythm.
• When 2 people have their legs touching or playing footsie, they are flirting. Next time you see a couples sitting down for lunch or dinner, pay attention to their feet, you’ll find the sign.

Negative sign

• When the feet are in starter position like how people prepare to run, that person is uncomfortable and want to leave. You can often find this in the new class, some people tend to sit down but feet are in starter position and it slowly goes away as the class goes on.
• If the hands are on their knees: they want to leave and if they rub their hands on the knees: they are stressing. I want to point out that stressing does not necessarily mean lying.
• When someone is sitting and their feet cross each other on the ankles, that person is stressing. Pay attention if the legs switch to crossing the chair’s legs or become tighter. That mean the level of stress increases.
• When the feet are on the ground, taking a lot of spaces, that person want to show authority.

Other tips

• You can combine these signs and show how a person is changing internally. Is he changing from comfort to stressing or is she changing from stressing to even more stress. With a little educated guess, you can conclude if that person is lying or not.
• This tip is for paying attention to thief. If someone is walking without a purpose, wandering but suddenly walk fast, be careful, you might be the chosen target.

Conclusion

The legs not only the most honest, but also the easiest to observed as the movement is relatively wide. Give it a try next time you’re out side and you’ll get faster with recognizing legs language, and having more time inducing something else.

Check out: “What’s everybody is saying” by Joe Navarro

Homework: Pay attention to 10 people’s leg language everyday for a week, see how fast you pick up the signs.