The Ultimate Body Language Book

than simple observation. While Watson had merely seen the steps, Holmes had actively observed them.
In a study by Simons and Chabris in 1999 out of Harvard University, Cambridge it was shown just how
poor people are as observers of their surroundings. In the study a man walked in front of a group of
students dressed in a gorilla suit while other activities took place around them. Half of the students
hadn’t even noticed the “gorilla in their midst” which aptly formed part of the title to the study! It just
goes to show that passive watching and active observing are two very different things, and this is what
will separate average body language readers that cover the material like anyone else, even recall it, but
two weeks later, become half as effective or worse, from those who build on their skills daily on their
way to mastery. Active observation is a key ingredient to reading people and it can’t be done walking
around blindfolded, however, even with a keen eye there will still be signals that go unnoticed as body
language is fluid, ever changing and sometimes never repeating, meaning you only get one shot to
catch a signal before it’s gone forever. Life is rich in detail and complex, we’d be fools to think we
could read everything, but even with minimal effort, we can still impress others, and even ourselves,
with how much can be read.
Remember too that it is always your job to determine the true intent of the sender, whatever cues they
give off. Once you’ve caught cues that you think matter, remember that it is the sender of the message
that determines it’s meaning, not the receiver.
This all sounds like a lot of work, but don’t worry, with practice your mind essential shifts back into
autopilot and the process happens naturally. With time and practice, your subconscious will pick up and
interpret skills all by itself without requiring active thought.