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The Book of Tells (Peter Collett)[unlocked]

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1. <strong>Tells</strong><br />

Let's imagine that you're talking to an old friend about<br />

your schooldays together. You casually ask him if he<br />

misses his days at school. 'Oh no,' he replies, 'I don't have<br />

any regrets. I'm glad that's all over.' As he's talking, he<br />

briefly wipes the skin under his right eye with his index<br />

finger. <strong>The</strong>re's no reason why you should notice this tiny<br />

gesture, and if you did you'd probably think that he was<br />

just removing a bit <strong>of</strong> dust from his face. But he isn't. <strong>The</strong><br />

gesture is in fact a tell, and it casts an entirely different<br />

light on your friend's true feelings. Although he says that<br />

he doesn't miss his days at school, part <strong>of</strong> his brain knows<br />

otherwise, and it instructs his finger to wipe away an<br />

imaginary tear. So, while the conscious part <strong>of</strong> his brain is<br />

saying, 'I have no regrets', another part is producing a tell<br />

which says, 'Well actually, I do have regrets!' Momentarily<br />

your friend might recognize his complicated feelings, but<br />

it's highly unlikely that he realizes what his unruly finger<br />

is doing, or what it reveals about his true feelings.<br />

<strong>The</strong> friend who wipes away an imaginary tear produces<br />

an autonomous tell - in other words, a tell that has no<br />

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