The Book of Tells (Peter Collett)[unlocked]

THE BOOK OF TELLS
people's behaviour revealed about their personality or
their motives. He was a great believer, however, in the art
of divination with jellybeans. He once famously remarked
that 'you can tell a lot about a fellow's character by his
way of eating jellybeans' - for example, does someone
show himself to be a creature of habit by picking out just
one colour, or does he reveal his impulsiveness and lack
of self-consciousness by grabbing a whole handful. In
more ways than one, Reagan's presidency was a 'jellybean
presidency'. A large jar of jellybeans always presided over
the important meetings that he held in the White House,
and at the inaugural gala in 1981 it's reported that some
40 million jellybeans were consumed!
In a recent survey in America Ronald Reagan was voted
the third-greatest US President of all time, behind George
Washington and Abraham Lincoln. 1 The result of this poll
surprised many political pundits because Reagan didn't
produce any impressive legislation or particularly inspiring
speeches, and he'd been involved in the Contra
scandal. However, pundits often overlook the fact that
politicians are judged by their demeanour as much as by
their policies. 2 Little things, like the way politicians walk
or smile, can have a far greater impact on how they are
remembered than all their political achievements and
failures. In the end, Reagan's blunders, his political gaffes,
his ignorance and his somnolent attitude to the office of
President - all these things were forgiven because he was
able to produce the right tells.
During his presidency Clinton also adopted a macho
walking style, and George W. Bush has followed in his
footsteps. Indeed, George W. Bush is probably the fittest
US American President there's ever been. He runs a
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