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The Book of Tells (Peter Collett)[unlocked]

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THE BOOK OF TELLS<br />

woman he knows and wrap his arms around her. She<br />

responds by placing her arms around him. A few seconds<br />

later she pats him on the back. <strong>The</strong> man immediately<br />

releases his hold and they both disengage. What the man<br />

doesn't realize is that he's unconsciously acting on<br />

instructions from the woman - by patting him on the<br />

back she's telling him that the hug is over. <strong>The</strong> woman is<br />

equally oblivious to what's happening - obviously, she<br />

knows that she's patting the man on the back, but she<br />

doesn't realize that she's using the pat as a 'termination<br />

signal'. In the context <strong>of</strong> the embrace, patting therefore<br />

serves as a stealth tell - it pretends to be something it's<br />

not. It may look like a gesture <strong>of</strong> affection, but its real<br />

purpose is to draw the hug to a close, and to do so without<br />

causing any <strong>of</strong>fence.<br />

Kissing <strong>Tells</strong><br />

Some societies have strict rules about how individuals<br />

should greet each other, based on their gender, age and<br />

social rank. <strong>The</strong>re are also unwritten rules in our society,<br />

but these tend to be more fluid and ill defined. <strong>The</strong>re are<br />

situations, for example, where it's not entirely clear<br />

whether we should kiss someone on the cheek or shake<br />

their hand, even though the choice that we make could<br />

have far-reaching consequences. During the presidential<br />

election Al Gore and George W. Bush appeared,<br />

separately, on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Gore had<br />

acquired a reputation as something <strong>of</strong> a kisser before he<br />

appeared on the show - he'd given his wife, Tipper, an<br />

enormous kiss at the Convention the previous month.<br />

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