The Book of Tells (Peter Collett)[unlocked]

THE BOOK OF TELLS
reasonably assume that they're feeling impatient at that
moment, and not that they were impatient some time ago,
or that they anticipate being impatient in the future. Most
tells relate to what's happening at that moment - in other
words, they are 'time-locked'. There are two types of
time-locked tells - one type reveals people's enduring
traits, the other their current states. When someone
who is chronically anxious bites his nails, it's because
of his enduring traits, not because of any passing mood.
On the other hand, when someone who's acutely anxious
bites his nails, it's because of the current mood he's
in, not because of his enduring condition. In each of
these cases the nail-biting reveals what the person is
feeling at that time, even though it's a permanent experience
for the first person and a temporary one for the
second.
There are a number of time-locked tells that reveal
people's enduring traits. Some, like nail-biting and hairpulling,
are voluntary, while others, like tics, sweating,
heavy or shallow breathing, are involuntary. Depending
on their severity, some of these conditions may require
medical or psychiatric treatment. A classic example of a
chronic time-locked tell is hysterical paralysis, where the
person is unable, for example, to use one of their arms, not
because it's been physically damaged, but because they
have experienced a traumatic event which has placed
their arm beyond voluntary control. In such cases paralysis
can be cured only by psychological treatment, not by any
medical intervention.
There are also states that lie dormant, as it were, waiting
to reveal themselves in people's actions. Phobias are a
good example. People who jump up at the sight of a
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