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The Book of Tells (Peter Collett)[unlocked]

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THE BOOK OF TELLS<br />

to give him the benefit <strong>of</strong> the doubt and allow him to continue<br />

holding the floor. <strong>The</strong> floor-holding role <strong>of</strong> smoking<br />

was recognized by William Thackeray in the nineteenth<br />

century. 'Honest men with cigars in their mouths,' he<br />

observed, 'have great physical advantages in conversation.<br />

You may stop talking if you like - but the breaks <strong>of</strong> silence<br />

never seem disagreeable, being fuelled up by the puffing<br />

<strong>of</strong> smoke.' 8<br />

Cigarettes also help to initiate conversations and consolidate<br />

relationships. Before smoking started to become<br />

unfashionable, cigarettes were <strong>of</strong>ten used to strike up a<br />

conversation - one person <strong>of</strong>fered a cigarette and provided<br />

a light, the other accepted, and a bond <strong>of</strong> friendship<br />

and trust was immediately formed. Nowhere is this<br />

process more evident than in war, where cigarettes are the<br />

currency <strong>of</strong> comradeship and where smoking binds<br />

soldiers powerfully together. <strong>The</strong> act <strong>of</strong> <strong>of</strong>fering a cigarette,<br />

both in this situation and elsewhere, is a very primitive<br />

gesture, not only because it represents a gift, but because<br />

it's Promethean - it's a gift <strong>of</strong> the distinctively human<br />

ability to make fire. <strong>The</strong> other reason why cigarettes bind<br />

people together is that they provide a way <strong>of</strong> modifying<br />

mood. As Richard Klein has pointed out, the gift <strong>of</strong> a<br />

cigarette is always a gift <strong>of</strong> composure. 9 It <strong>of</strong>fers the person<br />

a means to relax, to take stock, and to obscure their<br />

worries in smoke.<br />

Personality <strong>Tells</strong><br />

Cigarettes and cigars can be used aggressively. Watch a<br />

group <strong>of</strong> smokers and you'll <strong>of</strong>ten see a dominant person<br />

340

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