The Book of Tells (Peter Collett)[unlocked]

DOMINANT TELLS
chair. When they get the opportunity, dominant people
prefer to adopt 'straight-leg' sitting postures. By stretching
out their legs, they symbolically place more of the public
space under their personal jurisdiction, thereby reducing
what's available to others and creating the impression that
their own needs matter more than those of other people.
On their own, 'step' sitting postures don't necessarily
offer any clues about dominance. However, the way that
people position their knees does convey reliable information
about whether they're feeling dominant or
submissive. People who sit with their knees apart send
clear, although usually unintended, signals that they are
feeling dominant. This is most noticeable in the case of
straight-leg sitting postures, where the legs are splayed and
fully extended. A feeling of dominance is also conveyed
by postures like the 'anvil', where the legs are bent, the
thighs are splayed and both feet are planted firmly on
the ground, and by the 'figure four' posture, where the
ankle of one leg rests on the thigh of the other, so that
the limbs look like the number 4. Both of these postures
involve phallic displays. They are therefore used more
frequently by men in parts of the world where there's a lot
of emphasis on macho values, like the Latin American
countries and the southern states of the US. Women don't
like these postures, largely because they can create an
impression of sexual availability. A fair amount of suppleness
and stamina is required to perform the figure four,
which is why the posture is associated with youthfulness.
When someone adopts the figure four, they are more likely
to be seen as youthful, relaxed and dominant.
Some sitting postures convey mixed messages -
especially when the two legs are positioned differently.
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