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The Book of Tells (Peter Collett)[unlocked]

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SUBMISSIVE TELLS<br />

who's more dominant. <strong>The</strong> Eye-dip is also used as a<br />

flirtatious signal.<br />

• THE EYE-SHUTTLE. Submissive people frequently flick<br />

their eyes from side to side, <strong>of</strong>ten without moving their<br />

head. This is designed not only to try and take in everything<br />

that's happening around them, but also,<br />

instinctively, to search for possible escape routes.<br />

• THE EYE-PUFF. Here the eyelids are pulled back to make<br />

the eyes look bigger. This conveys an image <strong>of</strong> innocent<br />

attentiveness, and when the other person doesn't recognize<br />

what's happening it can be very disarming. <strong>The</strong><br />

eye-puff relies on the fact that babies have disproportionately<br />

large eyes, relative to the rest <strong>of</strong> their face. 9 Large<br />

eyes are an 'innate releaser': we feel protective and<br />

nurturing whenever we encounter someone who has<br />

large eyes, or who has enlarged them to look more<br />

appealing.<br />

It's worth noticing that all <strong>of</strong> these submissive ocular<br />

gestures are symmetrical - in other words, both eyes do<br />

the same thing. Asymmetrical movements <strong>of</strong> the eyes tend<br />

to be associated with more informal types <strong>of</strong> exchange,<br />

like friendship. <strong>The</strong>re are, however, ways that these submissive<br />

ocular gestures differ from each other. Both the<br />

eye-dip and the eye-shuttle are motivated by negative feelings,<br />

like fear or shame, whereas the eye-puff gesture is<br />

designed to be disarming and solicitous.<br />

Another way that people try to appear disarming is by<br />

wearing their spectacles or their sunglasses on the top <strong>of</strong><br />

their head. Elevating the glasses in this way is rather like<br />

85

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