Reading body language can provide valuable insights into a person's thoughts and feelings during a conversation. While it's crucial to interpret gestures in context and avoid over-analysis, here are some key body language signals and their common interpretations, as shared by Redditors:

General Advice

• Group Gestures: Always interpret body language signals in groups rather than individually. A single gesture, like crossing arms, might not mean much on its own. ["Key thing to remember in reading others is that gestures shouldn't be interpreted individually but in groups."](https://www.reddit.com/r/socialskills/comments/33clgp/comment/cqjm5l3/)

• Context and Culture: Be mindful that body language can vary significantly across cultures and contexts. ["You have to be very careful not to over interpret body language. Body language is not only highly dependent on the specific context... but can also vary significantly between different cultures."](https://www.reddit.com/r/psychology/comments/q3s58/comment/c3uirjl/)

• Resource: A helpful visual guide to body language can be found here: ["I found this somewhere in the internet. It might help you a little. http://imgur.com/cH18wNa"](https://www.reddit.com/r/socialskills/comments/33clgp/comment/cqjlhy9/)

Eye Contact

• Engagement: Direct eye contact often indicates that the person is listening and engaged. ["Their eye contact - if they're looking directly at you, they're listening clearly and stuff."](https://www.reddit.com/r/socialskills/comments/33clgp/comment/cqjm9bs/)

• Disinterest or Lying: Looking away frequently might suggest disinterest or that they are not being entirely truthful. ["Looking away could imply they're lying or just simply not bothered."](https://www.reddit.com/r/socialskills/comments/33clgp/comment/cqjm9bs/)

• Anxiety: Rapid blinking can be a sign of anxiety or emotional arousal. ["rapid blinking means they are feeling anxious/excited/generally emotionally aroused"](https://www.reddit.com/r/socialskills/comments/33clgp/comment/cqka9gi/)

Feet and Legs

• Interest: Feet facing towards you can indicate interest in the conversation. ["Feet: Facing towards you means they're interested."](https://www.reddit.com/r/socialskills/comments/33clgp/comment/cqjz3yj/)

• Desire to Leave: Feet facing away or sideways might suggest they want to end the conversation. ["Facing away or sideways of you means they kinda want to get out of the convo."](https://www.reddit.com/r/socialskills/comments/33clgp/comment/cqjz3yj/)

• Attention Direction: People subconsciously prepare to walk in the direction their feet are pointing. ["look at people's feet to see where their attention is. They subconsciously prepare to walk there"](https://www.reddit.com/r/socialskills/comments/33clgp/comment/cqka9gi/)

Arms and Hands

• Crossed Arms: Often indicate a defensive or closed-off stance. ["Where their arms are - folded, they most likely are somewhat holding themselves back from expressing themselves and not necessarily happy."](https://www.reddit.com/r/socialskills/comments/33clgp/comment/cqjm9bs/)

• Protecting Chest/Stomach: Can signal discomfort with the situation. ["Protecting chest/stomach (arms crossed, grabbing one wrist) means they are uncomfortable w/ the situation"](https://www.reddit.com/r/socialskills/comments/33clgp/comment/cqka9gi/)

• Touching Face/Adjusting Clothes: May indicate insecurity or discomfort. ["If they're touching their face or readjusting their clothes constantly, that can be a sign of insecurity or uncomfortableness."](https://www.reddit.com/r/socialskills/comments/33clgp/comment/cqjz3yj/)

• Finger Steeple: Often intentional, suggesting confidence or superiority. ["the finger steeple is always intentional (in my experience) and means the person is trying to look confident/superior"](https://www.reddit.com/r/socialskills/comments/33clgp/comment/cqka9gi/)

Body Posture and Space

• Open Body Language: Taking up space, stretching, or having hands behind the back can indicate comfort and confidence. ["taking up space, stretching, open body language, hands behind back means they are very comfortable in the situation"](https://www.reddit.com/r/socialskills/comments/33clgp/comment/cqka9gi/)

• Slouching: Can suggest disinterest or lack of confidence. "Honestly, if I had to pick one thing for people to focus on... it would be the slouch. Stand up straight..."

• General Rule: Confident people tend to take up space, while insecure people make themselves small. ["a general rule is 'Take up space'. People who are confident tend to feel comfortable allowing themselves to take up space... The opposite is true for insecure people - they tend to make themselves small."](https://www.reddit.com/r/autism/comments/1jif7ku/comment/mjgwnsg/)

Mirroring

• Attraction/Rapport: Mirroring another person's body language or speech can be a sign of attraction or building rapport. ["Watch who mirrors who's body language/speech, this is a sign of attraction"](https://www.reddit.com/r/socialskills/comments/33clgp/comment/cqka9gi/)

Facial Expressions

• Micro-Expressions: Pay attention to subtle, fleeting facial expressions that can reveal true emotions. ["Don't forget to pay attention to facial expressions and facial muscle movements as well."](https://www.reddit.com/r/socialskills/comments/33clgp/comment/cqkdww6/)

Touch

• Breaking the Touch Barrier: Can indicate interest, especially if done positively. ["Breaking the touch barrier is nice when it's for a positive reason or to a positive end."](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskMen/comments/ctzzoa/comment/exqu98w/)

• Physical Touching: Lightly touching an arm or shoulder during a conversation can signal interest. ["Physical touching. Guys are taught to keep their hands to themselves around women, so a guy will definitely notice if a girl breaks the touch barrier."](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskMen/comments/ctzzoa/comment/exqvyhp/)

Cautionary Notes

• Ambiguity: Body language can be ambiguous, and you will never have a 100% accurate reading of a person. ["A lot of body language can be ambiguous at times, and you will never have a 100% reading of a person."](https://www.reddit.com/r/socialskills/comments/33clgp/comment/cqjz3yj/)

• Direct Communication: Sometimes, direct communication is more effective than relying solely on body language. ["Let me speak for most dudes when I say none of those things even registers as communication. Use words, clearly and bluntly."](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskMen/comments/ctzzoa/comment/expovky/)

For more personalized advice and discussions, consider visiting these subreddits:

• r/socialskills

• r/bodylanguage

• r/psychology