The Dictionary of Body Language: A Field Guide to What Every BODY Is Saying

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Some believe that body language helps us communicate more effectively than do our words. We also use nonverbal cues to help us evaluate others’ thoughts, feelings, and intentions – making our communication more empathetic and effective. In 2008, Navarro (ex-FBI agent) published What Every Body is Saying and now a decade later has published this book as a follow-up.

Chapters in this book start with the head and work down the body, eventually to the legs and feet (a total of nineteen substantive chapters). Each chapter starts with an introductory paragraph of that part of the body followed by one-paragraph length interpretations of what a specific action involving that body part tells us about the individual. For instance, one entry in the chapter titled “Eyes” reads:

“Frequent Blinking – People who are nervous, tense, or stressed will generally blink more rapidly than those who are not. Frequent blinking is erroneously associated with deception. It is only indicative of stress or other factors noted above as even the honest blink more frequently when being questioned aggressively.”

Paragraphs like the one above are sequentially numbered, and the numbering does not reset when moving to subsequent chapters. The entire book has 406 such paragraphs, and their distribution varies widely among chapters. The chapters on eyebrows and ears have the fewest (six entries), while the chapter on hands and fingers has the most (69 entries).

The book’s premise is that our nonverbal cues developed as part of our evolution, and most of us are unaware of our actions. It also cautions us that observers need to look at the situation and other nonverbal indicators before interpreting cues. Overall, and excellent book that distills decades of human observation.


Reviewed By:

Author Joe Navarro
Star Count /5
Format Trade
Page Count 208 pages
Publisher William Morrow Paperbacks
Publish Date 2018-Aug-21
ISBN 9780062846877
Bookshop.org Buy this Book
Issue November 2018
Category Reference
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