Introduction -- All things are not what they seem -- How well do you know the back of your hand? -- How well can you spot body-language contradictions? -- How we wrote this book -- Your body-language dictionary -- 1. Understanding the basics -- In the beginning ... -- Why it's not what you say -- How body language reveals emotions and thoughts -- Why women are more perceptive -- What brain scans show -- How fortune-tellers know so much -- Inborn, genetic, or learned culturally? -- Some basic origins -- Universal gestures -- Three rules for accurate reading -- Why it can be easy to misread -- Why kids are easier to read -- Can you fake it? -- True-life story : the lying job applicant -- How to become a great reader -- 2. The power is in your hands -- How to detect openness -- Intentional use of the palms to deceive -- The law of cause and effect -- Palm power -- Our audience experiment -- An analysis of handshake styles -- Who should reach first? -- How dominance and control are communicated -- The submissive handshake -- How to create equality-- How to create rapport -- How to disarm a power player -- The cold, clammy handshake -- Gaining the left-side advantage -- When men and women shake hands -- The double-hander -- Handshakes of control -- The Blair-Bush power game -- The solution -- The world's eight worst handshakes -- The Arafat-Rabin handshake -- Summary --
3. The magic of smiles and laughter -- Smiling is a submission signal -- Why smiling is contagious -- How a smile tricks the brain -- Practicing the fake smile -- Smugglers smile less -- Five common types of smiles -- Why laughter is the best medicine -- Why you should take laughter seriously -- Why we laugh and talk, but chimps don't -- How humor heals -- Laughing till you cry -- How jokes work -- The laughter room -- Smiles and laughter are a way of bonding -- Humor sells -- The permanent down-mouth -- Smiling advice for women -- Laughter in love -- Summary -- 4. Arm signals -- Arm barrier signals -- Why crossed arms can be detrimental -- Yes ... but I'm just "comfortable" -- Gender differences -- Crossed-arms-on-chest -- The solution -- Reinforced arm-crossing -- Arm-gripping -- The boss vs. the staff -- Getting the thumbs-up -- Hugging yourself -- How the rich and famous reveal their insecurity -- The coffee cup barrier -- The power of touch -- Touch their hand, too -- Summary -- 5. Cultural differences -- We were having pizza at the time -- Take the cultural test -- Why we're all becoming American -- Cultural basics are the same almost everywhere -- Greeting differences -- When one culture encounters another -- The English stiff-upper-lip -- The Japanese -- "You dirty, disgusting pig!" : nose blowing -- The three most common cross-cultural gestures -- To touch or not to touch? -- How to offend other cultures -- Summary --
6. Hand and thumb gestures -- How the hands talk -- On the one hand ... -- On the other hand, gestures improve recall -- Rubbing the palms together -- Thumb and finger rub -- Hands clenched together -- The steeple -- Using steepling to win at chess -- Summary -- The face platter -- Holding hands behind the back -- Thumb displays -- Thumbs-protruding-from-coat-pocket -- Summary -- 7. Evaluation and deceit signals -- Lying research -- The three wise monkeys -- How the face reveals the truth -- Women lie the best and that's he truth -- Why it's hard to lie -- Eight of the most common lying gestures -- Evaluation and procrastination gestures -- Boredom -- Evaluation gestures -- The lying interviewee -- Chin stroking -- Stalling clusters -- Head rubbing and slapping gestures -- Why Bob always lost at chess -- The double meaning -- 8. Eye signals -- The dilating pupils -- Take the pupil test -- Women are better at it, as usual -- Giving them the eye -- The eyebrow flash -- Eye widening -- The "looking up" cluster -- How men's fires get lit -- Gaze behavior, where do you look? -- How to keep eye contact in a nudist colony -- How to grab a man's attention -- Most liars look you in the eye -- How to avoid being attached or abused -- The sideways glance -- Extended blinking -- Darting eyes -- The geography of the face -- The politician's story -- Look deep into my eyes, baby -- The first twenty seconds of an interview -- The solution -- What channel are you tuned to? -- How to hold eye contact with an audience -- How to present visual information -- The power lift -- Summary --
9. Space invaders, territories and personal space -- Personal space -- Zone distance -- Practical applications of zone distances -- Who is moving in on whom? -- Why we hate riding in elevators -- Why mobs become angry -- Spacing rituals -- Try the luncheon test -- Cultural factors affecting zone distances -- Why Japanese always lead when they waltz -- Country vs. city spatial zones -- Territory and ownership -- Car territory -- Take the test -- Summary -- 10. How the legs reveal what the mind wants to do -- Everybody's talking about a new way of walking -- How feet tell the truth -- The purpose of the legs -- The four main standing positions -- Defensive, cold, or "just comfortable"? -- How we move from closed to open -- The European leg cross -- The American figure four -- When the body closes, so does the mind -- Figure four leg clamp -- The ankle lock -- The short skirt syndrome -- The leg twine -- Parallel legs -- Put your right foot in, put your right foot out -- Summary -- 11. The thirteen most common gestures you'll see daily -- The head nod -- Why you should learn to nod -- How to encourage agreement -- The head shake -- The basic head positions -- The head duck -- Picking imaginary lint -- How we show we're ready for action -- The cowboy stance -- Sizing up the competition -- The legs-spread -- Leg-over-the-arm-of-chair -- Straddling a chair -- The catapult -- Gestures that show when a person is ready -- The starter's position -- Summary --
12. Mirroring, how we build rapport -- Creating the right vibes -- Mirroring on a cellular level -- Mirroring differences between men and women -- What to do about it if you're female -- When men and women start to look alike -- Do we resemble our pets? -- Monkey see, monkey do -- Matching voices -- Intentionally creating rapport -- Who mirrors whom? -- Summary -- 13. The secret signals of cigarettes, glasses, and makeup -- The two types of smokers -- Differences between men and women -- Smoking as a sexual display -- How to sport a positive or negative decision -- Cigar smokers -- How smokers end a session -- How to rad glasses -- Stalling tactics -- Peering-over-the-glasses -- Wearing glasses on the head -- The power of glasses and makeup -- A little lippy, lady? -- Briefcase signals -- Summary -- 14. How the body points to where the mind wants to go -- What body angles say -- How we exclude others -- Seated body pointing -- Foot pointing -- Summary -- 15. Courtship displays and attraction signals -- The emergence of the colorful male -- Graham's story -- Why women always call the shots -- Differences between men and women -- The attraction process -- The thirteen most common female courtship gestures and signals -- What men look at in women's bodies -- How beautiful people miss out -- Is he a butt, boobs, or leg man? -- Male courtship signals and gestures -- Men's bodies, what turns women on the most -- Is she a chest, legs, or butt gal? -- Summary --
16. Ownership, territory, and height signals
He's a big man around town
Why some people seem taller on TV
How body lowering can sometimes raise status
How TV politicians can win votes
How to placate angry people
What's love got to do with it?
Some strategies for gaining perceived height
17. Seating arrangements, where to sit and why
It's not what you say, it's where you sit
Keeping two people involved
Why teacher's pet sits on the left
How to make an audience cry
An experiment in learning
Getting a decision over dinner
18. Interviews, power plays, and office politics
Why James Bond looked cool, calm, and collected
The nine golden keys to making great first impressions
When someone keeps you waiting
Fake it till you make it?
Seven simple strategies for giving you the extra edge
How to switch table territories
How to rearrange an office
19. Putting it all together
How well can you rad between the lines?
The seven secrets of attractive body language.
