Leer El Comportamiento Humano

CHAPTER

1

ACQUIRING THE SKILLS


FOR READING GESTURES
“Learning is acquired by reading books, but the much more necessary learning, the knowledge of the world, is only to be acquired by reading men, and studying all the various editions of them.” — Lord Chesterfield, “Letters to His Son” ANairport is an excellent spot for viewing the entire human emotional spectrum. As travelers arriveand depart, you can see the woman who is very apprehensive about flying pinching the fleshy part of her hand for reassurance, as if she were saying to herself, “It’s going to be all right.” In the same manner people say, “I had to pinch myself to make sure that it wasn’t a dream.” A male waiting for departure time may also be unsure about flying. However, he is sitting in a rigid, upright positionwith his ankles locked. His hands are clenched together, making one big fist, while he rhythmically massages one thumb against the other on top of his interlocked hands. These gestures indicate a nervous attitude. Walking away from the departure area, you see three men in telephone booths. One of them (Figure 1) is standing with his body at attention. His coat is buttoned. He gives theimpressionthat whoever he is talking to is very important to him. He might be a salesman talking to a customer on the telephone as if he were actually in his presence. The second caller’s body is relaxed (Figure 2). He slouches over, shifts his weight from foot to foot, and rests his chin on his chest. He appears to be looking at the floor and nods his head as if saying, “Yeah, yeah.” Reading this personfurther, you get the impression that he is comfortable but possibly bored with the conversation and attempting to hide the fact. The receiver of the call can be taken for granted. It is probably his wife or an old friend. From these clues, can you visualize how a third caller might look as he talks to his girlfriend? This caller’s face is hidden. His hunched shoulder may be concealing it from viewor his body may be completely turned away from passers-by. His head is probably tilted to one side, and he handles the phone as if it were the object of his affection (Figure 3). As you move toward the baggage-claim area, you may see a family group, which you can identify by the striking similarity in the way they all walk. Others on their way to the baggage-claim counter who have been met byfamily or friends usually appear the happiest and walk with a great deal of enthusiasm. Those who are waiting to be met keep rising on their toes and looking around. During our brief visit to the airport we have become aware of the different actions of people. Merely by noting a variety of gestures we have been able to make guesses about people: attitudes, relationships, and situations. We have evenconjured up an image of the person on the other end of the telephone line. Our observations have been of people acting and reacting in the real world, not in an isolated laboratory situation. In short, we have been exposed to the vast field of nonverbal communication that complements and supplements and can even displace verbal exchange. We have begun to read a person like a book.

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The salesman

2. The husband

3. The lover

Life, the True Testing Ground
“It’s as large as life, and twice as natural!” — Lewis Carroll, “Through the Looking Glass” Automobile manufacturers subject any new car accessory to extensive testing. However, it is not until the accessory is exposed to real-life situations that itssuccess or failure can be definitively determined. Some years ago the Ford Motor Company decided to improve the safety of its automobile by adding an accessory called the vacuum automatic door lock, a device designed to lock the door automatically as soon as the car reached a speed of 9 m.p.h. After cars with the new locks were on the market, however, Ford began receiving complaint after...