The cues

The famous ones prove the least.

The research behind TELL names three hundred and seventy-eight cues, and three hundred and sixty-five of them carry the reasons they read wrong. Twenty are set out here: the seven the reading on the front page uses, eight that people are surest about, and five that hold up better than most.

Crossed arms, which everybody has been told means defensive, is thin evidence. Gaze aversion, which everybody has been told means lying, is thin evidence. So is nose rubbing. The reasons are printed under each one and they are not hedges. A cold room produces folded arms within minutes, and many people fold them because the chair has no armrests. The eye belief fails in testing, because plenty of liars hold your gaze longer rather than shorter.

A thin cue is not useless. It is a cue that is not evidence on its own, and most of what gets repeated about body language is made of those. Five of these hold up better, and even they carry the reasons they read wrong.

The reading

arms

2 cues

Regions The reading

ARM-001

Crossed arms

Both arms fold across the front of the torso, each hand coming to rest on or near the opposite arm or tucking against the ribs. The forearms form a horizontal bar at chest or stomach height. Pressure ranges from a loose drape to a firm clamp, and the position can hold for seconds or the better part of an hour.

Reads wrong when

Cold rooms produce the identical posture within minutes.
Many people fold their arms because the chair has no armrests.
For a great many people it is a resting habit and nothing else.

ARM-017

Object barrier

A carried object such as a bag, laptop, clipboard, cushion, or menu rides high against the chest or stomach, held with one or both arms wrapped over it rather than dangling at the side. The object stays between the holder and other people even when a table or shoulder is available to park it.

Reads wrong when

Crowds, theft-wary travel, and heavy bags all justify chest carrying.
Habit carries over, and many people hug folders everywhere, at ease or not.

In the reading, ARM-017

eyebrows

1 cue

Regions The reading

BROW-001

Eyebrow flash

Both eyebrows shoot upward together and drop back down within roughly a fifth of a second. The eyes widen briefly as the brows peak, and the head often tips back a few degrees at the same instant. The whole event is faster than most blinks and usually happens at the moment two people first make eye contact across a distance.

Reads wrong when

Given to friends, acquaintances, and near-strangers alike; it marks acknowledgement rather than a particular feeling.
Not universal in use: adults in some cultures suppress it as improper.
So fast it is routinely missed at distance or in low light.

eyes

3 cues

Regions The reading

EYE-005

Gaze aversion

Mid-interaction, the eyes swing away from the other person and settle on a neutral point such as the table, a wall, or the middle distance, and return only briefly or not at all. The head may follow the eyes or stay facing forward while only the gaze departs.

Reads wrong when

People look away to think, and in many cultures a lowered gaze toward elders or authority is respect.
Autistic and socially anxious people look away far more often, with no bearing on the topic.
The folk belief that liars cannot hold eye contact fails in testing, and practised deceivers often over-hold it.

EYE-041

Recall gaze break

Mid-answer, the eyes disengage from the listener and slide up, sideways, or down into empty space while the person retrieves a thought, returning once the words are found. The break lasts one to several seconds and recurs at each effortful point in the account.

Reads wrong when

The popular map of 'looking left means lying, right means remembering' has repeatedly failed testing, and the direction is idiosyncratic.
A break in gaze accompanies thinking, searching, and listening alike.

EYE-043

Welling eyes

A line of moisture thickens along the lower lids until the eyes take on a glassy shine, sometimes trembling at the lash line without spilling. Blinking quickens, the person may look up or away to keep the film in place, and the voice often thickens in the same moment.

Reads wrong when

Wind, allergies, yawning, and onions wet the eyes mechanically.
Overwhelming joy and pride produce the identical shine.

feet

3 cues

Regions The reading

FEET-002

Foot pointing away

During a face-to-face exchange, one foot, often followed by the second, rotates away from the conversation partner and settles aimed at a doorway, aisle, or open space. The upper body may remain fully turned toward the other person, producing a visible twist between hips and feet. The angle persists rather than correcting itself.

Its absence is calledfeet squared

Reads wrong when

A television, buffet, or arriving friend in that direction draws a foot for its own reasons.
Tight standing groups force odd angles on everyone.

In the reading, FEET-002

FEET-005

Ankle locking

One ankle crosses tightly over or behind the other and presses in, so the two feet form a single braided unit. Seated, the locked pair often retreats under the chair; standing, the free foot's toe may rest on the floor behind the planted foot. Muscle tension is visible at the ankles and calves, and the lock can hold for many minutes without adjustment.

Reads wrong when

Many people, especially those taught formal posture, cross their ankles as neutral etiquette.
Long sits produce ankle crosses purely for comfort.

In the reading, FEET-005

FEET-006

Foot freeze

Feet that had been bouncing, wiggling, or swinging stop abruptly and hold completely still, often mid-rhythm. The stillness arrives within a beat of a specific word or event and can last from seconds to the rest of the conversation. Frequently the whole lower body locks with it, ankles drawing in slightly.

Reads wrong when

Concentration, a task change, or settling into a position can stop foot movement.
The pause does not establish stress; compare the preceding movement and what happens next.

hands

2 cues

Regions The reading

HAND-034

Object fidgeting

The hands repetitively manipulate a small object, clicking a pen, spinning a phone face-down on the table, rolling a lighter over the knuckles, folding and refolding a napkin corner. The manipulation runs in cycles for minutes and continues without the eyes ever checking the object. The rest of the posture may look fully attentive.

Reads wrong when

Fidgeting can be habitual or accompany concentration.
For many autistic and ADHD people it is a lifelong way to regulate, and it tracks focus as often as unease.
Rate changes do not establish distress or its absence.

HAND-048

Limp handshake

The offered hand arrives slack, fingers only, with no palm contact and a negligible squeeze, and withdraws quickly, sometimes before the pump completes. The wrist stays loose so the hand flops rather than grips. The arm often extends only partway, making the other person close the distance.

Reads wrong when

Arthritis, injury, and a hand already carrying something all produce it.
Germ-averse people minimise contact on principle.
The grip barely rises above noise as an observation.

hips

1 cue

Regions The reading

HIP-003

Pelvic orientation

The pelvis rotates until the belt line squarely faces one particular person or the nearest opening, and the head and chest may be aimed elsewhere while it does. The alignment can persist unchanged for an entire conversation.

Reads wrong when

Furniture and crowd geometry can force an angle.
Some people square themselves to whoever is loudest.
Where the hips point describes the room, and it does not rank the people in it.

In the reading, HIP-003

legs

2 cues

Regions The reading

LEG-002

Leg cross away

Seated, one thigh crosses the other so the raised knee points away from the companion, presenting the side of the thigh as a low wall between the two bodies. The upper body often rotates a few degrees in the same direction, and the crossing arm may settle on the raised leg.

Reads wrong when

Preferred side, clothing, and seating affect the direction of a cross.
Timing can help describe a re-cross; it does not establish a closed mind.

LEG-014

Walking pace change

Mid-walk, the stride changes: steps quicken, shorten, slow, lengthen, or halt before resuming. Compare the shift with the walker's preceding rhythm, and check for changes in the path, task, or surroundings.

Reads wrong when

Phones, remembered errands, and uneven pavement all interrupt a stride.
Only meaningful measured against the walker's own rhythm seconds earlier.

In the reading, LEG-014

lips

1 cue

Regions The reading

LIP-001

Lip compression

The lips press together into a firmer, thinner line, and the margins whiten where the pressure is greatest. The corners stay neutral or angle slightly down, and the jaw often tightens with them. Intensity runs from a soft momentary press to a hard sustained seal.

Its absence is callednothing pressed

Reads wrong when

Plain physical effort presses the lips too, from lifting something heavy to threading a needle.
Brief presses punctuate normal speech planning.

mouth

1 cue

Regions The reading

MOUTH-019

Long exhale

A deep inhale followed by one long, audible blow of air out through loosely open or slightly rounded lips. The cheeks may hollow and the shoulders visibly drop as the breath empties.

Reads wrong when

Exertion and deliberate breath regulation can produce a long exhale.
The exhale does not prove emotional tension existed or identify its cause.

In the reading, MOUTH-019

neck

2 cues

Regions The reading

NECK-003

Throat covering

The palm or the backs of the fingers come to rest against the front of the throat, below the chin, and stay for a beat or longer. Sometimes the fingers loosely encircle the throat like a collar. The elbow usually stays tucked, keeping the whole gesture small and close to the body.

Its absence is calledthroat open

Reads wrong when

A sore throat, clothing, or a pendant can draw a hand to the front of the neck.
Contact during questioning does not establish distress or a lie.

In the reading, NECK-003

NECK-001

Suprasternal notch touching

Fingertips rise to the small hollow at the base of the front of the neck, between the collarbones, and either rest there lightly or cover it with the flat of the fingers. The touch may last a second or stay for minutes. Some people grip the hollow between thumb and fingers rather than covering it flat.

Its absence is callednotch clear

Reads wrong when

Jewellery, clothing, sensation, and habit can bring fingers to this hollow.
Contact does not establish distress, even when it follows a difficult topic.

nose

1 cue

Regions The reading

NOSE-004

Nose rubbing

A hand rises and the finger pads rub across the tip or along one side of the nose, one to several passes, before the hand returns to rest. Pressure ranges from a light drag to a firm knead. It often happens mid-sentence or right after a pointed question.

Reads wrong when

Itches, allergies, colds, and habit can produce nose rubbing.
A touch during questioning does not establish stress or certify a lie.

torso

1 cue

Regions The reading

TORSO-012

Supported recline

The torso rests back against the chair with full contact, muscles slack, arms loose on the rests or in the lap, and breathing slow and low. The angle is open rather than twisted, and the position arrives gradually and persists across topics rather than snapping into place on any one remark.

Reads wrong when

Nearly indistinguishable from disengagement without supporting cues.
Chair design dictates recline more than mood does.
A default posture for many people.

Seven of these, read off one dinner.

The front page takes the second scene of chapter one and reads it off the body, one cue at a time, in the order the scene sets them down.

TELL is a noir in four acts about a man who is perfect with words and cannot read a room. The reading is one hour of it, the evening his four year relationship ends while he takes notes on the wine.

The reading, one dinner at a corner table

Twenty-eight chapters are finished. The first seven are open.