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The Definitive Book of Body Language: The Hidden Meaning Behind People's Gestures and Expressions Kindle Edition

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 3,044 ratings

Available for the first time in the United States, this international bestseller reveals the secrets of nonverbal communication to give you confidence and control in any face-to-face encounter—from making a great first impression and acing a job interview to finding the right partner.

It is a scientific fact that people’s gestures give away their true intentions. Yet most of us don’t know how to read body language– and don’t realize how our own physical movements speak to others. Now the world’s foremost experts on the subject share their techniques for reading body language signals to achieve success in every area of life.

Drawing upon more than thirty years in the field, as well as cutting-edge research from evolutionary biology, psychology, and medical technologies that demonstrate what happens in the brain, the authors examine each component of body language and give you the basic vocabulary to read attitudes and emotions through behavior.

Discover:
• How palms and handshakes are used to gain control
• The most common gestures of liars
• How the legs reveal what the mind wants to do
• The most common male and female courtship gestures and signals
• The secret signals of cigarettes, glasses, and makeup
• The magic of smiles–including smiling advice for women
• How to use nonverbal cues and signals to communicate more effectively and get the reactions you want

Filled with fascinating insights, humorous observations, and simple strategies that you can apply to any situation, this intriguing book will enrich your communication with and understanding of others–as well as yourself.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"When Allan and Barbara Pease write, I read. And underline. And learn. And laugh. And steal. The Definitive Book of Body Language is a marvel of a book!"—Tom Peters, author of In Search of Excellence and Re-Imagine!


From the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Allan Pease is the world’s foremost expert on body language. His acclaimed book Body Language has sold over 4 million copies and his top rated TV series on the same subject has been seen by over 100 million people world-wide. He travels the world lecturing on human communication and has written four other bestselling books. Barbara Pease is CEO of Pease Training International which produces videos, training courses and seminars for business and governments world-wide. She is the author of the international bestseller Memory Language.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000SEH9QG
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bantam; 1st edition (November 12, 2008)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 12, 2008
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 7246 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 402 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 3,044 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
3,044 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book easy to read and well-written. They find the information informative and helpful, drawing on academic research in psychology and other social sciences. The illustrations are excellent and depict body postures clearly. Readers appreciate the humor and humorous examples. The book provides insight into what certain gestures mean and how to interpret them. However, opinions differ on whether the book is worth the price and useful, or redundant at times.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

332 customers mention "Readability"309 positive23 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and understand. They appreciate the light tone and lack of academic prose. The book provides an overview of reading nonverbal cues that people give and receive. It is well-structured and structured with photographs.

"...I think this book is more useful for reading people in social or personal situations because it is much easier to accurately read someone's body..." Read more

"This book gives an overview of reading nonverbal cues that people give and receive...." Read more

"...The tone is light, not bogged down in academic-style prose, and has already given me several insights and models for character behavior...." Read more

"...Topics include the basics of body language, and then move to specific elements including hand and arm movements and gestures, facial expressions,..." Read more

217 customers mention "Information quality"188 positive29 negative

Customers find the book informative and helpful. They say it provides useful information that can be used after reading it. The book draws on academic research in psychology and other social sciences, providing tips on everything from how to survive giving speeches to how to read someone's true feelings. The author provides scientific explanations for why a certain type of body language occurs.

"...Sure it can help you read someone's true feelings, attract people more easily and tell when someone is lying, but it is not a surefire method and can..." Read more

"...It draws on both academic research in psychology and other social sciences as well as the authors’ lifelong careers as business consultants...." Read more

"...style prose, and has already given me several insights and models for character behavior. I consider it a good addition to my reference shelf." Read more

"...OF BODY LANGUAGE, by Allan and Barbara Pease, provides an engaging, informative, and easy-to-read exploration of how we communicate we communicate..." Read more

46 customers mention "Illustrations"36 positive10 negative

Customers find the illustrations in the book excellent. They mention the pictures and drawings are easy to depict, with examples of body language and real photographs of famous people.

"...Layout: The material is interesting, but the illustrations and simple descriptions make the lessons learned in this book easy to remember...." Read more

"...With clear and simple illustrations and photographs, individual elements are isolated and analyzed, and then are placed in a more holistic..." Read more

"Well written, with photographs." Read more

"...The Definitive Book of Body Language" is also full of illustrations and pictures...." Read more

25 customers mention "Humor"22 positive3 negative

Customers enjoy the book's humor and illustrations. They find it easy to read, with humorous examples and a good introduction. The book provides appropriate space and breaks in the text with humor, pictures, and examples.

"...The author also has a sense of humor and provides the right about of space and breaks in the text with humor, pictures and examples to keep it from..." Read more

"...The book is spiced with witty jokes, cartoons and anecdotes that make it an easy and enjoyable read...." Read more

"...and they make this goldmine of knowledge simple and sometimes funny!..." Read more

"...The book is well written, easy to read, and the authors have a sense of humor that will make you laugh...." Read more

15 customers mention "Gestures"15 positive0 negative

Customers find the book helpful for understanding body language. They say it provides insights into what certain gestures mean, and covers common ones in different cultures. The book contains nice visuals of body language, including facial expressions. Readers are taught how to read body movements in clusters, which is quite different from a single gesture. The book is structured by body movement, and customers recommend it as a first book to read.

"...The chapter talking about women and what their facial expressions indicate is priceless and men should read it just so they know when to chance..." Read more

"...that makes complete sense." You are taught how to read body movements in clusters, which is quite different than a single gesture...." Read more

"...offer explanations for social, closed, fearful, confident, and courting gestures...." Read more

"...Last but not least, this book is new - it discussed gestures used by contemporary figures like Tony Blair, G.W.Bush, etc...." Read more

16 customers mention "Value for money"11 positive5 negative

Customers have different views on the book's value. Some find it useful and worth the price, saying it helps them make better deals or reach more people. Others feel it's redundant, lacking content, and unhelpful.

"...So the book has been useful to me and worth the price...." Read more

"Book is an excellent read; definitely worth the 12 bucks it cost. It is a used condition and so the price for the book was appropriate...." Read more

"...while it can be useful, it is redundant at times, and the reader can become bored and loose interest in the subject by the middle of the book...." Read more

"...It truely will help you make better deals or reach more people. This is a must read for absolutely everyone." Read more

11 customers mention "Accuracy"7 positive4 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's accuracy. Some find it helpful and true, describing it as fact-filled and legitimate. Others mention that the author contradicts himself frequently and is wrong at many points.

"I liked this book. I think 95% is very true and useful. Other body language books only talk about other people's behavior...." Read more

"Very accurate and helpful for translating the mood of a person and knowing if they are being honest." Read more

"...people more easily and tell when someone is lying, but it is not a surefire method and cannot make you successful in all types of interpersonal..." Read more

"...up my doctorate in psychology, this book has proved to be mostly accurate and insightful." Read more

Not the book in the picture
5 out of 5 stars
Not the book in the picture
Yes it's the same book BUT it's nothing like the book in the picture that's what I get for buying used but also it said it was in great condition but it had writing in it and well as u can see in the picture it's DEFINITELY NOT in great condition. But the book itself is a great book. Easy to understand and every senerio is explained very well with well detailed pictures
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2012
    Overall: This book was exactly what I was looking for. It does not go into every type of common body gesture, but definitely enough to keep you busy for a while. Immediately after I started reading this book I began to notice the behaviors in myself and my colleagues. I think this book is more useful for reading people in social or personal situations because it is much easier to accurately read someone's body language in a purer/ more natural state. For example, in a business meeting a colleague may rub their chin. The book would say that can indicate someone who is thinking/contemplating and secondary gestures should be watched to indicate what their decision may be. In a business meeting that same gesture could be a cover up for day dreaming, an attempt to please their boss or simply trying to stay awake. When I make assumptions based on the book in business settings I have been wrong because so many factors could lead to the emotion that is creating the language and most of which have nothing to do with me or the current interaction. In personal settings it is spot on and can sometimes be very entertaining. The chapter talking about women and what their facial expressions indicate is priceless and men should read it just so they know when to chance course in their behavior or conversation.

    On a social front I tested out some of the attractive and open female gestures in courting or even talking with men and they certainly do work. For example showing the inner wrist is supposed to be a sign of openness and femininity and when I casually had that part facing I was treated much differently.

    Layout: The material is interesting, but the illustrations and simple descriptions make the lessons learned in this book easy to remember. They also make connections to the animal kingdom or how the gesture evolved from a functional action when possible which helps me remember and feel more engaged with the material. The author also has a sense of humor and provides the right about of space and breaks in the text with humor, pictures and examples to keep it from getting too dry. This layout also follows the tell you, tell you again and tell you what they told you approach so you can even read it in public and watch for the behaviors while you are reading.

    There is not a whole lot I would change about this book except the claims are much greater than anyone can possibly make. Sure it can help you read someone's true feelings, attract people more easily and tell when someone is lying, but it is not a surefire method and cannot make you successful in all types of interpersonal situations on its own. This is just a tool and should be clearly described as such.
    52 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2020
    This book gives an overview of reading nonverbal cues that people give and receive. Learning to interpret clusters of signals can improve social interaction in both business and personal lives.

    I found this book to be extremely informative and easy to read. It draws on both academic research in psychology and other social sciences as well as the authors’ lifelong careers as business consultants. I learned a lot but not as much as I thought I did based on the scenarios illustrated at the end and the answers provided. Will have to use this book as a general reference and refer back to it in the future.

    Looking at nonverbal cues has given me a different perspective for looking back on meetings (one on one and group) I’ve had at work and in social situations. Some of the info is a bit outdated - particularly the signals used when smoking at work, which has been a no-no in the US for awhile now. So the book has been useful to me and worth the price.

    This book may be of interest to anyone in a role working with lots of people, decision makers, and in situations involving negotiation of some sort.

    One section handles the cues given off by office furniture arrangement. I wish the authors discussed how to better arrange a cubicle which doesn’t have the luxury of space or the option to set how visible it’s occupant is, or it’s location relative to other colleagues/roles.

    The next thing I need to know is how to read all these cues through videoconferencing, where there are sometimes lags or low resolution or imperfect camera angles and such!
    7 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2015
    Whether a reader considers this a five-star book or a one-star book depends largely on what your particular needs are. This was a book written for salesmen, with the objective of teaching them how to read people and how to present themselves in order to close a sale. It is not a textbook, so if you're looking for the latest in scientific research, this book isn't it.

    I'm a writer. In an attempt to add more than nodding, smiling, frowning, etc. to my fiction, I needed a book that described more subtle expressions and gestures. I'm about half-way through this book (I read resource books like this a few pages a day over a period of months) and it is exactly what I needed. The tone is light, not bogged down in academic-style prose, and has already given me several insights and models for character behavior. I consider it a good addition to my reference shelf.
    76 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • PHYLLIS
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book to have
    Reviewed in Canada on August 4, 2024
    Contains a lot of information needed for navigating my work snd learning peoples body languages and what they mean. An eye opener!
  • vito
    5.0 out of 5 stars Yeh, I thought that’s what you meant. You signed it😆
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 20, 2021
    Great Book. Understand what they may be saying without opening their mouths.
  • Steve Brooker
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
    Reviewed in Australia on September 28, 2023
    It is a great read
  • soothsayer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good book for beginners; Very basic though
    Reviewed in India on January 6, 2018
    The definitive book of body language by Allan and Barbara Pease is a crisp and apt book for first readers of the topic. It is a 'definitive' book meaning it clearly identifies body language cues and suggest possible interpretations for the same. It is an easy to understand book as it has illustrations and examples to elaborate most points. It aids in making positive use of body language in ones life to make for better communication and it also helps in identifying body language cues on others to help understand 'what is not said.' The book also has chapters on office power dynamics and has basic instructions on office setting and seating power plays. The book, however, is very simple for someone who is well versed with the topic.
    Amazon first started in the US selling books online. Hence, prices on books are best on Amazon. I don't even bother looking for other options anymore.
    Overall it is a great book, one I'd recommend to a beginner to the topic.

    Book Review: 8/10
    Price Value: 10/10

    -soothsayer
  • Sharon Lim
    2.0 out of 5 stars Surprised by the condition
    Reviewed in Singapore on April 17, 2021
    I was kinda shocked.. outer cover front n back corners are torn. Inner page im not sure if a page was torn or the book's glue dried n peeling off.. all corners of e inner hard cover are bent... packaging think too thin for the airmail
    Customer image
    Sharon Lim
    2.0 out of 5 stars Surprised by the condition
    Reviewed in Singapore on April 17, 2021
    I was kinda shocked.. outer cover front n back corners are torn. Inner page im not sure if a page was torn or the book's glue dried n peeling off.. all corners of e inner hard cover are bent... packaging think too thin for the airmail
    Images in this review
    Customer image Customer image Customer image
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