Secret Service Agent Explains Psychological Tricks To Read Anyone & Spot A Liar

In Becoming Bulletproof, former Secret Service agent Evy Poumpouras wants to help you become a stronger, more resilient person. Through her time in the US Secret Service, Poumpouras learned how to conquer her fears, how to overcome difficult physical and mental challenges, and how to understand and influence others.

In our guide, we’ll explain Poumpouras’s key ideas and strategies to help you become a more resilient, effective, and competent person. We’ll teach you how to deal with fear and danger, how to cope more gracefully with day-to-day adversity, how to tell when someone is lying, and how to influence the reactions and behaviors of others. We’ll also delve deeper into the psychology behind some of the book’s ideas, and compare its strategies to similar books on influencing others.

Shooting selfies on vacation. Posting Facebook updates on our kid's graduation from pre-school. Garnering awards and promotions to add to our LinkedIn profiles. Guess what, America? We've become self-obsessed. In David Brooks’s The Road to Character, the New York Times columnist suggests we take a good hard look at ourselves and remember that we weren't always so narcissistic.

Brooks outlines the moral shift that took place after World War II when we transitioned from honoring humility, self-discipline, and public service to worshiping at the altar of "the Big Me." He also reminds us that our current self-focus isn't even making us happy. To help us recalibrate our moral compasses, Brooks details the lives of war heroes, civil rights activists, advocates for the poor, writers, and deep thinkers who've tackled the work of building moral character, then outlines a 15-point plan to help us live more virtuous—and ultimately happier—lives.

Even though we’re all human, most of us don’t understand what drives people (including ourselves) to feel and behave the way we do. In The Laws of Human Nature, author Robert Greene looks at several laws that explain, among other things, why we self-sabotage, behave differently in groups, and want the wrong things.

Armed with the knowledge of these fundamentals of human nature, you can manage toxic people, become more empathetic, make people like you, and control your own nature.

Have you ever wished you could tell what someone was really thinking? In What Every Body Is Saying, former FBI agent Joe Navarro provides insights into how to decipher body language. He argues that by practicing good observation skills and learning to decode universal patterns of behavior, you can master the language of nonverbal communication, gain access to people’s true thoughts and feelings, and detect signs of deception.

In this guide, we’ll explore why body language is an honest form of communication. Then, we’ll examine a process for reading body cues, as well as tips for detecting deception. Along the way, we’ll dig deeper into the psychology behind human behavior and compare Navarro’s insights to those of other guides on body language such as Robert Greene’s The Laws of Human Nature and Jack Shafer’s The Like Switch.

Wouldn’t it be helpful to be able to take one look at someone and know instantly what they’re thinking, what they want, and what sort of person they are? In Read People Like a Book, social interactions specialist Patrick King argues that you can come close to doing that by learning how to interpret peoples’ speech, behavior, and body language, and by using psychological principles to glean insights into their motivations and personalities. This ability allows you to more effectively navigate relationships, deal with difficult personalities, get what you want from others—and spot a liar.

In this guide, we’ll outline King’s advice on what to look for when reading other people, taking into consideration factors like situational context, your own biases, and the different drives and patterns of thinking that nonverbal communication often reflects. Along the way, we’ll examine advice from other experts on how to read people, as well as additional theories explaining these techniques.

In Becoming Bulletproof, former Secret Service agent Evy Poumpouras wants to help you become a stronger, more resilient person. Through her time in the US Secret Service, Poumpouras learned how to conquer her fears, how to overcome difficult physical and mental challenges, and how to understand and influence others.

In our guide, we’ll explain Poumpouras’s key ideas and strategies to help you become a more resilient, effective, and competent person. We’ll teach you how to deal with fear and danger, how to cope more gracefully with day-to-day adversity, how to tell when someone is lying, and how to influence the reactions and behaviors of others. We’ll also delve deeper into the psychology behind some of the book’s ideas, and compare its strategies to similar books on influencing others.

Have you ever felt anxious about a new social situation, an interview, a performance, or another environment where you lack confidence? In Presence, social psychologist Amy Cuddy explains how to navigate these stressful scenarios by embodying “presence”—a self-assured confidence that’s not arrogant but allows you to comfortably express your true self. She says you can achieve presence by leveraging the body-mind connection to change the way you feel about yourself rather than worrying about what others perceive.

In this guide, we’ll explore Cuddy’s popular research on how “power poses”—like the superwoman stance—and other body language shifts can boost your confidence and improve your performance in high-pressure situations. We’ll also explain how research on this topic has evolved since the book was published and include tips from other experts on how to navigate stressful experiences.

The way we think about toughness, according to Steve Magness, is all wrong. We traditionally define toughness as a combination of machismo, lack of emotion, and outward displays of dominance and control. But Magness claims that this “old-school” definition of toughness is harmful and that real toughness is defined by confronting reality, acknowledging your thoughts, feelings, and emotions, and using a multitude of strategies to cope with discomfort or adversity. In Do Hard Things, Magness provides a new, more accurate, and more effective way of thinking about toughness, which will help you overcome challenges and make better, more thoughtful decisions.

In this guide, we’ll explore why traditional ideas around toughness are not only ineffective but harmful. Then, we’ll look at Magness’ ideas on what it really means to be resilient, and we’ll provide strategies on how to overcome discomfort and adversity. Throughout the guide, we’ll compare Magness’s ideas and strategies with those of other self-help and psychological experts, helping you become a more thoughtful, versatile, and thus tougher person.