Book SummaryThe Definitive Book of Body Language, by Allan Pease and Barbara Pease

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of The Definitive Book of Body Language

In The Definitive Book of Body Language, communication experts and best-selling authors Allan and Barbara Pease argue that body language plays a key role in shaping interactions between people. The authors explain that during verbal interactions, people pay more attention to the facial expressions, gestures, and postures they see than the words they hear. Therefore, understanding body language—both your own and that of others—can help you...

The Definitive Book of Body Language Summary Part 1: Why Body Language Matters

According to the authors, there are three key principles of body language that underscore why it’s so important:

• Your body language both reflects and influences your emotions.
• Your body language influences how people feel about you and interpret your words.
• Awareness of your body language helps you control your emotions and the way others respond to you.

Let’s explore each of these principles.

Principle #1: Your Body Language Reflects and Influences Your Emotions

Allan and Barbara Pease argue that your body language—your facial expressions, gestures, and posture—always reflects your emotions. They explain that there’s a strong physiological link between your emotions and your body language. This link is bidirectional: Your emotions trigger physiological responses that get reflected in your body language, and your body language, in turn, influences your emotions and physiological responses.

Let’s explore this two-way relationship in more detail.

1) Your Body Language Reflects Your Emotions

According to the authors, each time you experience an emotion, your brain sends a signal to your body to produce a physiological response. These...

The Definitive Book of Body Language Summary Part 2: How to Decode Body Language

Now that we’ve explained how paying attention to body language helps you both control your emotions and the way others perceive you, let’s explore how to decode common body language cues.

The authors suggest that you can use this information in various ways, including:

• Observing how people really feel during social and professional interactions
• Understanding why people respond to you the way that they do
• Adapting your mannerisms to garner more positive responses during your interactions

Advice on Interpreting Body Language

Before we identify individual body language cues and how to interpret them, it’s important to recognize that nonverbal cues can be subject to misinterpretation. The authors say that this is due to three reasons:

1) A single nonverbal cue can have multiple meanings depending on what other cues accompany it (much like a single word can mean different things depending on what other words are used in a sentence). For example, leaning forward can mean interest when accompanied by a smile, or it can mean aggression when accompanied by clenched fists.

**2) A single nonverbal cue can have multiple meanings depending on the context in which it...

Shortform Exercise: How Does Your Body Language Make You Feel?

Allan and Barbara Pease suggest that intentionally changing your body language influences your emotions. Let’s explore how adopting different expressions, gestures, and postures can change the way you feel.

Notice and describe your body language and how you feel. (For example, you might be frowning, slouching in your chair, and feeling bored.)

Shortform Exercise: Practice Interpreting Body Language

Allan and Barbara Pease suggest that understanding body language helps you interpret how people feel when interacting with you. Let’s explore how you might interpret nonverbal cues in different scenarios.

During a job interview, your interviewer leans toward you, slowly nods her head, and maintains eye contact throughout the conversation. Write down at least one emotion her body language might convey.