Ex-FBI Agent’s Guide to Speed-reading People
Wikipedia states that body language is a form of non-verbal communication, consisting of body pose, gestures, eye movements and paralinguistic cues(i.e. tone of voice and rate of speech). Humans send and interpret such signals unconsciously. It is often said that human communication consists of 93% body language and paralinguistic cues, while only 7% of communication consists of words themselves – however, Albert Mehrabian, the researcher whose 1960s work is the source of these statistics, has stated that this is a misunderstanding of the findings. Others assert that “Research has suggested that between 60 and 70 percent of all meaning is derived from nonverbal behavior.”
Whatever the case the understanding of body language is both constantly changing due to trends, globally expanding social groups and exposure to media on a mass level. There has been an ever increasing level of understanding on the subject and it’s been popularised in recent years to the extent that claims from NLP’ers suggest you can completely control people (much like Mr Brown does) from simple body language gestures and use of clever language such as “anchoring”.
The problem is the flip side – that of reading people – before you even approach anyone you need to know what type of person there are and how they feel towards you. Possibly one of the better books on this is the book “What Every Body Is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent’s Guide to Speed-reading People“. It explains reading body language in a clear and efficient manner and applies it to real world situations quite effectively.
Whilst it states “These skills will increase your ability to accurately assess moods, decode behaviors, anticipate problems, avoid hidden pitfalls, influence negotiations, and understand the secret motivations of those around you.” – a brave claim – it will certainly aid you in day-to-day interpersonal skills and assist you in knowing more abou how people feel towards you in various situations.
Villages’ killer stoning festival banned
A CENTURIES-old festival in which residents from rival Indian villages throw stones at each other – often leaving people dead or injured – has been banned.
The annual Gotmar festival in an impoverished central region of the country involved teams competing to capture a tree placed in a river running between two villages as crowds pelted rocks and pebbles across the divide.
The origin of the custom is unclear, but many locals in Madhya Pradesh state believe it developed from the tale of two young lovers who lived on either side of the river and wanted to elope together.
News.com.au (Thanks SarahWoo)
Nine attempted to ‘hypnotise viewers’
The communications watchdog has found Channel Nine breached the TV Code of Practice in a stunt that aimed to Hypnotise Viewers.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has found that the segment broadcast on the program, A Current Affair, in September last year was designed to induce a hypnotic state in viewers.
During the segment, entitled Think Slim, references were made by the program’s host, the reporter and a hypnotherapist to the fact that the story would feature a demonstration of a hypnotic process designed to help with weight loss.
The segment culminated with a brief hypnotherapy session that lasted for about one minute.
ABC News (Thanks SarahWoo)
How psychology can help the planet stay cool
“I’M NOT convinced it’s as bad as the experts make out… It’s everyone else’s fault… Even if I turn down my thermostat, it will make no difference.” The list of reasons for not acting to combat global warming goes on and on.
This month, an American Psychological Association (APA) task force released a report highlighting these and other psychological barriers standing in the way of action. But don’t despair. The report also points to strategies that could be used to convince us to play our part. Sourced from psychological experiments, we review tricks that could be deployed by companies or organisations to encourage climate-friendly behaviour.
As advertisers of consumer products well know, different groups of people may have quite distinct interests and motivations, and messages that seek to change behaviour need to be tailored to take these into account. “You have to target the marketing to the demographic,” says Robert Gifford of the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada, another of the report’s authors.
The affluent young, for instance, tend to be diet conscious, and this could be used to steer them away from foods like cheeseburgers – one of the most climate-unfriendly meals around because of the energy it takes to raise cattle. So when trying to convince them to forgo that carbon-intensive beef pattie, better to stress health benefits than harp on about the global climate.
New Scientist (Thanks Eliza)
Petition to change the National Anthem – please sign
We, the people of Britain, feel that our current National Anthem has lost a bit of its sparkle. When we are confronted by the rare occasion of us winning a medal at the Olympics, we all have to mumble through “God Save The Queen”, well God help us! We would thereby like to table the suggestion that we change the National Anthem to something more modern and appropriate and that will re-invigorate our pride. What we specifically want to see, is that the National Anthem be changed in favour of “Gold” by Spandau Ballet.
Petition (Thanks Houdinia)
News Blast: Recap
A lot has happened in the last few week – so for those of you in need of a quick recap here it is.
Derren’s recent article on “Morality without God” has got you all talking – as well as the recent Facebook article about narcissism.
There’s the opportunity to take part in The Events at the Science museum – or if you wait a few days CH4 have organised for you to interact online as well.
Richard Wiseman interviewed Andy Nyman and they had a little chat about the work Andy does with Derren.
We released the “CH4 Forwards trailer” where some of you picked up on the score predictions Derren made along with the competition to win tickets and we released a limited edition poster for the Enigma tour.
Finally Derren’s art exhibition has ended in central London – original works and framed gallery editions are still available to buy otherwise visit the art store if you feel the urge to grab one. Derren will be painting again soon and @lordcoopy will keep you informed of inside info.
More Events things popping up next week. So keep your eyeballs peeled.
Britain releases 15 years of UFO documents
The British National Archives has released 15 years worth of UFO documents from the Ministry of Defense that include explanations for sightings ranging from advertising gimmicks to meteors, Reuters reports.
In one incident in 1995, two men in Staffordshire reported seeing an alien with a lemon-shaped head emerge from a hovering UFO and tell them, “We want you; come with us.”
The news agency says the 609 sightings in 1996 are up from 117 in 1995 and coincide with the rise in popularity of the X Files TV show and release of the alien blockbuster film Independence Day.
The files (from the ministry, not Fox Mulder or Dana Scully) contain more than 4,000 pages. Most sightings are explained as bright stars, meteors, artificial satellites or balloons. About 10% are listed as unexplained, which include “insufficient information” for a judgment.
One series of widely reported sightings was explained as an airship advertising the launch of a Ford automobile, Reuters says.
USA Today (Thanks Fosca)
Do Brain Waves Run Our Attention Clock?
New research from the US suggests that when we look for something in our environment, our attention scans one thing at a time, using a serial as opposed to a parallel process whose clock speed is controlled by brain waves or “neuron population oscillations”.
Thus next time you arrange to meet a friend in a crowded bar or restaurant, remember that your attention searches the room like a superfast spotlight, pausing on each face for only 1/25th of a second, before settling on the one familiar to you, or at least that is what postdoctoral associate Timothy J Buschman, and Picower Professor of Neuroscience Earl Miller suggest in a paper published in the 13 August online issue of the journal Neuron.
Medical News Today (Thanks Tiram)
How We Support Our False Beliefs
In a study published in the most recent issue of the journal Sociological Inquiry, sociologists from four major research institutions focus on one of the most curious aspects of the 2004 presidential election: the strength and resilience of the belief among many Americans that Saddam Hussein was linked to the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
Although this belief influenced the 2004 election, they claim it did not result from pro-Bush propaganda, but from an urgent need by many Americans to seek justification for a war already in progress.
Science Daily (Thanks ReliegiousMarie)
Mali protest against women’s law
Tens of thousands of people in Mali’s capital, Bamako, have been protesting against a new law which gives women equal rights in marriage. The law, passed earlier this month, also strengthens inheritance rights for women and children born out of wedlock.
The head of a Muslim women’s association says only a minority of Malian women – “the intellectuals” as she put it – supports the law. Several other protests have taken place in other parts of the country. The law was adopted by the Malian parliament at the beginning of August, and has yet to be signed into force by the president. One of the most contentious issues in the new legislation is that women are no longer required to obey their husbands.
Hadja Sapiato Dembele of the National Union of Muslim Women’s Associations said the law goes against Islamic principles. “We have to stick to the Koran,” Ms Dembele told the BBC’s Focus on Africa programme. “A man must protect his wife, a wife must obey her husband.”
