We secretly judge friends, acquaintances, relatives, colleagues, random passengers in the metro, people in the mall, and what not.Psychologists call it the "spotlight effect": People generally don't pay nearly as much attention to you as you think they do.
But when they are motivated to pay attention, they really pay attention. Not just to your outfit and your haircut, but to seemingly trivial things, like your handwriting and how fast you walk.
1. Your Handshake
Research backs up the idea that your handshake can reveal certain aspects of your personality. "Strong handshakes usually reflect a strong and confident character, whereas weak handshakes usually indicate a lack of confidence and are almost always a characteristic of people who would look for an easy way to do things," writes Julian Parge.
2. Whether You Show up on Time
"A proactive person will be there on time, because he is self-motivated, mentally organized, and values time whereas a procrastinator will be running here and there at the last hour," says Humaira Siddiqui.
3. Whether You Bite Your Nails
Research suggests that those who bite their nails (or pull their hair, or pick their skin) tend to be perfectionists, unable to fully relax.
4. Your Handwriting
Professional graphologist Kathi McKnight says large letters indicate that you're people-oriented, while small letters suggest you're introverted. Letters that slant to the right can mean you're friendly and sentimental; those that don't slant at all might mean you're pragmatic; letters that slant to the left suggest you're introspective.
5. Whether You Make Eye Contact
Munje says a limp handshake and a lack of steady eye contact "shows lack of self-control, required drive to follow through, and a weak will."
Alternatively, psychologist Adrian Furnham, Ph.D., writes in Psychology Today that extroverts tend to look more often and for longer at their conversation partners than introverts do. And in general, people who look at their partners more often are more confident and socially dominant.
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6. How You Drive
Interestingly, one study found that men who engaged in risky driving behaviors tended to be impulsive sensation-seekers and relatively aggressive and hostile; women in this category were more neurotic and anxious.
On the other hand, careful drivers of both genders tended to score low on measures of impulsive sensation-seeking and aggression and hostility.
7. How Quickly or Slowly You Walk
"People who patter by quickly are usually more high strung," writes Leena Pathma.
Research has found that people generally agree with this assumption, associating looser walks with extroversion and adventurousness and clipped gaits with neuroticism. Yet these perceptions don't usually line up with how the walkers see themselves.
8.Learn How to be Socially Interactive
We are social animals and this is what makes us so uniquely human. If a person is isolated or a loner, this may be a negative indicator of their character. You want to meet a person who knows about trust, honesty and loyalty.
9. How You Treat Restaurant Staff
"I will never, EVER date a man who is rude to restaurant staff," says Sati Marie Frost.
Even top execs say you can learn a lot about someone based on the way he or she treats waiters, hotel maids, and security guards. Ron Shaich, CEO of Panera Bread, told USA Today he once declined to give someone a job partly because she was nice to him but rude to someone cleaning the tables nearby.
10. Where You Look When You Drink out of a Cup
Writes David Junto: "A person that looks into the cup when drinking tends to be more introspective, self-aware, idealistic, and focused. A person who looks over the rim of the cup when drinking tends to be more influenced by others, more environmentally aware, carefree, extroverted, and trusting. A person who closes their eyes when they drink is in some sort of pain or discomfort and is preoccupied with pleasure and relief."
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