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Telling fact
By widening her eyes - a tell that reminds people of the vulnerability of babies - Princess Diana made others feel protective over her. Source: The Book of Tells by Peter Collett |
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A sensible chicken doesn't mess with the pecking order; a chimpanzee knows his place in the grooming line; and an aristocrat would not presume to go into dinner before someone of greater rank. Throughout the animal kingdom the recognition of status is commonplace. Who picks fleas off who, and who you eat your dinner with, are recognised outward signs of position in a power pyramid that is all about survival. The more powerful you are, the more sex you get to have, the more you get to eat, and the less others are going to interfere with whatever you want to do. Living in modern times In our meritocratic society today, the hierarchies that were so carefully maintained by old rules of etiquette and the observation of class distinctions have largely disappeared. But our instinct for power play has not. In fact, now the rigid rules of rank have gone, we all have everything to play for. Our body language reveals that the argy-bargy of the status game is very much a moment by moment preoccupation for us all, whether we are aware of it or not.  The apportionment of power is something we claim for ourselves or cede to others through our physical behaviour. The physical indicators by which we do so are the tells of power. The tells of power Power tells are about affecting an easy assumption of superiority. You don't have to be genuinely superior, you just have to act it. A boss who fails to command respect may have paper authority but submissive body language. In contrast, someone who commands respect will exercise control through the significant if unconscious use of 'power tells', demonstrating ease and security in the poll position. Page | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
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