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	Do they really like their present? Or are they faking it? Body language expert Judi James spills the beans... Ever wondered what it means if someone explodes into laughter after you’ve given them a gift? Remember when you gave your sister a pen for Christmas, and even to this day you're not quite sure whether she flung it in the bin behind your back? It can be such a nightmare trying to gauge someone's true reaction to a present and the credit crunch means you need to get it right on a tighter budget. So how do you know if someone's faking it? Body language expert Judi James (Big Brother, Xtra Factor) spills the beans on what those little expressions really mean and offers tips on how to get your choice of gift right next time. We wager you'll never buy your mother-in-law an apron again... Read the signs! Here’s body language expert Judi James’ take… Gift gloom here! Men struggle to get that lie fixed on their face fast enough, so your poor gift choice will show in mixed body language signals like this, suggesting he truly doesn’t like what he’s unwrapped. This bravest stab at a smile is an attempt to prevent war breaking out, but the giveaway of gloom is in the way that it’s up-turned, meaning the corners of his mouth are actually turned down rather than up. This shoulder-slump is a further signal of hopelessness, showing he was really expecting a DVD player and this ‘frozen’ body pose means he’s hoping this gift is really just a joke! Read the signs! Here’s body language expert Judi James’ take… Great choice! Get her eyes off the PC screen and her fingers off the keyboard and you’ll know you’ve made a good impression on your boss by commanding her whole attention! Power and status signals should slip away if your boss likes your gift and you’ll see a look of genuine appreciation cross her face. Eye contact is rare in the workplace (we’re just too busy), so eye-gaze like this allows a rare moment of connection. If your boss combines it with an eye-smile, ie a half-moon narrowing of the eyes, softening of the eye-expression and rounding of the cheeks you’ll know your gift has gone down well. Read the signs! Here’s body language expert Judi James’ take… Dodgy choice! Forget the laughter, as laughs and genuine happiness aren’t always the same thing and an explosive laugh from your gift-receiver can be a signal he’s unhappy with what he’s got- as in ‘This is a joke, right?’ Laughter like this can be a suppressed fear response, performed in a knee-jerk attempt to mask more genuine signals of disappointment, like the tongue-poke, grimace or frown. The point-gesture is another sign of trouble. By pointing at the present and staring at you, he’s asking you to explain what the hell you were thinking when you decided he would like it. This is a pose of utter cognitive confusion and disbelief. Watch his next move carefully – odds are he’ll secretly re-examine the gift tag to check it wasn’t a mistake and really intended for somebody else! Read the signs! Here’s body language expert Judi James’ take… Good choice: what more could your friend do to let you know she adores the gift you’ve just given her? This smile is even, with both upper and lower teeth showing but in an un-forced, un-stretched way. Her eyes have that softened expression that is usually known as ‘the look of love’ as she gazes at her gift and you can see she’s itching to try it on already. The shoulders are a subtle but clear giveaway of happiness, though. When girls are truly delighted we perform a childlike self-embrace, raising our shoulders in an expression of excitement and pressing our arms into the sides of our torso to mimic the kind of self-hugging that children do when they’re overcome with glee or excitement.