How to Tell What People Are Thinking

by Peter Collett

Have you ever wondered what people are thinking or if they are telling the truth? Did you know that you can discern someone’s thoughts by reading the clues in a person’s body language? Did you know that the position of your hand during a handshake shows whether you have a submissive or a dominant personality? And that your apparently unconscious choice to say “do not” instead of “don’t” can indicate that you are lying? These revealing clues (and many more) provide insights into people’s innermost thoughts. In this entertaining and illuminating guide, Peter Collett decodes the fascinating intricacies of body language and speech.

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, Sociology

320 pages, Paperback

First published May 8, 2009

Reviews

[Eve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book handy in my social work career. I like studying body language and often used the information presented in this book as well as the further research of my own in my own practice. This book covers the basics of understanding body language and would be a decent beginner book for anyone interested in this topic. It is not as in-depth as I would have liked.

[Maddy Morrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let’s be honest, this wasn’t the most thrilling read. At times it felt more like a task to get through than a page-turner. That being said I will admit, learning about body language, human behaviour, and why we subconsciously do the things we do was pretty fascinating.

What really struck me is how much of our body language, facial expressions, and speech are just subconscious habits ingrained in us as “animals” in terms of dominance, hierarchy, mating ect. It’s cool to realize how automatic so much of our behaviour is.

I gave it a 3-star rating because despite the book being a bit of a slog, it left me thinking. The insights stuck with me, and I find myself reflecting on what I learned even after finishing it. It’s not the most captivating read, but it does offer a unique perspective on the hidden mechanics behind human interaction.

[Jonathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a fan of the topical arrangement-it's rather fragmented. For example, chapters range from submissive and dominant tells, to politicians' tells and smoking tells. Also, chapter sections tend to read like amature blog lists. Interesting, and at times useful, but I'm sure there's a more organized and deep diving book on the subject.

[Josune Trillas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is DENSE, in order to get something from it you cannot just read it in one sitting. I read some pages, ponder them and maybe next week do the same. BUT i love the information is so helpfull.

[Sandra Mendonça · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've quite enjoyed reading it.
There are lots of examples and it's supported by scientific research. I only wish there were much more visual examples, for most cases I had to Google, in order to understand certain positions or events.

[Adrianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basic human behaviour. I did not like how this book generalized and stereotyped based on gender.. but meh. some chapter were interesting.
I started this book 7 years ago, decided to finally get it off of my "reading shelf"

[Breanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay.. He said the word “seldom” an annoying amount of times. And, the each section was essentially saying the same thing but in slightly different contexts. (That’s just my crappy opinion though)

[Nicole C · Rating 2 out of 5]

The beginning was pretty interesting, but overall it was very repetitive and felt like more of a history and cultural story of how behavioural actions came to be. Not what I was looking for.

[Randy Christie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but not enough material for a full book do the author often repeats examples.