Body language may just be the key to figuring out what people are thinking and feeling,
so it's super helpful to know what to look for, and what to do, when you're interacting
with your fellow humans.
Here's the body language that attracts people the most, according to the experts.
It's been said that the eyes are the window to your soul, and body language experts Barbara
and Allan Pease agree.
In their book, The Definitive Book of Body Language, eye contact is the very first step
of "the attraction process."
"I wanna reward you with five uninterrupted minutes of eye contact."
"Yay."
It works like this: When a person locks eyes with someone they find attractive, they'll
hold their gaze for around five seconds before turning away.
"Whoa whoa whoa pump the breaks there guy."
The authors claim that once the googly eyes are reciprocated, that "gaze process" qualifies
as legit flirting.
"What are you doing with your face?
You're not blinking whatsoever now."
Behavioral investigator Vanessa Van Edwards says women who are looking to attract a partner
will often expose their necks, telling AM Northwest,
"You see this when women flip their hair back and they show that side of their neck.
That's because they want men to sort of smell their pheromones."
"Oh wow!"
"That's a very chemical thing."
Women also typically flaunt their necks by tilting their heads when listening to someone
they're attracted to.
Body language expert Joe Navarro also revealed that the more comfortable two people get around
each other, the more head-tilting and neck-exposing there will be.
"Oh my God, stop having a moment."
When it comes to relationships, many people would advise you to listen to your heart.
But it turns out, you should really be following your belly button.
Chris Ulrich, senior instructor at the Body Language Institute, told Glamour,
"Your belly button usually faces the person you most like, admire, or trust."
Even if your head is turned toward something or someone else, your belly button is probably
naturally pointing to your crush.
"Me sitting over there for the past two hours not being able to take my eyes off of you,
is a fact."
According to Barbara and Allan Pease, women typically offer "one or more fleeting smiles"
when they are attracted to someone.
And guess who that smile works on: literally everyone.
Van Edwards revealed in an article for Science of People,
"Both males and females find people with available body language the most attractive…
Smiling, uncrossed arms, uncrossed legs, and upward gazing (not looking down at shoes or
phones)."
Van Edwards also revealed to the mag that uncrossing your arms is yet another way people
can signal their availability to someone.
And Ulrich agrees, telling Glamour,
"Crossed arms can make you seem closed off or disinterested.
You're subconsciously creating a barrier that makes you not as approachable as you want
to be."
But let's be honest, sometimes crossed arms are needed, whether you're cold, or don't
know what to do with your hands, or you're Wonder Woman.
Nevertheless, when it comes to attracting people, open arms are the way to go.
"If anything I think you look good to go."
"Good to go."
"Good to go out and about."
Touch can be important in decoding body language.
Have you ever casually run your fingers over your suprasternal notch?
You probably did it without even thinking about it.
It's located just between your collar bones, and when you touch it, it signals a green-light
for a deeper connection.
Van Edwards told AM Northwest,
"So, that's a signal for a man: 'Okay, we're in intimate territory here.'
Tread carefully, but it could be a good thing because she's sort of opening up to you."
But it's not just your own neck that you need to touch, to attract someone.
The Definitive Book of Body Language recommends looking for :
"… an opportunity to initiate a light touch on the arm, either 'accidental' or otherwise."
"Ronnie are you okay?"
"Uh...Yeah…"
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah don't touch, don't touch."
A touch on the hand, for instance, would be considered "a higher level of intimacy" than
a light tap on the arm, according to the authors.
And although handshakes don't sound at all intimate, the authors revealed that they're
"a quick way" to level up to your "accidental" flirty touches.
Van Edwards revealed the "ultimate flirting" tell on AM Northwest, saying,
"So this is when women tilt their head down, look up at a man, and bat their eyelashes.
So this is a classic Marilyn Monroe gesture."
But while Marilyn may have popularized the ultimate move, even Princess Diana employed
similar body language.
Van Edwards explained,
"She would look up at reporters and bat her eyelashes at them, which is one of the reasons
why the camera loved her."
Thanks to an odd phenomenon dubbed "the cheerleader effect," you actually appear more attractive
by just being in a group.
Science says this is because:
"A group's physical attractiveness is greater than the average attractiveness of its members."
"Hate us cuz we're beautiful, well we don't like you either, we're cheerleaders.
We are cheerleaders."
Ulrich says that for maximum "cheerleader" effect, place yourself in the middle of your
squad.
He told Glamour,
"It's a way of framing yourself.
It literally comes across like you're center of attention."