How To Tell What People Are Thinking (Revised and Expanded Edition): From the Bedroom to the Boardroom

by Peter Collett

A trusted handbook for more than a decade, Peter Collett’s bestselling guide to body language, How to Tell What People Are Thinking, has been fully updated with the latest research, including insight into everything from Zoom meetings to the confounding world of online dating.

Understand what people aren’t saying and what you’re unwittingly revealing about yourself

How does the way someone use their feet show if they’re interested in you?

Does knowing someone really well help or hinder your ability to tell when they’re lying?

Why do people in business meetings touch their face while the boss is talking?

How can you spot likely winners and losers at sporting events just by looking at them?

How to Tell What People Are Thinking (Revised and Expanded Edition) answers these questions and explains how certain clues provide insight into people’s innermost thoughts. Social psychologist Peter Collett decodes the fascinating intricacies of body language and speech, analyzing behaviours that range from boardroom bravado to date-night deceit. Packed with both famous and everyday examples, this is an entertaining and invaluable guide to our society’s language of unconscious communication.

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, Sociology

400 pages, Kindle Edition

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.