Social: Expert Guides and Resources

Body language reveals a lot about how you are feeling. Before you’ve spoken at a job interview, interviewers will already have formed judgements based on your posture, gestures and facial expressions. There are a number of techniques you can use to make a positive impression and project confidence, commitment and credibility.

Want to find out more about how to be the person you’ve always wanted to be? This Cheat Sheet tells you how to act "as if." Explore how to behave without giving the game away. Try a few easy exercises that will strengthen your body.Acting 'as if' to become who you want to beYou don’t have to be an actor to act “as if.

Social psychology uses the tools of science to understand why people behave as they do. Whether it’s why they are attracted to some people, but not others, why they are not convinced by an elegant political argument, but are persuaded by a celebrity endorsement, or where their prejudices come from, social psychology can help you to understand why people interact the way they do.

Whether you’re pursing, pinching or pouting, sneering, snarling or snapping, your mouth’s muscles are hard at work conveying myriad messages without you uttering a word. If in doubt, consider the actresses Dame Maggie Smith and Angelina Jolie. Dame Maggie’s mouth makes lips resembling a puckered prune synonymous with pride and disapproval while Jolie’s pillow-like pout conveys the promise of pleasurable possibilities.

In a diversified world in which you frequently communicate with people from countries and cultures different from your own, anticipating and sidestepping nationalistic landmines is as vital a skill as being adept at reading, writing and arithmetic. Unless, of course, you’re content and comfortable making faux pas, insulting others and demonstrating a lack of knowledge and respect, in which case, keep calm and carry on.

What you think about yourself is true for you and becomes your reality. Whether intentional or not, your body’s movements reflect your self-beliefs. Your subtle and not-so-subtle facial expressions, gestures, and postures reveal how you think and feel about yourself and govern how other people think and feel about you.

In-laws, out-laws, whatever you want to call them, these are the people who might view you with suspicion, distrust, and outright resentment. These are the people who can make your life miserable or magnificent. These are the people whose favor you want to garner. How you behave towards them influences how they behave towards you.

An unconscious movement, an inadvertent gesture or an unwitting facial expression can give your game away faster than a speeding bullet. Below are a few tips for containing and controlling your body’s movements. Breathe with consciousness. Be aware of the air entering and leaving your body. Breathe slowly and deeply, allowing the nurturing oxygen to calm your nervous energy.