George144 said:
I may write thread on intimidating/strong body posture later actually.
Thanks for the advise, and if you do post such a thread i would be sure to read it.
I myself have read books on body language, and find it a damn interesting subject. In addition to what the OP and George144 have said, i'll add some other things.
1) Smiling- if possible, show your teeth when smiling. Tight lipped smiles don't have the same effect as a natural "toothy" smile. However, it is quite difficult to do these kind of smiles manually. (Some amaatur actors tend to drop the lower jaw to create the illusion of smiling, with practice they get better ) Most people can not give a genuine toothy smile by your own will power if you do not feel in the mood to smile, so when in conversation, be in a good mood and allow yourself to feel "smiley", and pleasant warm smiles should naturally follow on from there.
Note that if you find a girl giving you a tight lipped smile, she is probably faking a smile to be polite, and really she is not interested in you. Alarm bells should be ringing if she is not showing her teeth when smiling.
2)Face Display- This is something that women do when they are interested in a guy talking to them. Her chin will rest on the back of her hands, so to reveal her full face- basically she is showing off her face. This of course, only works when she is sitting down and facing you. Be careful if she starts to rest her head in the palm of her hands, so to support it- thats a common sign of boredom.
3)Neck Displays- Another cue women give off is that they will, when talking to someone they are interested in, angle their head to the side slightly so to reveal their neck. This is a submissive signal sent to encourage the male.
4)Palm Displays- when talking, open your palms. This can be seen as a submissive gesture in some cases, however in most forms of interaction, it indicates openness and honesty and you will be far more persuasive by showing your palms. Avoid showing the back of your had as this can be seen as a defensive posture, and lowering your hand down on a table say, palm down firmly, that can be see as an authoritarian posture, and could have a negative impact.
Another thing to add is mirroring. This body language is actually commonly spotted between friends. If you see two friends sat in the same positions as each other, so they "mirror" each others actions, that is a good indicator that they are quite close. Now i don't know about courtship rituals, but if you notice a woman adopting your body postures, or perhaps if you want to try subtly copying hers, that may generate positive results.
When reading body language, try to do it in clusters, don't take one body language sign as literal unless you see it repeated or it concurs with other related body language signals. Also, consider context. If someone has there hands drawn across them, that may not mean their defense, but rather they could be cold. Finally, use must must must your common sense at all times, remember that.