The Definitive Book of Body Language - Barbara Pease [91]
If a smoker is playing cards and is dealt a good hand, he is likely to blow the smoke upward, whereas a poor hand may cause him to blow it downward. While some card players use a “poker face” when playing cards as a way of not showing any body signals that may give them away, other players like to be actors and use misleading body language to lull the other players into a false sense of security. If, for example, a poker player was dealt four of a kind and he wanted to bluff the other players, he could throw the cards facedown on the table in disgust, curse, cross his arms, and put on a nonverbal display indicating he'd been dealt a poor hand. But then he quietly sits back and draws on his cigarette and blows the smoke upward. And then he Steeples. It would be unwise for the other players to now bet on the next hand, as they would probably be beaten. Observation of smoking gestures in selling situations shows that when smokers are asked to buy, those who have already reached a positive decision blow the smoke upward, whereas those who have decided not to buy, blow downward.
The original study of smokers we carried out in 1978 showed that smokers took significantly longer to reach a decision in a negotiation than nonsmokers and that the smoking ritual is performed most often during the tense moments of the negotiations. Smokers, it seems, are able to stall decision-making by diverting their attention to the smoking process. So if you want quicker decisions from smokers, negotiate in a room that displays a large “No Smoking” sign.
Cigar Smokers
Cigars have always been used as a means of displaying superiority because of their cost and size. The big-time business executive, the gang leader, and those in high-status positions are often portrayed as smoking cigars. Cigars are used to celebrate a victory or achievement such as the birth of a baby, a wedding, clinching a business deal, or winning the lottery. It is not surprising that most of the smoke exhaled by cigar smokers is blown upward. At a celebration dinner where cigars were distributed freely we noted that of 400 recorded cigar-smoke exhalations, 320 were in an upward direction.
How Smokers End a Session
Most smokers smoke their cigarette down to a certain length before extinguishing it in an ashtray. Women tend to slowly stub the cigarette out, while men are likely to crush it with the thumb. If the smoker lights a cigarette and suddenly extinguishes it earlier than he normally would, he has signaled his decision to terminate the conversation. Watching for this termination signal can allow you to take control or to close the conversation, making it appear that it was your idea to end things.
How to Read Glasses
Almost every artificial aid a person uses gives them an opportunity to perform a number of revealing gestures and this is certainly the case with those who wear glasses. One of the most common gestures is placing one arm of the frame in the mouth.
Using the glasses to stall for time
As Desmond Morris pointed out, the act of putting objects against the lips or in the mouth is a momentary attempt by the person to relive the security he experienced as a baby at his mother's breast. This means that the Glasses-Arm-in-Mouth gesture is essentially a reassurance gesture.
If you wear glasses you may sometimes feel as if you are looking at life through two toilet-paper rolls, but you are perceived by others as being more studious and intelligent, particularly in the early stages of a meeting. In one study, people pictured wearing glasses were judged by respondents as being fourteen IQ points more intelligent compared to when they were not wearing them. This effect lasted less than five minutes, however, so you would be wise to consider wearing them only for short