Body Language Basics: Legs, Feet, and Angles

You probably weren't surprised to discover that the human face is incredibly expressive, or that a person's hands and arms can serve as methods of nonverbal communication, but you might be more surprised to hear that the lower body can also provide valuable information about someone's subconscious needs and emotions.

That's right, folks, your feet are good for more than just tapping when you're impatient, and your legs are good for more than just supporting your bodyweight. Let's jump (another thing your legs and feet are good for!) right in to today's lesson...

Foot Position: The direction in which a person's feet face, regardless of whether they're sitting or standing, indicates interest. If you notice that your date's feet point directly towards you, their body is sending the unspoken message that they're attracted to you. If your date's feet point away, they are wishing they could escape.

Leg Position: The position of a person's legs reveals the strength of their self-confidence. People who are not confident attempt to make themselves as small as possible, and will cross their legs to indicate that they feel shy or defensive. Constantly shifting weight or changing position is another sign that someone is uncomfortable with the situation they are in. In contrast to those with low self-esteem, person with a high level of self-assurance will stand or sit with their legs spread wide, taking up as much space as possible. A comfortable stance with the legs at shoulder width suggests that a person is relaxed, at ease, and content.

Body Angle: When we are interested in, or feel a connection with, someone, we face them directly and lean slightly towards them. When we are uncomfortable around someone, we lean away from them, stand sideways, turn our backs to them. Keep an eye out for clusters of body language signals: if your date faces you directly with their shoulders, hips, and feet, relaxes their arms, and opens their hands to expose their palms, they are creating a direct line of communication between your bodies that is a very strong indication that they are into you.

To project confidence and avoid seeming needy, your best bet is to combine positive and negative body language. Exhibiting too much negative body language has obvious undesirable effects, but constantly showing positive body language can be disastrous too. Overdosing on positive body language implies that you have low self-esteem and need validation from others, and hints that neediness and dependency will likely be factors in a relationship. Encourage intrigue and keep up an air of mystery by monitoring your body language and regularly changing the messages it sends.