A body language expert has revealed the subtle gestures you can use to make yourself more attractive – and the signals from others that prove it works.
Scott Taylor told FEMAIL that there are several physical signs to look for to see if someone finds you attractive in romantic, platonic and professional relationships.
The 51-year-old said there are certain body language cues you can do to make someone relaxed and comfortable in your presence, such as “mirroring” their gestures and vocabulary.
He also suggests ways to appear more attractive, such as keeping your thumbs visible, maintaining strong eye contact, pointing your feet toward someone and blinking less.
A body language expert revealed there are several physical cues you should look out for to see if someone finds you attractive in romantic, platonic and professional relationships alike
Scott Taylor (pictured) said there are certain body language cues you can do to make someone relaxed and comfortable in your presence, such as ‘mirroring’ their gestures and vocabulary
Scott trained with the head of the FBI and chief interrogator at Guantanamo Bay, where he learned about “body language, facial microexpressions, deception detection, influential behavior, and analysis of statements and words.”
‘We are attracted to confidence and positivity, but we often don’t know what that looks like. Confident people take up space,” he explained.
‘Even if there is an element of attraction to us, we see that they are relaxed and confident. You must first achieve comfort and security before you build fame and sympathy.”
One way to instantly get on someone’s good side is to pick up on their mannerisms and subtly mimic the way they speak, a phenomenon known as isopraxis.
“If you’re trying to build influence and sympathy with people, identify what their gesture patterns, body language and the like are and mirror that,” Scott said.
He said it’s a technique he uses in his work to endear himself to customers.
“I’m looking at someone’s YouTube, Facebook, whatever and I’m picking up words, gesture patterns, nuances of head tilt, what they’re doing with their hands and all that,” he said.
‘So when I talk to them, I know that if I want this person to like me quickly, I have to approach them on the left, with symmetrical gestures, I have to use this gesture pattern for important words, I have to use this speaking pattern and this person walks away within a minute and says, ‘There’s just something about that person that I like.’
Scott said the “people hacking” trick works because it shows the person part of their own personality.
‘We have our own name prejudices. Traditionally, we tend to gravitate towards job titles, areas and things that start with the same letter as our first name because we have a heightened sense of self,” he said.
Open and confident body language is another way to tell if someone is interested in you, with the stomach and feet being some of the strongest indicators of attraction.
“There’s a saying, ‘Bow away, I don’t want you to stay.’ If someone turns that part of their belly button away from you or their feet point away from you, that is an indication that they are uncomfortable.
‘We want to see the opposite, we want the power zones to be open and the feet to be pointed towards you. If we see more openness and accessibility, that is a first sign (of attraction).”
Scott said there are ways to encourage openness when meeting someone for the first time, simply by removing objects and obstacles between you.
“When you are sitting at a dinner table or dealing with people, remove any barriers between you because people use them as a security blanket
“When someone has their drink or their cell phone in front of them, they build more and more barriers, that is, they subconsciously show that they have a feeling of discomfort.”
He said removing barriers such as salt and pepper shakers or vases on the table will immediately create openness.
Scott added to make sure you put your phone down during a conversation so that the other person is your main focus.
‘Be present, fully present. “If as soon as you talk to someone you have your phone in your hand, they’re not the most important thing in the room to you,” he said.
One way to instantly get on someone’s good side is to pick up on their mannerisms and subtly mimic the way they speak, a phenomenon known as isopraxis.
A more ‘overt’ sign of attraction is how often someone shows their thumbs, which shows trust.
“If you see someone talking and he puts his hands in his pockets and hides his thumbs, that could be a sign of nervousness,” he said.
Scott added that people subconsciously view someone’s thumbs with confidence, which is why the gesture is a universal sign of approval.
Looking into someone’s eyes can also give signals that he or she is comfortable and attracted to you.
“From our standard 12 to 14 blinks per minute, if someone is attracted to you, their pupils will dilate and their blink rate will decrease because we want to take in more of what we like,” Scott said.
He also said there is a way to instantly tell if someone’s smile is “real,” citing an old study by French neurologist Guillaume Benjamin Amand Duchenne.
Scott said the “Duchenne smile” is a powerful facial expression in which someone who smiles authentically develops crow’s feet-like wrinkles on the sides of both eyes.
“What we’ve realized is that there are two muscles on the side of the eyes that are controlled emotionally,” he said.
Scott added that people subconsciously view someone’s thumbs with confidence, which is why the gesture is a universal sign of approval
“We pick it up subconsciously, so if people just smile with their mouths, if they don’t have wrinkles in the side of the eyes, it’s not real.”
Scott said there are ways to mimic a Duchenne smile to make people feel comfortable with you and make you appear more confident.
“An eye flash, that’s when your eyebrows rise about half an inch to three-quarters of an inch, when you combine that with your smile and the crinkling of the eyes, people subconsciously think, ‘You’re not a threat to Me, I know you.'” , he explained.
“People will feel a little more at ease because they will reciprocate and smile back with the same smile you do for them.”
Finally, Scott said that positivity can go a long way in increasing someone’s attraction to you.
‘Don’t underestimate the importance of positivity. People will remember you for the way you made them feel,” he said.
‘The emotion you have and the authenticity of your communication are at least as important as a branded shirt and those jeans that you think will make a good impression.’