Last Updated on January 5, 2023 by Mike Robinson

Observing someone’s body language is one of the simplest methods to interpret their behavior. This is one of the first things to learn if you want to know how to analyze people in different settings. 

Let’s take a closer look at the approaches and see how you can learn to use them to analyze people.

Some people are easy to read. You can look at them and, in a few seconds, determine what emotions they are feeling at that moment. On the other hand, other individuals are more challenging to figure out. The clues they provide are more subtle and harder to analyze. After reading this article and using the information provided, you will gain confidence in your ability to analyze people on sight. Developing this skill will help you in many areas where interacting with people is required. 

How to analyze people on sight

The quickest way to analyze a person’s emotions is by examining their body language. 

You can learn a lot about someone by how that person walks, carries themself, and speaks. Since everyone has a wide range of mannerisms, there is no way to determine exactly what makes someone who they are. However, there are still many shared characteristics that can give you a profound understanding of how someone functions.

There are a few techniques you can use to analyze people. Methods include:

• Paying attention to their body language.
• Hearing what they say.
• Sensing their emotional energy.
• Using intuition.

Analyzing and understanding others has always been a tough challenge in life. Furthermore, recent social changes and the rapid advancement of technology have made it even more difficult.

Let’s carefully examine the methods and see how to apply them. 

 The history of facial expression analysis

Facial expression analysis has been around since the 1800s. Darwin showed in 1872 that people and animals have the same facial expressions, and they are the same from one species to the next. He also said that people are born with certain emotions from useful habits. In 1971, Ekman and Friesen proposed that there are six basic emotions and that each has a different feeling and facial expression. 

These typical ways of showing how you feel are also called “basic emotions.” They include happiness, sadness, fear, disgust, surprise, and anger, and they seem to be the same for all races and cultures. 

In the past, facial expression analysis was done mainly by psychologists as part of their research. However, in 1978, Suwa et al. presented a preliminary study on automatically analyzing facial expressions from a sequence of images. Automatic facial expression analysis research gained a lot of momentum in the 1990s, starting with the work of Mase and Pentland, who were the first to do it. There are many reasons for this renewed interest in facial expressions. Still, the main ones are the progress made in related research fields like face detection, face tracking, and face recognition, as well as the current availability of relatively cheap computational power.

Examining facial expressions

 Facial expressions are a part of body language that you can use to express your emotions. To fully comprehend how someone feels, you need to consider several different signs.

When interpreting a person’s facial expression, you should always consider their actions and potential intentions. Here are a few examples of how you can read a person’s emotions by the expression on their face.

Happiness

A happy person usually smiles and looks down. A happy face has raised cheekbones, lips pulled back to show teeth, slender eyes with some crow’s feet, and a genuine smile. Another characteristic of a happy person has increased vitality in their face and mannerisms.

 Sadness:

 Sadness typically manifests when someone doesn’t smile or doesn’t appear to want to. The inner corners of a person’s eyebrows will be raised and drawn together when depressed. You can use this facial expression to gauge someone’s mood because few people can move these muscles on their own. As a result, it is challenging to fake this expression. Eyes that are downcast and upper eyelids that hang down are typical characteristics of a melancholy person. Additionally, the corners of their lips are frequently pulled down.

Surprise

 Surprise is the emotion that usually fades the fastest from a person’s face. It often only lasts a short while. Once someone realizes what surprised them, their feelings typically change. Depending on what might have initially alarmed them, the person’s facial expression may alter once they understand what caused their surprise—relief, fear, wrath, humor, etc. However, there are situations when someone is astonished but doesn’t feel anything else because they decide the surprise doesn’t matter to them. A sudden, unexpected event typically brings on a shocked expression.

 Fear:

 It can be difficult to tell whether someone is surprised or afraid. This is because, even though both looks have prominently elevated brows, you can tell the difference between the two just by looking at the brows. When anxious, your eyebrows are more likely to be horizontal and straight. On the other hand, when you’re amazed versus terrified, your eyebrows will be raised more.

Typically, a person who is afraid has tight, stretched lips as opposed to someone who is amazed, who typically has open, loose lips. Another way to distinguish between the two is that when someone is afraid, they raise their upper eyelid higher than when they are amazed. 

Finally, a fearful person is more inclined to look down. In contrast, when startled, people frequently pull their heads back and fix their gaze on the threat, which causes their brows to arch.

 Anger: 

Because anger can sometimes lead to violence at its worst, most people think it is the most dangerous emotion. There are many reasons why a person may become angry, such as when they witness someone cut in front of them in line or when someone mistreats them. When someone is angry, their eyes are usually wide open and directed at the object of their rage. Additionally, their lips are typically pursed tightly together, with the corners of their mouth frequently narrowing.

 Disgust: 

The most well-known expression is one that expresses disgust. This frequently occurs when someone finds something unpleasant, like vomit or other people’s offensive, obscene behaviors. If someone’s nose is wrinkled, it is obvious that they are disgusted. Additional disgust-induced facial expressions include:

• Lower brows.
• Upper lips in the shape of an upside-down U.
• A slightly protruding lower lip.

 Confidence:

 A confident face typically appears more centered, energetic, and focused. Someone who exudes a lot of confidence is also more likely to look up and be willing to initiate eye contact.

 A person’s body language and facial expressions typically go hand in hand when expressing emotions. If you know how to read someone’s facial expressions, you can understand how they feel.

How to analyze people by their body language cues 

Head movements:

When learning how to analyze people, pay attention to where and how someone’s head moves. Head movement can reveal much about personality and current emotional state. For instance, a person walking with their head up would be seen as confident, whereas someone walking with their head down is possibly timid or insecure.

Just like how they carry their heads, a person’s head movements can help you understand what they are attempting to convey. For instance, moving the head up and down is considered the universal expression of agreement.

 Therefore, if you see someone nod their head frequently, you can assume they are cooperative and they try to avoid arguments or confrontations. However, observing someone shaking their head back and forth may indicate their disagreement deliberately or unconsciously. Also, a person who tilts their head to the side while speaking or listening may be:

• Interested in the conversation
• Curiosity about what you’re saying
• Uncertain about what you’re saying

  Be aware that someone who nods excessively can be faking interest in what you are saying. They might be aware they should pay attention, but they might not be able to. They pretend to nod their heads in agreement to follow along. Secondly, they could not understand what you were saying, so they nodded to appear attentive. If you see someone nodding their head excessively, you may want to shift the subject, catch their attention, or clarify your point.

Arm signals 

Another aspect of body language you can use to understand the individuals you’re speaking to is how they utilize their hands and arms. We use our hands to tell stories and emphasize what we are saying. For instance, a person may use hand gestures to maintain audience interest when narrating a story. The hands and arms are like a person’s front door. 

 Someone’s hands and arms might reveal how open or closed they are. One indication that someone is a little more guarded and reluctant to converse is when their arms are tightly crossed in front of their chest. However, someone is not necessarily closed just because their arms are crossed. They might cross their arms over their chests to rest them. Another possibility is they may be a little cold. 

On the other hand, someone with arms extended, possibly even over their head, is likely to be very open and even attempt to assert dominance.

 Additionally, a person’s movements and hand positions might convey messages they may not have intended to express. Someone who rests their head on their hand while resting one elbow on a table indicates that they are listening and interested.

 However, it could indicate boredom if they repeatedly do the same activity with both hands. Additionally, chatting with your hands behind your back can indicate boredom or hostility. On the other hand, crossing one’s arms in front signals that someone is on guard or is being observed. Lastly, you can project confidence and control by standing with your arms at your hips.

 Posture

A person’s posture has a significant role in their body language. A person’s posture can reveal a lot about their personality, including whether they are outgoing, accommodating, self-assured, or bashful. For instance, if someone is sitting up straight, it may indicate that they are engaged and paying attention to what is happening. On the other hand, slumping forward while seated reveals someone who doesn’t trust themselves, is lethargic, or is depressed. It can also demonstrate your level of interest in what is happening.

  Body Gestures

Gestures are a crucial part of body language cues and are the most visible and apparent body language signals. Any body part, including the arms, hands, legs, and even the eyes, can send different messages by changing the movements. These motions could be accidental or deliberate.

Although gestures are frequently employed to accentuate spoken words, they are also effective ways to express ideas. You can use your hand to emphasize what you’re saying, for instance, when you’re saying goodbye to someone. When you wish to ask someone to wait, you might simply hold up one finger.

 You can read a person’s gestures to determine how they are feeling right then. For instance, you may quickly determine if someone agrees with you if they give you the thumbs up. On the other hand, if you notice someone rolling their eyes, you can infer that they’re bored or irritated by the activity going on around them. Additionally, someone talking to you while crossing their arms or feet probably doesn’t agree with or accept your perspective.

 On the other hand, a person is more likely paying attention to a conversation if they keep their arms open while speaking to someone. Therefore, seeing how, when, and what motions other people make might help you determine how they are feeling.