In a study published in the journal Science (Nov. 29, 2012), researchers found that body language, more than facial expression, is far more revealing of a person's true feelings and emotions.
Hillel Aviezer, a psychologist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and his team analyzed dozens of images of elite tennis players at critical win-or-lose points at major tournaments such as the U.S. Open.
"There is lots of money involved, it's lots of egos involved, it's very high stakes. You have a lot of points in the game where people could have very positive emotions or negative emotions," observed Aviezer.
Aviezer's team showed three groups of 15 survey participants photographs of only a player's face, or only a player's body, or sometimes both. The team wanted to know if the respondents could accurately gauge if the player was having a positive or negative emotion.
Result. Observers who saw the player's body could more accurately tell if the player was happy or upset. Those who only saw the player's face were much less correct in their assessment.
The player's body was far more telling of his or her true emotions.
Bottom line: Observe carefully your opponent's or any player's body language. It tells you almost all you need to know about what they are really feeling.
Best,
Gary
For more reading: "Is Your Partner Sad? Body Language Speaks Volumes", LiveScience
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