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A review by opson
Peoplewatching: The Desmond Morris Guide to Body Language by Desmond Morris
5.0
Another GREAT book.
We may sometimes think of us as so far removed from the animal kingdom that we are something else entirely. Yes, we might have reached unparalleled cognitive, technological, scientific, philosophical and artistic heights. But we are still biological creatures with everything this entails. And yes, I felt pretentious for writing this (LOL). Thank you very much for asking.
This book takes a zoological perspective on human beings. It is refreshing to read about us with more distance than is usually the case. It is also endearing to understand why (for example) we sometimes avoid eye contact (because we want to escape the social situation) or how we unconsciously signal 'yes' or 'no' through our body language, or to learn about the concept of 'non-verbal leakage'. These are just some of the insights the book details about our body language.
I find the real benefit of having a more in-depth understanding of our tendencies, is to read people better. We can thus adapt better to our friends, families and colleagues wants and needs. I believe we seldom act inappropriate because of bad intent. Instead, my experience is that it's more often than not, due of our obliviousness.
This book provides a "vocabulary" into the kind of communication we may not pay as close attention to. The result is better social awareness.
PS, as a final point: the book is criminally unknown.
We may sometimes think of us as so far removed from the animal kingdom that we are something else entirely. Yes, we might have reached unparalleled cognitive, technological, scientific, philosophical and artistic heights. But we are still biological creatures with everything this entails. And yes, I felt pretentious for writing this (LOL). Thank you very much for asking.
This book takes a zoological perspective on human beings. It is refreshing to read about us with more distance than is usually the case. It is also endearing to understand why (for example) we sometimes avoid eye contact (because we want to escape the social situation) or how we unconsciously signal 'yes' or 'no' through our body language, or to learn about the concept of 'non-verbal leakage'. These are just some of the insights the book details about our body language.
I find the real benefit of having a more in-depth understanding of our tendencies, is to read people better. We can thus adapt better to our friends, families and colleagues wants and needs. I believe we seldom act inappropriate because of bad intent. Instead, my experience is that it's more often than not, due of our obliviousness.
This book provides a "vocabulary" into the kind of communication we may not pay as close attention to. The result is better social awareness.
PS, as a final point: the book is criminally unknown.