Body Language by Julius Fast

Product Description

This classic book introduces kinetics, the science of non-verbal communication, which is used to analyze the common gestures we use and observe every day, gestures which reveal our deepest feelings and hidden thoughts to total strangers--if they know how to read them.
Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #287235 in Books
* Published on: 2002-05-25
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Paperback
* 192 pages

Customer Reviews

How to make a million bucks5
Written in 1970, it's a foundational book in the subject of body language. It's also a great case study on how to make a million dollars from an instructional book without having to do any research.

Fast has a pattern with every chapter. He starts with amusing anecdote, then quotes a book of research that someone else has done, and then dedicates that chapter to the book of research.

It answers questions like, "Why don't we talk to each other in elevators?" And many more.

One of the things I wanted to figure out by reading this book is if it was better than one of my favorite books, "Emotions Revealed" by Daniel Goleman, about facial movements being indicators of emotions. I was disappointed, kind of, that I couldn't answer this question, because one of the chapters is based on the early research of Golemen and how he had just started to test his theories with Australian aborigines.

I really liked chapter 9, the chapter on eye contact. I think everyone should at least read that chapter. Here's an excerpt:

"In the subway or bus where long rides in very close circumstances are a necessity, we may be hard put to find some way of not staring. We sneak glances, but look away before our eyes can lock. Or we look with an unfocused mouth, the body--for any place but the eyes is an acceptable looking spot for the unfocused glance."

"If our eyes do meet we can sometimes mitigate the message with a brief smile. The smile must not be too long or too obvious. It must say, "I am sorry we have looked, but we both know it was an accident."

Good for Young People4
I was required to read this book at 13 for a drama course. It is a good introduction to something I was not aware of conciously. For someone who was an aspiring actor, it helped greatly to help me put "more" into my performance. Additionally, it helped relieved some of the anxiety with dealling with the opposite sex. I then had a mean's to look at them and get a better idea as to whether they liked me and what body signals to send back so I didn't inadvertantly give the wrong message.

Many have complained in other reviews that this book is not effective, however, they are looking for something written for an experienced adult. This book is a good introduction for a younger person, written in very simple language.

Useful, but very subjective4
OK, I know some people think they can read your intentions through body language. In some cases, I'm sure it can be done, but it is by NO MEANS reliable. People are just too different. To its credit, the author does mention this a few times. But then the author launches right back into the stereotyping, with an authoritative narrative that seems to scream universal authenticity, which is misleading.

A broad application of the principles stated seems acceptable, but rarely to the extent that people can be "read like an open book." If you tried it, you would simply be falling prey to the old adage "judging a book by its cover."

I found myself saying "Uh, no, that is not why I do that..." many times while reading through the examples in this book. However, as a fiction writer, I did find the desciptive elements very useful, and have used many of them to good effect in my novels. So, while you have to take the "stereotyping" in this book with a grain of salt, it can be put to use.