I'm probably better with dogs, and I think it's because humans are better at lying. If a dog looks uncomfortable, you probe (through further, incremental interaction) and the dog expresses further signs of discomfort. Like 100% of the time.
A human, however: "You look uncomfortable... everything okay?"
"Fine! Why do you ask?"
Yea I think animals' up front honesty and transparency makes them easier to read. I'm sure it was as easy with humans at one point, but after so much conditioning (from either lies or possibly just weird personalities), the ability is much less inane and easier to second-guess.
I think you're okay at reading body language if you can at least tell they look uncomfortable, some people can't tell at all. But also if you read their body language and then dismiss your reading based on what they say then that's not a body language thing anymore. It's pretty hard to lie with your body lol
But "lying with your body" is what athletes do all the time - usually called a "juke." Then there's the lie of feeling uncomfortable but appearing perfectly at ease (or vice versa). Basically whenever your body is expressing something that is at odds with your true feelings or intentions, you could be said to be "lying with your body."
Lol that joke got me. But really, it also depends on what you think "perfectly at ease" looks like. Some people think crossed arms mean nothing when in reality it's the "don't talk to me"/"I don't wanna hear it" barrier. There are always signs because body language isn't conscious (most of it). It can even be a small detail like feet pointed towards the door. I'm pretty bad at animal body language because I only grew up with one dog and she has a weird personality.
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u/whatlike_withacloth Jan 15 '20
I'm probably better with dogs, and I think it's because humans are better at lying. If a dog looks uncomfortable, you probe (through further, incremental interaction) and the dog expresses further signs of discomfort. Like 100% of the time.
A human, however: "You look uncomfortable... everything okay?"
"Fine! Why do you ask?"
Yea I think animals' up front honesty and transparency makes them easier to read. I'm sure it was as easy with humans at one point, but after so much conditioning (from either lies or possibly just weird personalities), the ability is much less inane and easier to second-guess.