Reading People

If you play poker, if you are good at it, you become sensitive to your opponents. You can read their expresses, their eye movements, even their breathing. These 'tells' , (when you can read them), are how to play your cards.

Using gambling tools to read general human behavior might seem discomforting, but, in reality, the person at that poker table who is 'reading' his opponents knows how to bet.

Learning 'tells' and how to read them gives one an enviable insight into human behavior.

The player, who knows how to 'mask' his actual position in regards to the cards s/he holds, also possesses that 'power' to read people and how to manipulate them.

These abilities are used in daily life by those who are aware of them.

Not to get into psycho-babble or over intellectualize, certain behaviors can be read and understood once one knows the 'tell'.

The 'Tell' is a giveaway action. It could be a mode of speech, a gesture, eye movements, expressions, a presentation, etc.

If a person festoons his office with photographs of himself, awards and diplomas you know he has a crushing inferiority complex.

He uses these photos and awards to over compensate for his feelings of inferiority. He will act superior, so, you know how to play him.

People who display overt signs of 'superiority' to others are over-compensating for a sense of inferiority. They need the signs and symbols of success because they know they are not worthy.

Aware of their weakness and general inferiority, they over react by attempting to prove they are 'better' than everyone else.

Most of these people are Bosses From Hell, men (or women) who 'Know' they are less than those who work for them, and attempt to 'prove' they are better by suppression and oppression.

Anyone who behaves as if they are 'better' than others has intense feelings of inferiority and uses this 'over compensation'.

To play them, act 'awed'. Let them talk and show off. Be small to their giant. If you can act the worshipful acolyte you can play them like a piccolo.

There are people who will lie about anything and everything. No matter how unimportant or irrelevant, they lie.

They have an innate fear of others. No matter how big they are, no matter how old, they lie. Lying comes from fear.

This is a general fear, a cowardice. It is virtually genetic. The parent/child of a liar is usually a liar.

You need to know if they are or not, so have to set a few 'traps' so as to expose them. These can be monetary, but can also be general mistruths.

Many politicians are born liars. They will lie, deceive, misrepresent. When caught they try to 'explain' or twist, so that, in their own minds, they have 'escaped'.

Persons who try to be too precise are often liars.

A non-liar will say things like, "I believe it will take two weeks..." or "I will try to..."

A liar will say; "You'll get that in five days," or "I will..."

The fact of life is that you don't control it. You don't control the rain, the traffic, other people, or events. You can't be certain of anything, if you are honest.

The best you can do is express your belief and your intention and possibilities. To be too precise is dishonest.

Hence, Liars fall into the trap.

Often, a person who doesn't say anything is overlooked. The assumption is that they have no opinion on the subject or, 'silence is consent'.

In reality, people who are silent are showing a contempt.

Whether they aren't listening, whether they disagree but are not going to say it, in many cases there is a contempt as obvious as farting in your face.

Too often people assume that because X didn't say anything s/he agrees with the point.

More often, X is either totally against what you are saying and doesn't want to admit it, (like a spy capturing data) or has such contempt for you that anything that comes out of your mouth is flushed.

Often a group decides on some venue or practice and the one who is silent doesn't show up or participate.

There are other tells where one can 'read' people.

The few I've listed are quite obvious and will lead to you uncovering many more aspects you have never noticed before.

You'll realise that pompous guy is really a sorry mess who is playing the role of Great Man just as an actor is playing Superman.

You'll listen between the words to catch that liar who is seeking to deceive by behaving with such certainty in situations one can not be certain.

You'll look at the silent person with a microscope and see the contempt.