 Hey, Psych2Goers, welcome back to our channel. Have you ever wanted to know what someone is feeling or what they meant to say based on their clothing, expressions, or behaviors alone? Maybe you've seen too many episodes of Sherlock and so now you're determined to become a detective yourself. While no one can read another's mind, not even Sherlock Holmes is that good. There are some tricks that can help you get a better understanding of others and what they really mean to say. Here are some tips on how to read nearly anyone. Number one, be open-minded and unbiased. If you want to learn to read people, you must first practice approaching people with an open mind. We all have hidden biases within us, based on past experiences, current emotions, and interactions. If we judge someone too quickly, we are more prone to misreading others. Practice entering a new encounter with an open mind. According to Judith Orloff, MD in Psychology Today, you must surrender to other vital forms of information so that you can learn to read the important non-verbal intuitive cues that people give off. To do this, you must also be willing to surrender any preconceptions or emotional baggage such as old resentments or ego clashes that stop you from seeing someone clearly. The key is to remain objective and receive information mutually without distorting it. Number two, enter open-minded but be aware of your instinctive feelings. While it's best to be open-minded, it may not be a good idea to ignore our gut feelings and first impressions entirely right away. And why? Our first impressions may be more accurate than we think, according to research published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin in 2009. The study had subjects view full-body photos of 123 strangers. The strangers were viewed in either a controlled, neutral pose and facial expression, or the strangers naturally posed themselves in an expressive pose. When the subjects saw the photos of the strangers expressing themselves naturally, their judgments of them were correct for 9 out of 10 personality traits. Sometimes when we look at how others choose to generally represent themselves through unique fashion, photos and poses, we may just be right in the basis of our first impressions. Now the real trick is to know the intricacies of them more than just how they choose to present themselves. Notice their posture. Posture can reveal a lot about someone. Maybe they hold their head high because they've had a good day, or maybe they're slumping in their seat because they didn't quite get a full night's rest. According to Judith Orloff, MD, notice if someone holds their head high in a manner of confidence, or maybe they have a strong ego and puff out their chest. Orloff also notes, walking in an indecisive manner with your head low and cowered could be a sign of low self-esteem in some cases. Posture can reveal so much about how someone is feeling for the day, so keep an eye out. If they're falling asleep in their chair during class time, you don't need to be sure a lot of homes to guess how tired they are. Number 4. Notice what they're wearing. According to personality psychologists at the University of Texas, Sam Gosling, we should notice what people choose to tell us about their appearance. Gosling calls these signs identity claims, and they can include little things like what they wear, tattoos, bumper stickers, to even our screensaver. Gosling explains that identity claims are deliberate statements that we make about our attitude, goals, values, etc. One of the things that are really important to keep in mind about identity claims is because these are deliberate, many people assume we are being manipulative with them and we're being disingenuous. But I think there's little evidence to suggest that that goes on. I think generally, people really do want to be known. They'll even do that at the expense of looking good. They'd rather be seen authentically than positively if it came down to that choice. So pay attention to what people want to convey about themselves. They're likely truthful to a good degree. Number 5. Pay attention to their normal behavior and personality. Each of us has our own unique mannerisms and behaviors that reflect our personality. It's important to get a baseline for how someone acts before jumping to conclusions. If you notice someone is nervously tapping their foot at your party, does that mean they have something to hide? Or do they just not like parties? Or simply have a habit of tapping their foot? Once you get the baseline on their common behavior and personality, you'll have an easier time reading them when they deviate from their normal behavior. And number 6. Look out for certain facial expressions. There are a few common facial expressions that can give way to what someone is really thinking or feeling. When someone's jaw is clenched and they grind their teeth, that can be a sign of tension. Someone may just be feeling bitter, angry, or contempt if their lips are pursed. Deep frown lines forming, you can bet they're definitely worried or overthinking. Want to know if someone is genuinely smiling in delight? Look for what is called a Duchenne smile. According to Healthline, this occurs when the zygomaticus major muscle lifts the corners of your mouth at the same time the orbicularis oculia muscles lift your cheeks and crinkle your eyes at the corners. It's the type of smile that reaches up to your eyes, causing those wrinkles known as crow's feet to appear. This type of smile appears when someone is genuinely happy, as opposed to a polite and kind smile, or even a forced smile. And there could even be an easier way to interpret different smiles. Cardiff universities Magdalena Rijlowska and her colleagues of researchers developed a classification of smiles and their effect on others with the help of a complex modeling program used in 2017. When you're giving positive feedback, you can often show what Rijlowska calls the reward smile. This is when your lips are naturally pulled directly upwards and eyebrows lift and you form small dimples at the sides of your mouth. The dominant smile communicates friendship and liking. This includes pressing your lips together along with the appearance of the small dimples. Lastly, the dominant smile is when your upper lip is raised. You wrinkle your nose and your cheeks get pushed upwards while smiling. During this smile, you raise your upper lids and you sort of sneer with the indentation between your nose and mouth naturally deepening. So if you happen to notice someone you've been recently talking to using the dominant smile, they may just be trying to be your friend, unless they're smiling in their sleep. Then maybe they're just really tired and having a good dream. So, do you think you'll be able to read others better now with a bit of practice? Are you the next Sherlock Holmes in the making? Tell us in the comments section down below. If you enjoyed this video, don't forget to click the like button and share this video with a friend. Subscribe to Psych2Go and hit the notification bell icon for more content like this. And as always, thanks for watching.