I think DesertRhino is right, that there is a degree of BS to much of it, but...it is BS only to people in the know (and that includes people who see through the transparency of the unconscious part of it, whether they read it in a book, or whether they are a good judge of character and can see the deceit of people who use this intentionally as a tool whether they know the person is doing it intentionally or not.)
The whole “body language” thing is interesting, and to some degree true, but...only in cases where the person being observed is not conscious of it.
When people are conscious of the concepts of body language and know them, it enters a different realm. People who know body language (such as politicians, businessmen, and professional negotiators) pay less attention to it when they know their opposites are schooled in it, simply because body language can be used intentionally to send signals of true intent, or can be deliberately sent to mislead.
Obviously, in the case of politicians who understand the concept of body language, they are aware that even if they know the concepts, and they know their opponents know them as well, they have to be concerned with being on a stage and allowing the other person to send body language messages to the audience (maybe in the hundreds of thousands, or millions who may be watching on television) that may bolster their stance on something.
Negotiators understand in a negotiation with other professionals that body language may be intentional or unintentional and try to take that into account. A large population of lay people like us may not know at all, but we do unconsciously (in many cases) read body language and it can (and does) have an effect on our perception.
The handshake thing is interesting...most men I know are very sensitive to a handshake. I tend not to like shaking hands with someone who has a handshake like a dead fish...weak and clammy, and the person doesn’t make eye contact. Like most men, I am suspicious of a man with a handshake like that. Of course, I take into account the profession, sex or age (a surgeon, artist, elderly person, woman, etc) I take care not to grasp firmly, and let them dictate...I mirror the pressure and mood.
I am not a politician, I have simply dealt with a lot of people in my career who I have to introduce myself to, and have worked in health care for a long time, so handshakes are important to me. But politicians do the handshake thing differently. For them, they have the following hierarchy of handshakes:
1.) Basic: Shake hand firmly, make eye contact.
2.) Familiar: Put left hand over other person’s hand while shaking with right.
3.) Intimate: Put left hand on wrist, forearm, or elbow, how far up the arm determines degree of expressed “intimacy”.
4.) Best Friend: Put left hand on shoulder, or even across shoulder to back or other shoulder.
If you read this and think about it, you probably are saying “Yeah...I have seen them do these variations, and it is interesting to see how and when they do them. The last one is rare when dealing with non-friends, non-intimate colleagues (#4 Best Friend) because it will creep people out coming from someone you might not know well.
All this is interesting, but it is also well to keep in mind that sometimes...especially with politicians, they are a tool, a slimy tool, and nothing more. But body language can be accurate. And interestingly, it has been found that focusing on your own body language can help your mindset, too. Almost as if it works on yourself.
When I first heard this (that adjusting your body language could actually affect how you felt) I didn’t quite believe it, but I do believe to a degree it is true.
I didn’t fully believe in many of the concepts of body language as I was reading a book about it, but it was interesting. Not long after that, I went to the dentist’s office. As I lay in the dentist chair, waiting for the dentist to come in, I didn’t feel anxious, but...I suddenly realized that I was doing what is called “guarding posture”. I was laying on my back, arms crossed across my chest, legs together, feet crossed at the ankles. It was completely unconscious and involuntary, I just became aware of my posture, and that was a bit of a lightning bolt to me. There WAS something to at least some of this stuff.
Then, later, I read an article about adjusting your body language to help adjust your mood or state of mind. My next dentist visit, I found myself in the same guarded posture, and consciously uncrossed both my arms and legs. It works. I think, kind of like smiling when you don’t feel like it as a way to break out of a mood. Most interesting.
Interesting stuff - thanks. On that video I linked to I found the complete History Channel show on it. I think you are right - they are much more concious of it. Talking about an Indian wrestling, in that show they should Clinton, Yassar Arafat and the Jewish guy (Begin?) at Camp David going into a building.
Yassar puts his hand on Clinton’s back and guides him through the door. Then he does the same to Begin - but Begin understands this is a form of power and control and puts his hand on Arafat’s back. Arafat turns around and starts wagging his finger at Begin. Begin grabs Arafat with both hands and turns him around and basically shoves Arafat through the door.
The press got a laugh out of it. And it looked like all of the players were also laughing - on the outside anyway.