While the manuscript for this book was reviewed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) prior to publication, the opinions and thoughts expressed herein are those of the author exclusively.
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First published in the US by HarperCollinsPublishers 2018
This UK edition published by Thorsons 2018
FIRST EDITION
Text © Joe Navarro 2018
Cover layout design © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2018
Illustration credits: chapter head motifs the Head, the Eyes, the Mouth, the Chin, the Face, the Neck, the Shoulders, the Hands and Fingers, the Chest, Torso, and Belly, the Feet © Anna Rassadnikova/Shutterstock, Inc.; the Arms © freelanceartist/Shutterstock, Inc.; the Hips, Buttocks, and Genitals © Oksana Usenko/Shutterstock, Inc.; the Legs © makar/Shutterstock, Inc.
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Source ISBN: 9780008292607
Ebook Edition © August 2018 ISBN: 9780008292614
Version 2018-07-11
CONTENTS
THE HIPS, BUTTOCKS, AND GENITALS
This book is dedicated to the love of my life,
my best friend, and the first editor of everything
I do—my wife, Thryth Hillary Navarro
If language was given to men to conceal their thoughts, then gesture’s purpose was to disclose them.
—JOHN NAPIER
In 1971, at the age of seventeen, for reasons unknown to me then or now, I began to keep a journal on human behavior. I catalogued all sorts of “nonverbals”—what is more generally called body language. At first it was the quirky things people did: why did they roll their eyes when they were disbelieving or reach for their neck when they heard bad news? Later it became more nuanced: why did women play with their hair while on the phone or arch their eyebrows when they greeted one another? These were small actions, but they captured my curiosity. Why did humans do such things, in such variety? What was the purpose of these behaviors?
I admit it was an