Joe Navarro

when a woman is not touching her suitor with her foot, this type of foot dangling and shoe play is movement, and movement draws attention.

Therefore, this nonverbal behavior says, “Notice me,” which is just the opposite of the freeze response, and is part of the orienting reflex that is instinctive and draws us near to the things and people we like or desire and away from those things we don’t like, don’t trust, or of which we are not sure.

Foot and leg behavior is especially important to observe when you first meet people. It reveals a lot about how they feel about you. Personally, when I first meet someone, I typically lean in, give the person a hearty handshake (depending on the appropriate cultural norms in the situation), make good eye contact, and then take a step back and see what happens next. One of three responses is likely to take place: (a) the person will remain in place, which lets me know he or she is comfortable at that distance; (b) the individual will take a step back or turn slightly away, which lets me know he or she needs more space or wants to be elsewhere; or (c) the person will actually take a step closer to me, which means he or she feels comfortable and/or favorable toward me. I take no offense to the individual’s behavior because I am simply using this opportunity to see how he or she really feels about me.

vs. Noncooperative Feet

If you are dealing with a person who is socializing or cooperative with you, his or her feet should mirror your own. If, however, someone’s feet are pointed away from you while his body faces toward you, you should ask yourself why. Despite the direction of the body, this is not a genuine cooperation profile and is indicative of several things that must be explored. Such a pose reflects either the person’s need to leave or get away soon, a disinterest in what is being discussed, an unwillingness to further assist, or a lack of commitment to what is being said.

Predators (muggers, drug dealers, thieves, con men) lurk about waiting for their next victim; therefore their postures and pace are different. There is no purposeful direction to their travel until they are about to strike.

The foot freeze is another example of a limbic-controlled response, the tendency of an individual to stop activity when faced with danger.

nonverbal observers have noted how often people who are lying will not move their feet in an interview, seeming frozen, or they interlock their feet in such a way as to restrict movement. This is consistent with research indicating that people tend to restrict arm and leg movements when lying (

The sudden locking of ankles around the legs of a chair is part of the freeze response and is indicative of discomfort, anxiety, or concern.

The foot lock is a freeze response and the leg rubbing is a pacifying behavior. The two, taken together, make it more likely that the person has been uncovered; he fears something he has done will be found out and he is experiencing stress because of this.

have observed that when a high-stress question is asked, the respondent will often withdraw his or her feet beneath the chair, which could be seen as a distancing reaction and one that attempts to minimize the exposed parts of the body.