Introduction -- All things are not what they seem -- How well do you know the back of your hand? -- How well can you spot body-language contradictions? -- How we wrote this book -- Your body-language dictionary -- 1. Understanding the basics -- In the beginning ... -- Why it's not what you say -- How body language reveals emotions and thoughts -- Why women are more perceptive -- What brain scans show -- How fortune-tellers know so much -- Inborn, genetic, or learned culturally? -- Some basic origins -- Universal gestures -- Three rules for accurate reading -- Why it can be easy to misread -- Why kids are easier to read -- Can you fake it? -- True-life story : the lying job applicant -- How to become a great reader -- 2. The power is in your hands -- How to detect openness -- Intentional use of the palms to deceive -- The law of cause and effect -- Palm power -- Our audience experiment -- An analysis of handshake styles -- Who should reach first? -- How dominance and control are communicated -- The submissive handshake -- How to create equality-- How to create rapport -- How to disarm a power player -- The cold, clammy handshake -- Gaining the left-side advantage -- When men and women shake hands -- The double-hander -- Handshakes of control -- The Blair-Bush power game -- The solution -- The world's eight worst handshakes -- The Arafat-Rabin handshake -- Summary --

3. The magic of smiles and laughter -- Smiling is a submission signal -- Why smiling is contagious -- How a smile tricks the brain -- Practicing the fake smile -- Smugglers smile less -- Five common types of smiles -- Why laughter is the best medicine -- Why you should take laughter seriously -- Why we laugh and talk, but chimps don't -- How humor heals -- Laughing till you cry -- How jokes work -- The laughter room -- Smiles and laughter are a way of bonding -- Humor sells -- The permanent down-mouth -- Smiling advice for women -- Laughter in love -- Summary -- 4. Arm signals -- Arm barrier signals -- Why crossed arms can be detrimental -- Yes ... but I'm just "comfortable" -- Gender differences -- Crossed-arms-on-chest -- The solution -- Reinforced arm-crossing -- Arm-gripping -- The boss vs. the staff -- Getting the thumbs-up -- Hugging yourself -- How the rich and famous reveal their insecurity -- The coffee cup barrier -- The power of touch -- Touch their hand, too -- Summary -- 5. Cultural differences -- We were having pizza at the time -- Take the cultural test -- Why we're all becoming American -- Cultural basics are the same almost everywhere -- Greeting differences -- When one culture encounters another -- The English stiff-upper-lip -- The Japanese -- "You dirty, disgusting pig!" : nose blowing -- The three most common cross-cultural gestures -- To touch or not to touch? -- How to offend other cultures -- Summary --

6. Hand and thumb gestures -- How the hands talk -- On the one hand ... -- On the other hand, gestures improve recall -- Rubbing the palms together -- Thumb and finger rub -- Hands clenched together -- The steeple -- Using steepling to win at chess -- Summary -- The face platter -- Holding hands behind the back -- Thumb displays -- Thumbs-protruding-from-coat-pocket -- Summary -- 7. Evaluation and deceit signals -- Lying research -- The three wise monkeys -- How the face reveals the truth -- Women lie the best and that's he truth -- Why it's hard to lie -- Eight of the most common lying gestures -- Evaluation and procrastination gestures -- Boredom -- Evaluation gestures -- The lying interviewee -- Chin stroking -- Stalling clusters -- Head rubbing and slapping gestures -- Why Bob always lost at chess -- The double meaning -- 8. Eye signals -- The dilating pupils -- Take the pupil test -- Women are better at it, as usual -- Giving them the eye -- The eyebrow flash -- Eye widening -- The "looking up" cluster -- How men's fires get lit -- Gaze behavior, where do you look? -- How to keep eye contact in a nudist colony -- How to grab a man's attention -- Most liars look you in the eye -- How to avoid being attached or abused -- The sideways glance -- Extended blinking -- Darting eyes -- The geography of the face -- The politician's story -- Look deep into my eyes, baby -- The first twenty seconds of an interview -- The solution -- What channel are you tuned to? -- How to hold eye contact with an audience -- How to present visual information -- The power lift -- Summary --

9. Space invaders, territories and personal space -- Personal space -- Zone distance -- Practical applications of zone distances -- Who is moving in on whom? -- Why we hate riding in elevators -- Why mobs become angry -- Spacing rituals -- Try the luncheon test -- Cultural factors affecting zone distances -- Why Japanese always lead when they waltz -- Country vs. city spatial zones -- Territory and ownership -- Car territory -- Take the test -- Summary -- 10. How the legs reveal what the mind wants to do -- Everybody's talking about a new way of walking -- How feet tell the truth -- The purpose of the legs -- The four main standing positions -- Defensive, cold, or "just comfortable"? -- How we move from closed to open -- The European leg cross -- The American figure four -- When the body closes, so does the mind -- Figure four leg clamp -- The ankle lock -- The short skirt syndrome -- The leg twine -- Parallel legs -- Put your right foot in, put your right foot out -- Summary -- 11. The thirteen most common gestures you'll see daily -- The head nod -- Why you should learn to nod -- How to encourage agreement -- The head shake -- The basic head positions -- The head duck -- Picking imaginary lint -- How we show we're ready for action -- The cowboy stance -- Sizing up the competition -- The legs-spread -- Leg-over-the-arm-of-chair -- Straddling a chair -- The catapult -- Gestures that show when a person is ready -- The starter's position -- Summary --