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  • (upbeat music)

  • - [Narrator] Hey, Psych2Go-ers,

  • welcome back to another video.

  • Thank you all so much for your love and support,

  • enabling us to make yet another exploration

  • into everyday psychology.

  • So let's begin.

  • Have you heard the saying,

  • "Humans are creatures of habit?"

  • As a human, you naturally have your own unique,

  • or even common habits,

  • that you just can't seem to stop doing.

  • How many of yours can you recall?

  • Some body language habits have a way of sneaking

  • into our everyday lives,

  • so much that you might not even realize

  • that you're doing them.

  • Some of these subconscious behaviors may be fine with us,

  • but they might induce others

  • into making wrong perceptions about us.

  • These behaviors could possibly be the culprit

  • as to why you aren't landing that job after your interview

  • or perhaps why all your blind dates tend to ghost you

  • for no apparent reason.

  • So if you have a hunch that a body language habit

  • of yours might be the culprit,

  • here are six not so great body language habits

  • you should look out for.

  • Number one, slouching.

  • Does your job include being hunched

  • over your computer for long hours,

  • or perhaps you stay browsing YouTube videos

  • for additional long hours to relieve your boredom.

  • Whatever keeps you slouching over your screen all day,

  • the end result is that you develop bad posture.

  • Slouching is not a good body language habit to get into.

  • It not only leads to bad posture and back problems

  • but it also doesn't reflect well on others,

  • because instead of them thinking the slouch is

  • because of the hours hunched over our screens during work,

  • they think it's because of a lack of self-confidence

  • or because you were slouched over watching YouTube videos,

  • which it was, also, occasionally, sometimes.

  • But, hey, they're educational, sometimes.

  • Number two, holding a defensive position.

  • People can be annoying,

  • so you may be in the habit of holding a defensive pose,

  • such as crossing your arms,

  • in reaction to the meanies out there.

  • But don't let this seemingly defensive pose become a habit.

  • Oftentimes, people will associate crossed arms

  • as someone being disinterested, or well, defensive.

  • So they might not think you like them

  • or what they have to say.

  • Showing your hands more when you talk with someone

  • is the way to go.

  • According to body language expert, Patty Wolfe,

  • you should always keep your hands in view

  • when you're talking.

  • When a listener can't see your hands,

  • they wonder what you're hiding.

  • Number three, not walking with confidence

  • and good coordination.

  • How we walk can tell a person a lot about us.

  • Do you agree?

  • A lot of people judge you simply

  • by how you walk down the street.

  • Say what?

  • In the 1980s, two New York psychologists,

  • Morris Stein and Betty Grayson,

  • conducted research to find out

  • what violent criminals look for in their victims.

  • They had violent prisoners rate individuals

  • on how easy it was to attack them

  • from recorded tapes of the people walking.

  • They then had professional dancers analyze

  • the clips using a Laban Movement Analysis system

  • to rate how coordinated the individuals in the clips were

  • and concluded that criminals found those walking

  • with less confidence and coordination were easier targets.

  • This reminds me of that classic episode

  • on Rhett and Link's YouTube show, "Good Mythical Morning,"

  • "The Safest Way to Walk."

  • In that episode,

  • the two internet personalities learned

  • how to walk the correct way,

  • according to researchers,

  • in order to not be a target for mugging.

  • It's hilarious.

  • Number four, appearing distracted.

  • Do you tend to look away, onto other things,

  • when someone's talking to you?

  • And you're still actively listening

  • to the person talking,

  • but glancing away may be a habit.

  • While it may seem innocent,

  • if you keep glancing away during a serious story

  • about your friend's beloved goldfish, Crackers,

  • they may think you're bored and not interested,

  • or that you simply don't care about Crackers,

  • the pet goldfish, not the additively yummy snack.

  • Number five, overly intense eye contact

  • or no eye contact at all.

  • Eyes are the windows to the soul, right?

  • But you just don't like looking into the depths

  • of another soul, we just met.

  • But not using any eye contact

  • may make your job interviewer think

  • that you're not a serious worker,

  • or you're hiding something.

  • Or, perhaps,

  • too much eye contact during a casual party

  • may make someone think they have food on their face.

  • Aggressive stares can make someone feel a bit uncomfortable

  • and shifting your gaze too often

  • and not looking the person in the eye at all,

  • can make them wonder if you lack confidence

  • or are simply uninterested in what they're saying.

  • In other words,

  • it's best to pay attention to the goldfish story,

  • pay attention to Crackers.

  • No, not the snacks,

  • though they sure have got my attention now.

  • And number six, fidgeting during an important conversation.

  • Nearly everyone fidgets, what's your go-to fidget ritual?

  • It's something you do, and it can be entertaining.

  • Enter pencil-drum solo.

  • This is a difficult habit to stop and it may take time,

  • but it may be worth it in some situations.

  • Let's not forget our beloved retractable click pens

  • and their dainty, clicky sounds.

  • Aah, sweet relief.

  • But according to body language expert, Tonya Reiman,

  • author of "The Power of Body Language",

  • fidgeting can imply you lack power

  • or that you may be nervous.

  • So it might be best to leave the drum solos to the experts

  • and someone with a drum set.

  • And while your amazing clicky pen

  • may be appropriate background music, or not,

  • for a boring day in class,

  • it maybe isn't such a good idea

  • during a serious conversation.

  • And while people all around the world

  • have adopted these habits and seem to be doing just fine,

  • it's important to realize that now might be the best time

  • to start breaking away from them.

  • They are harmless,

  • and haven't really done you any wrong, agreed,

  • but you do want that extra edge

  • in the next interview of yours, right?

  • We hope we were able to give you insight

  • into some of the body language habits

  • that give a wrong impression.

  • Did you find these relatable?

  • Which one do you employ the most?

  • Were you aware it was giving off such wrong vibes?

  • Let us know in the comments below.

  • If you found this video helpful,

  • be sure to hit the like button

  • and share it with someone you think needs

  • to rethink their body language choices.

  • Don't forget to subscribe to Psych2Go,

  • and hit the notification bell for more new videos.

  • Thanks for watching.

  • See you soon.

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