Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Be More Observant
• Method 2 of 3: Knowing What to Look for
• Method 3 of 3: Interpreting What You See
• Tips
• Warnings

Being observant means having many benefits. Observing people and your findings can help you find a new job, catch someone lying, win over to your side in an argument, or win the romantic partner of your dreams. People constantly (unwittingly) drown out tell-tale cues about who they are and what they want, but you just need to know what to look for. If you want to learn something about people through body language, facial expressions and communication style, without drawing attention to yourself, see step 1 and look around.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Be More Observant

1. 1 Do not hurry. You tend to flutter all day, rushing from task to task, leaving no time to absorb information about the things around you. Being mindful takes practice, and it starts with being able to slow down, stop, and watch.You cannot do this if you are always in a hurry, and trying to shorten the time by one or two times will not be successful. You can practice your observation by slowing down in a given situation.
   • Start with your own family members. Do you have a habit of listening when your partner or child tells you about his or her day? Put your phone or tablet down and look directly into the eyes of the person you are talking to. Part of being attentive is being a good listener.
   • If you tend to come to your desk every morning saying hello without worrying about eye contact, take a different approach. Stop and talk to your boss or coworker for a few minutes, giving them your dose of attention. You will notice, so much more this path.
   • Walking down the street, riding the subway, or moving in any public place gives you the opportunity to practice your mindfulness. Don't just look straight through people, but watch in them. Pay attention to them. What do you see?
2. 2 Go beyond your own head. Constantly preoccupied with your own thoughts, desires, insecurities, and so on, you are distracted from observing other people. For the sake of being more observant, put your own needs aside and focus on the other person. This takes some practice, as thinking patterns are, in fact, habits that are not easy to change. You need to know where your thoughts are going and consciously focus on other people in order to observe them.
   • If you walk into a party and ignore people, rush to the bar or look for the nearest exit, you are not giving your brain room to observe people. Take a step back and allow yourself to focus on other people (so you have more time).
   • When you're talking to someone face-to-face and you're worried about whether your lipstick is good on your lips or how your laugh sounds, you won't be paying attention. Don't worry about yourself, focus on the other person and you will learn a lot more.
3. 3 Don't be predictable. You will not get accurate information about someone if you clarify and interpret each step. At best, the person will subconsciously understand what you want from him and design what he wants you to know about him, and at worst, the person will find your curiosity annoying or even intrusive. You must act as you would in your normal state even when your mind is making careful and calculating judgments.
   • Don't stare at people. People will notice that something has happened if you look at them from top to bottom. Even if your brain is completely focused on someone, make sure your eyes blink when necessary.
   • Be inconspicuous if you are trying to observe someone from afar. If you are visiting, do not stand in a dark corner watching the object. Or, if you decide to be a fly on the wall instead of participating, make sure you are in a place where no one will see you, otherwise you might think that you are acting creepy.
4. 4 Watch when they think no one is looking at them. People reveal a lot about themselves when they don't think anyone else will notice. Be especially observant when they feel comfortable allowing themselves to relax. This will give you a basic face reading and give you a clue to his / her true emotions.
   • For example, you might notice the look on your coworker's face as she walks down an empty hallway.
   • Notice how people look after they have finished the conversation, when they have a moment to withdraw into their thoughts.
   • Sit on a park bench or cafe table with an open newspaper and take the time to look around at other people around you.
5. 5 Pay attention to the differences. If you have a basic knowledge of someone, you can compare it with subsequent behavior and note the differences.This can be a clue for you to interesting facts about the person, what they might want to hide and how they express their true feelings.
6. 6 Pay attention to the reaction. Quick reactions to different situations can be an indicator of their true thoughts and feelings. When observing someone, pay attention to his / her facial expressions as soon as he / she hears some news. You can share the news yourself or watch someone else do it and take note of what happens.
   • For example, if you and your friends are having dinner and a friend announces that they just got a promotion, look at the reactions of other people. Anyone who is waiting for a reason for congratulations cannot be overjoyed at the news; maybe jealousy is envy?
7. 7 Look at the models. Write down your observations about people so that patterns can be seen. It can help you gain a deeper understanding of the personality, but it is a good way to understand the person as a whole. You will begin to notice the little details that people betray with care, desires, stress, fears, and weaknesses. Accumulating this kind of information will help you become better and better at observing people and making calculations in a split second, true or false.

Method 2 of 3: Knowing What to Look for

1. 1 Observe people's body language. Body language is incredibly revealing. People often say one thing, but their body language says something completely different. Look at the positioning of the head, arms, back, legs, and feet. What can you learn from a person's body language?
   • If someone says yes by shaking their head, what does that indicate? The answer is actually no.
   • If someone refuses to make eye contact, then the person is probably uncomfortable. (It's a common misconception that a lack of eye contact is a sign of lying, but the opposite is true.)
   • If someone is leaning back or is far away during a conversation, this may indicate that the person is tired or afraid.
   • If someone crosses their arms, it means that he / she feels uncomfortable in this situation.
   • If someone is hunched over or has poor posture, mistrust may be the reason.
   • If someone is banging their feet, it could be a sign of anxiety or impatience.
   • If a woman touches her throat, she may feel vulnerable.
   • If a man strokes his chin, he may feel anxious.
2. 2 Look closely at facial expressions. People communicate with their faces, expressing everything from happiness to emptiness, but how skilled are you at interpreting the intricacies of distinguishing between emotions? Some people are naturally empathetic and able to see the differences between emotions as close as possible to impatience and irritation, while others find it difficult to distinguish thoughtfulness from boredom. The better you understand the differences in emotions, the better you will understand the people around you.
   • If you find you have a lot of room for improvement in this area, practice identifying people's emotions. For example, when someone is not smiling automatically, try to determine whether it is from happiness or not. Look for subtleties that can help you find deeper, truer emotions. Is the person smiling sincerely or is it only their face (including eyes) or mouth that is smiling? The former can be an indicator of excitement, and the latter can be an indicator of distraction.
   • Research shows that reading fiction can help you develop a sense of empathy, leading to greater powers of observation.
3. 3 Listen carefully. The way a person speaks is another great indicator of how sensitive he / she is. The pace, volume and frequency of speech are important factors. Notice whether the person you are watching is fast or not, is speaking in a high or low voice, and whether his voice is loud or soft.
   • People who whisper or speak softly may be shy or have low confidence levels.
   • Nervousness is often expressed through faster speech.
   • People tend to speak in a slightly higher voice than usual when they are lying.
   • When people want to assert their dominance, they speak in a lower voice.
4. 4 Observe the breathing of people. This is one of the easiest physical signs to observe, as it is something that most people cannot control. Pay attention to whether the person breathes strongly and quickly, and whether his voice sounds aspirated.
   • When someone's breathing quickens, it can mean that they are feeling agitated or losing ground.
   • Heavy breathing can be a sign of health problems.
   • It could also mean that the person is feeling attracted to someone, possibly you.
5. 5 Look at the size of the pupils. Tiny pupils can be an indicator that someone is using drugs. Dilated pupils can be a sign that someone is feeling pleasure or attraction. When observing someone's pupils, make sure the light does not affect them or cause them to shrink from bright lights, while dim light makes them dilate.
6. 6 Pay attention to sweating. This clearly shows that adrenaline is rushing through someone's body, which in turn can mean that the person is drunk or afraid, depending on the situation. Look for a slight glow to your face or dampness in the armpit area of ​​your shirt. (Take into account the weather and indoor temperature).
7. 7 Look at people's clothes and hair. Body language, facial expressions and other physical indicators can all be left aside. You can learn a lot just by looking at how a person presents himself to the world. Clothes, accessories, hair and makeup can be very revealing.
   • Consider the obvious first: a person wearing an expensive business suit is likely an office worker, a person with a cross around his neck is likely a Christian, a sportsman wearing a Grateful Dead T-shirt and Birkenstocks is likely a hippie.
   • Take a closer look at where a person's life is described in detail: gray hairs on the cuffs of your colleague's black trousers, dried dirt on his shoes, bitten nails, bald patches carefully hidden under the fleece. What do these subtle details mean?
8. 8 Pay attention to people's habits. When you observe someone for a while, see what makes that person unique. What does he read on the train every day? What does he drink in the morning to perk up? Does he bring his own lunch or order every day? Is she obviously avoiding topics about her husband? You can learn something from each of these observations.

Method 3 of 3: Interpreting What You See

1. 1 Use your imagination. Now that you've taken the time to observe someone, what can you glean from the information you've gathered? Imagining what lies behind the unique body and personality language, the quirks of people, are all part of the pleasure of watching them. Are you just an observer or are you trying to better understand your friends and loved ones by using your imagination to connect all the dots? This is the next step.
   • If you are an observer, it can be interesting to complement stories about people. This man who rides the subway every morning - what is his education? Based on what he wears and where does he get off the subway, what conclusion can be drawn?
   • It's fun to use your imagination to try and figure out who these people are and where they are from, but if you really want to understand people, you need to find out if you're right.
2. 2 Ask a question why in your theory. You already have the "what" in this scenario - your observations. The next logical step towards understanding someone is to understand why why it is something true. This will give you a clearer idea of ​​what is happening in someone's life and when it might be.
   • For example, if you notice that someone starts talking faster and sweats when you ask him / her about future plans, why do you think she is reacting this way? Maybe she is worried about failure in what she was trying to achieve? Maybe she's lying about something?
   • Limit your theory by asking tough questions and observe the person more closely.
   • Put it all together. If you have a theory, find out if it is supported by your other observations.
3. 3 Find out if you are right. As you begin to draw conclusions from your observations, it is important to find out if you are right or wrong. If you tend to draw a lot of false conclusions, your observation technique may need to be improved.
   • Let's say you've already noticed that your friend smiles broadly when he talks to you, his pupils often look dilated and his hands tend to sweat a little. (Plus he wears blue every day because you told him that this color goes well with his eyes and he is waiting for you in the afternoon after class.) You took the testimony into account and concluded that your friend is in love with you. Determine if your calculations are correct, flirt with him and see his reaction. Or you could just ask him if he has feelings for you.
4. 4 Learn by trial and error. Sometimes your observations will be correct, and other times you will be completely wrong. While people often convey their emotions through body language and other media, they are also quite adept at masking their personal feelings. The purpose of learning to observe people is one - eventually you will learn to better understand people in general, but don't make the mistake of assuming that you can read people's minds just by looking at them. Mystery is what surrounds people and is part of what can be very entertaining to observe.

Tips

• When observing directly, try not to look at people constantly, try to focus on your book, sometimes glancing at them for a few seconds before looking again.

* If you are following or looking at someone long enough, change your outfits (coats, hats, shoes, glasses / sunglasses and, if possible, many different pairs of glasses and wigs).

• If you are sitting, most people will rest their heads in their hands to support her. If you have a watch with a dark background, you can pretend that you are looking at the clock, but in fact observe the reflection.
• Try to master the art of observing images when you are actually looking over the clock; It takes practice as well as the art of noticing when you are suspected of something.

Warnings

• You can get caught and if you are not careful you can get into trouble, WikiHow or the author of the article is not responsible for any consequences resulting from reading this article.