Patti Wood Body Language Expert Blog

A Body Language Comparison of Meghan and Harry's Wedding to Kate and Will's

The day we've all been waiting for is finally here: Meghan Markle married her prince — actually, the Duke of Sussex — at St George's Chapel. The whole world watched ... and cheered ... and wept. The ceremony was full of under-the-breath comments from Harry (we caught 'em), Princess Diana tributes, and lots (and lots) of body language.

"Prince Harry is living the story he's dreamed up his entire life," Susan Constantine, human behavioral expert and author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Reading Body Language told GoodHousekeeping.com. "Same goes for Meghan Markle. In every moment, you can see that they're totally mesmerized with one another." As they should be.

The grand spectacle of it all, including Meghan's family drama, didn't get in the way of their love. Better yet, even though Harry was riddled with nerves, he still embraced the moment — well, his bride.

"This is a high anxiety moment for Harry yet he's still being spontaneous and affectionate toward Meghan throughout this formal occasion," Patti Wood, body language expert and author of SNAP: Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language, and Charisma told GoodHousekeeping.com. "He touches and bites his lip as a way to hold back his emotions (a.k.a tears) and soothe himself in a stressful situation." Makes sense to us.

And when the choir started singing "Stand By Me," Harry comforted his soon-to-wife with a gentle stroke of the hand. Ugh, our hearts.

But his emotions truly took over when his late mother's sister Lady Jane Fellowes read the Song of Solomon. "You can see Harry's hands are in a downward steeple," Wood explained. "This is merely his way of pulling himself together during an understandingly difficult moment."

In this moment, he also turns toward his bride, indicating that he wants to be connected to her while he keeps his emotions at bay. "Meghan, on the other hand, is focused on formality," Wood told us. " You can tell she's received royal training due to her erect posture but overall she's exhibiting strength and grace."

Their hands prove to be the real indicator of their emotions. While reciting their vows, Harry presses his thumbs down into Meghan's hands.

"In this moment, she's reaching her hands out farther to be close to him but he's giving her strength through his thumbs," Wood told us. "This is his way of saying 'I got you.'" How sweet!

When Prince William and Kate Middleton recited their vows seven years ago, things looked rather different. For starters, they didn't hold both hands (protocol, perhaps?). "More importantly, Kate stretches her hand over to Will, indicating that he's in charge and she will follow him wherever he goes," Wood explained.

After officially saying "I will" — their version of "I do" — Meghan and Harry stepped out of the chapel as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. "She's overjoyed by this surreal moment and he's totally smitten with her," Constantine explained. "They're truly connecting with one another and their upward-turning smiles are proof that they're totally smitten."

Once again, the couple is holding hands — and dropping serious clues about how they're feeling."Beyond their mutual eye contact, when the couple kissed they turned their shoulders very close to one another, which signifies that they want to be close even in such a public moment," said Wood. "In fact, no one would question if their shoulders were a few inches apart ... but clearly that's not what's important here."

When Will and Kate made their official entrance as a married couple on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, they also had the same sweetness in their eyes (ah, love!). But their intimate moment is more about formality than anything else. "You can tell how genuinely happy Kate is just by looking at her face, but it's also evident that she has not lost sight of being appropriate and formal with her posture," Wood said. But with the knowledge that Kate is likely the next Queen, we can totally understand why.

Here's the truth: Both weddings were full of pure, genuine love — that's the goal, isn't it? Both experts agree that the world hasn't seen a love like Harry and Meghan's in a long time (well, since 2011) — and we couldn't agree more.

Link to article: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/entertainment/a20759162/prince-harry-meghan-markle-body-language-royal-wedding/

Patti Wood, MA - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com.

How Prince Harry & Meghan Markle's Wedding Body Language In 2018 Differs From Will & Kate's In 2011

On April 29, 2011, the world watched as Prince William and Kate Middleton exchanged vows at Westminster Abbey in London. This past Saturday — seven years after Kate donned that iconic Alexander McQueen gown and she and Will became the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge — it was Prince Harry's turn. He and American angel Meghan Markle tied the knot at St. George's Chapel in Windsor, just outside of the British capital. And, while both ceremonies were touching and both couples looked overjoyed in their own ways, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding body language is quite a bit different than that of William and Kate's.

But you don't have to take my word for it — I brought in the pros to do a little comparing and contrasting. Elite Daily spoke with body language experts Tonya Reiman, Patti Wood, and Blanca Cobb to uncover what each set of newlyweds' actions revealed about their thoughts and feelings on the big day — about the cheering crowds, their new spouses, and the significance of this historical moment (for themselves and for the world).

Both couples shared adorably quick kisses and even more adorable, telling glances with one another. But that's just the beginning. Here's a look at exactly how Harry and Meghan's newlywed body language in 2018 differs from William and Kate's back in 2011 — plus what their physical cues reveal about their relationships.

Both Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle likely had pre-wedding jitters.

Just after Kate Middleton made her way to her groom, she clearly clenched her father's hand, indicating that she realized what a BFD this was.

When Kate meets her groom at the altar, she takes a deep breath and clenches her father's hand, which Reiman chocks up to "wedding jitters or perhaps soon-to-be 'princess' jitters."

It's a feeling the duchesses likely shared, as we saw Meghan take a deep breath the moment she entered St. George's Chapel.

"In the shot of her standing at the church door, you see [Meghan] trying to catch her breath with nervousness, but her face is relatively calm," says Wood.

"As she walked down the aisle, Meghan was completely poised and she wore a peaceful smile," notes Cobb. "She kept her chin slightly lowered and looked up at her awaiting prince. The look was romantically flirtatious!"

(Also, can we all take a moment to appreciate how gosh darn excited page boy Brian Mulroney is? Be still my heart!)

The royal bros were so excited for one another.

One of the most charming moments of William and Kate's wedding came before the pair had even joined hands: When Kate made her grand entrance, Harry took a peep at the beautiful bride coming down the aisle, and said something that looks like, "Wait until you see her" to his older brother.

"The look is affectionate and childlike with a boyish grin — it demonstrates the warmth he feels for his future sister-in-law and his brother," explains Reiman.

On Harry's big day, he and his brother both bobbed and smiled as Meghan made her way down the aisle, accompanied by their father, Prince Charles.

The dukes appeared to be a bit antsy, too.

Speaking of crowds, even William and Harry get a bit antsy knowing that so many people are watching (and also, you know, because they're getting married!). Though both dukes grew up in the public eye, they showed a few signs of discomfort and nerves on the big day.

"On the balcony, William [kept] touching his outfit," says Reiman. "This appears to be a sign of displacement — slight nervous behavior to keep your hands busy."

While Harry looked cool as a cucumber during the couple's carriage processional through Windsor, he was definitely feeling some feels during his vows.

"[We] see him rock forward and back in nervousness, but he is smiling, except on the 'til death us do part,'" says Wood. "His bottom lip comes up and over to suck the sadness of the thought of that loss back in. That is incredibly sweet and sad and shows his real love for her. You see him have trouble breathing staying still and calm as she gives her vows."

They also exchanged loving touches throughout the ceremony, in some less somber moments.

"While they held hands [during the ceremony], Harry caressed Meghan’s fingers with his thumb," Cobb explains. "Again, touch is a silent sign of love, connection and emotion... When you’re in love, you want to touch the one your heart beats for."

Is it cool and normal if my heart only beats for Harry and Meghan? Yes? Great.

Meghan seemed less shocked by the crowds than Kate did.

In 2011, the streets of London were flooded with adoring royal fans — all hoping to catch a glimpse of the new, happy couple — and Kate Middleton was seemingly in awe.

When the couple popped out onto the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the ceremony, Kate could hardly keep her eyes off of the never-ending crowds below.

"Note the wide-eyed astonishment as Kate says, 'Oh, [wow],' upon seeing the enormous crowd — innocent behavior that seems to make William smile," says Reiman.

Moments later, when the couple shared one of their first-ever kisses as husband and wife, "William [kept] his eyes lingering on Kate and Kate quickly [turned] back to the crowd," Reiman explains. "This [was] most likely due to Kate’s excitement at being exposed to this size audience."

While the crowds for Harry and Meghan's wedding were seemingly endless as well, Meghan appeared to be slightly less overwhelmed, instead shooting Harry coy glances and even suggesting they share their first kiss (seriously, if you watch the footage back, I'm pretty sure she says "Do we kiss?" and Harry says, "Yeah." It's the cutest.)

"Their first kiss is a gentle, almost two-second, lip kiss with eyes closed – they open their eyes and look at each other before turning back forward – a sign of love," Reiman notes. "Their ride in the carriage is filled with hand holding, little conversation and waves."

Both couples are genuinely so in love.

At various moments during both royal weddings, the happy couples exchanged looks and shared little moments that showed how truly, madly in love they were — and each and every one set my heart on fire.

"In the unveiling... after she smiles up shyly, they have a moment where they are fully present with each other [and] non-verbally he says something that makes her laugh," says Wood. "They actually have a fun, intimate moment in the midst of all the formal pageantry! How marvelous."

How marvelous, indeed. Similarly, on William and Kate's big day, "The eye contact [was] sometimes a gaze where they [spent] several seconds engaged with one another," Reiman explains. "The few times they did kiss [on the balcony], they both smiled [and] leaned into each other, while making sure they did not turn their back on the crowds — sure signs of being in sync and happy."

"They have an amazing chemistry between them, at the same time, you can see the comfort level between them," says Reiman, and Cobb had a similar assessment of Harry and Meghan's connection.

"Both Harry and Meghan radiated the biggest, happiest smiles for each other," she explains. "This royal couple isn’t shy about showing each other the way they feel. Whether it’s a smile, a touch, a caress, they’re quick to show their affections. It’s quite heartwarming."

I think everyone watching around the world saw the same. Gosh, don't you just love royal love?

Link to article: https://www.elitedaily.com/p/how-prince-harry-meghan-markles-wedding-body-language-in-2018-differs-from-will-kates-in-2011-8888374

Cole Sprouse & Lili Reinhart's Red Carpet Debut Gave These 6 Clues Into Their Bond

For those of you who didn't keep up with the Met Gala, let me give you a little refresher. As usual, it delivered with some amazing outfits and, more importantly, some juicy celebrity gossip. The Met Gala has always been a great place for A-listers to flaunt their relationships, both new and old. Last night, two Riverdale star, Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart, made their red carpet debut. While you may have heard about the possibility of the two being linked together for a while now, last night was a pretty big deal because it was the first time the two decided to step out publicly as a couple.

In fact, in a recent interview with Seventeen, Reinhart made it pretty clear that she didn't necessarily plan on going public with Sprouse any time soon.

Every time someone asks me about it, I make a decision then and there about whether I’m comfortable. It’s not like I’m in some kind of contract, but I’m not in the place where I want to talk about it, and that’s totally fine. It’s called a private life for a reason—it’s mine, and it’s special and sacred. My relationships are between me and whomever I’m with, not between me and the world.

So, now that the couple decided to shock the world by finally coming forward at pretty much the most public event, like, ever, here are all the clues we can gather about what their relationship is really like.

Going public means they're willing to take risks for each other.

"Having worked for my clients in the entertainment industry for over 25 years, I know what a big deal it is for a couple to go public," says Dr. Gary Brown, a prominent relationship therapist in Los Angeles who has been working with his clients in the entertainment industry for over 25 years. "The fact that they will now routinely be in the public eye says that their relationship is important enough to them, that they are willing to give up one of the most cherished commodities for any actor — their privacy. This is particularly true for singles who become couples. In their case, possibly even more so as there will be the inevitable comparisons to their characters on Riverdale to their relationship IRL."

"Going 'public' in a relationship is somewhat unique for celebrities or other public figures," adds Dr. Joshua Klapow, Ph.D., clinical psychologist and host of The Web Radio Show. "Simply because they are seen and known by more people, and the assumptions that are made about the relationship can, in some cases, impact their careers."

Their relationship had to be in a solid place to make this move.

"[Becoming public] also opens a flood gate of judgement," warns Dr. Klapow. "Going public means that your relationship is going to be tested by the outside world. To be ready for this, you need to be very clear on a few things."

Specifically, Dr. Klapow notes there are four things a couple should be clear on before going public. First, it's the nature of the relationship (i.e where this going and what are we). Second, it's how they you're going to handle judgment. Third, it's how much the two of you are willing to share with others about each other and your relationship. Finally, he notes it's important to know when it's time "to pull together, to talk out issues that have come up from others from the outside, being ready to tackle difficult statements that could be made by family, friends, co-workers."

If Reinhart and Sprouse really have all of these things figured out, I'd say they're in a pretty good place.

They're excited about the relationship but may not be ready for the risks.

"Sometimes, going public is overrated," Dr. Klapow warns. "We tend to do it because we are excited and proud of our relationship. However, if we are not prepared for comments, speculations, questions, and a test of who we are as a couple, then the glory of making the announcement is overshadowed by the strain of the public scrutiny. That holds whether you are Lili and Cole or anyone."

They see each other as equals.

"Cole and Lilli’s outfits signify as a whole that they’re a new couple on the market who are ready to take on life together," says Sydney Sadick, on-air fashion and style expert. "Both looks were particularly fresh, from the color and silhouette of Lili’s look to the crop pants in Cole’s tuxedo, but one didn’t out-shine the other. While Lili’s look was certainly romantic and flirty with its gorgeous, soft, blue color palette and off-the-shoulder silhouette, it also had a visible edge, showing that there’s no superiority complex in their relationship. Rather, she and Cole are equals."

As a couple, they know their place on the Hollywood totem poll.

"As their first time walking the carpet, and [first time walking] together, they made a statement while not competing with the big Met Gala red carpet vets like Kim Kardashian and J. Lo," notes Sadick. "They were chic and youthful, sophisticated and playful."

There may be some trouble in the bedroom.

"Her legs are crossed and they're crossed tightly," notes Patti Wood, body language expertand author of SNAP: Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language, and Charisma. "It may be the dress. But what's interesting is that, in this intimate moment with him, she's still very concerned about the dress and/or she needs to cross her legs which usually indicates a problem with sexuality in the relationship, a lack of fidelity in the relationship, or some kind of concern about sex." Wood highlights the fact that it really "could just be the dress but it's interesting that she's crossing her legs so tightly even when she's so close up to him."

I don't know about you guys but that dress is so short I'm going to go ahead and attribute her crossed legs to that. Or the fact that this is their first time stepping out as a couple publicly and I can't even imagine how nerve wrecking that must be.

Congrats to Reinhart and Sprouse on finally taking the plunge and making it official!

Link to article: https://www.elitedaily.com/p/cole-sprouse-lili-reinharts-red-carpet-debut-gave-these-6-clues-into-their-bond-9019726

Patti Wood, MA - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com.

Cole Sprouse & Lili Reinhart's Body Language At The Met Gala Revealed Something Interesting About Their Sex Life

Of all star-studded events and award shows, no red carpet gives me more joy than that of the Met Gala. I mean, what more could I ask for? Amazing outfits, celebrities from all sorts of industries, and, of course, new celebrity couple debuts. Throughout the years, the event has been a popular place for celebrity couples to make their love public and last night was no exception. In fact, Riverdale stars Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart's body language at the Met Gala as they made their first official debut as ~lovers~ tells us a lot about their relationship.

For those of you who haven't quite been keeping up with the Riverdale stars IRL, they have been tactfully ignoring rumors about being an item for some time now. In fact, in a recent interview with Seventeen, Reinhart said:

So the fact that they finally took the plunge and made a public appearance together is a pretty huge deal. We spoke to Patti Wood, body language expertand author of SNAP: Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language, and Charisma, about what she took away from photos of the pair on their first public debut.

They may be having trouble sexually.

"There's some sweetness to this," Wood notes. "She's got this wonderful look and he's a little bit more stoic but he is looking at her and there's a nice overlay of their bodies. But there's a couple of things that are really tiny to me, but they're interesting."

"First, is that her legs are crossed and they're crossed tightly," she continues. "It may be the dress. But what's interesting is that, in this intimate moment with him, she's still very concerned about the dress and/or she needs to cross her legs which usually indicates a problem with sexuality in the relationship, a lack of fidelity in the relationship, or some kind of concern about sex." Wood highlights the fact that it really "could just be the dress but it's interesting that she's crossing her legs so tightly even when she's so close up to him."

The next thing Wood asks us to notice to is Lilli's right hand. "It's very awkward. It's doing a partial reach towards him open as if she wants to touch him but we don't see the touch," she explains. "There may be a photo with a touch in it but we don't see the touch and we don't see him matching with a symbolic touch to her. We see him straight up and down. He's not leaning into her, he's not putting his face towards her and he has a more closed face. It's not totally relaxed." Can you say awkward?

He matches her awkwardness with confidence.

"I love the hand on his chest," Wood notes about this photo. "It typically is endearing, it's a closeness and, to me, when I see this with the rest of her body language, it usually indicates that that's a position she takes when they're in bed together. She's doing this to get closer or more intimate or a feeling that reflects the intimacy." That being said, she notes that Reinhart's legs are still crossed "really, really tightly."

"What I like here is that her smile is off-kilter and a little bit awkward but he's looking really confident," she continues. "I like that his hand is around her, I wish I could see the fingers but he's a little bit happier in this position but, still, it's a little bit straight up and down. I would like some leaning in. But I do like that the face is much more relaxed."

OK, so it's really important to stress the fact that this was their first appearance together in public as a couple. Is it really that hard to believe their body language might not have been on point?

Link to article: https://www.elitedaily.com/p/cole-sprouse-lili-reinharts-body-language-at-the-met-gala-revealed-something-interesting-about-their-sex-life-9019481

Body Language Read of Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott at the Met Gala

The Met Gala is known for some groundbreaking pop culture moments and last night's event didn't disappoint. Two of the most noteworthy attendees were new parents Travis Scott and Kylie Jenner, who made their first red carpet appearance. For those of you who haven't been "keeping up" with the youngest Kardashian-Jenner, she recently had a baby named Stormi Webster with Scott. The couple has managed to keep their relationship fairly low-key despite their A-list status, but Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott's body language at the Met Gala last night revealed that, while she's totally cool with packing on the love in front of the cameras, he's not quite as down with the PDA.

We asked Patti Wood, body language expert and author of SNAP: Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language, and Charisma, to look at pictures of them working it for the paparazzi and let us know what we can learn from their relationship. "I've read them before and she typically demonstrates much more affection, much more attachment," Wood notes. "She touches him more. He typically tries to have a very cool face or no affect every single time. That's part of his persona."

OK, so take that into account and let's get this body language party started, people!

The first thing Wood comments on in this image is Scott's face, which looks either like he's "a little bit out of it" or that he's trying to achieve an "almost mannequin-like effect."

The hope for their love in this photo lies in his feet. "A nice thing is that, if you look at his foot placement, he has his back foot pointed towards her," Wood notes. "He doesn't even always do that. The feet are the most honest portion of the body — I always say that — and I really liked that he at least did that which is actually fairly strong."

"Also, if you look at his upper body, above the waist and up his shoulder, it's into her with his head towards her," she continues. "I would like him to be closer but I'm taking some consideration in these reads in the dress. The dress has some fragility to it so you have to be careful of it."

Another out-of-the-ordinary display of affection for Scott can be seen in his hand placement. "You see the left hand, the fingers are holding her and it's a nice hold," Wood explains. "It's not too tight and it's not relaxed. Sometimes he's very relaxed and open like he doesn't want to really even touch her. So that's really nice."

"What you see here with her is she's doing a little bit of the cutesy with her look down and her shoulder placement, but she also has both her hands and arms around him," Wood says of Jenner. "But she's not doing anything clingy. It's just that she's got her arms and hands around him."

Wood asses that the message Jenner is trying to send here is, "This is my man."

"Then she has her full body and all of her body windows — that starts with her feet, at her knees, at her pelvis, at her stomach, at her heart, at her neck, and her hands — all towards him," she continues. "All of those body windows are open towards him saying he's the most important thing. No matter what's going on with all of the paparazzi and this fabulous dress I'm wearing, he's the most important thing."

Wood also notes that she wishes Scott's facial expression reflected a little more comfort around his BAE in this photo but, unfortunately, she's not getting that from this image.

Scott tries to disguise his feelings towards Jenner.

"She's just really into him," Wood assesses. "Even with the sunglasses on, she has that look and she has her arms towards him. I wish I could see her feet but, if you look at her lower body with the dress, there's some sort of angling towards him for the dress not to be straight up and down so that's how."

Another important thing she asks us to note about this image is that "their upper bodies are merged slightly which is nice."

Scott's body language in this image is also more promising than it was in the past. "Again, you're seeing his foot placement and, at least, this time he's looking down which means he's unable to contain himself fully to do the fake face, so he's looking down which, to me, indicates a little bit more tenderness and being in the moment," Wood says.

"She, again, has her windows all towards him and he's doing a lean that's not relaxed. It's very stiff," Wood explains. "It's almost against his will that he's leaning towards her and doing what he's doing. I think all of this shows his desire to be seen as a man and some conflict about not wanting to look weak or gentle or emotional." Classic dudes not trying to look whipped by their girlfriends. C'mon, Scott, be better!

Jenner, on the other hand, has no trouble showing her affection. "She's just like 'I'm into you,'" says Wood. "He does have the hand, but you can even see he has his hand [on her waist] and she has her hand over it to say, 'Keep it there!' Don't let go.'"

The main takeaway here? While Scott may be totally in love with Jenner behind closed doors, he's not quite as comfortable showing that affection in front of the paparazzi. Maybe that's why they avoid public appearances.

Link to article: https://www.elitedaily.com/p/kylie-jenner-travis-scotts-body-language-at-the-met-gala-reveals-theyre-in-love-9019420

Body Language Read of Emily Blunt and John Krasinski

Elite Daily - Media Request: “How Emily Blunt & John Krasinski’s Body Language Has Changed Reveals More Than You Think”

See my body language insights at the link below

Emily Blunt & John Krasinski’s Body Language

Body Language Experts Analyze Princess Diana and Kate Middleton as Moms

I love to read loving body language,
Both women bend down to be at the same level as their children. "This is one way that parents show their children that they're equals," Patti Wood, body language expert and author of SNAP: Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language, and Charisma, told GoodHousekeeping.com. "We see this with Princess Diana and Kate Middleton, as well as with Prince William."

Kate Middleton with Prince George in Canada

Here is the link to the full articcle. B

Kate and Diana as Mothers.

Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com.

Apologies and Redemption, and How Toxic Groups Can Accept Bad Behavior, Group Narcissism

I speak on conflict management, bullying and sexual harassment and part of that work emphasize healing work and proper apologies. One the many steps in a redemptive recovery is the abuser admits they did harm and asks what they can do.

The article below shows the hurt abuse victim feel when the abuser gives a false apology. It is also interesting that is shows how a tribe (the church members) can accept bad behavior in a tribes member/leader (one of their ministers.) The tribal members think they are being good Christians to forgive him, but they overlooked the fact that it was a false apology. Not only was it not a true apology with the potential to help the victim the tribe forgave him when they had no right to as he hadn't given an apology from his victim. 

Abusers can continue to abuse they can deny they abused, forget or distort the full truth of their abuses or they can choose to heal learn and grow!  It would have to be a very safe healing place.

"To have him listen to me was almost the most important thing for me. And it was part of him being accountable and taking responsibility. It was so satisfying ... to have the person who hurt you sit there and listen to you and not blame you for it and admit to what they did, and to remember some of the abuse. Even though Steve didn't remember a lot of it in our first conversations, he started to remember." 

https://www.npr.org/2018/01/09/576798813/for-the-men-metoo-has-toppled-redemption-will-take-more-than-an-apology?utm_campaign=storyshare&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social

Restorative justice! 

Update. I  find it Interesting that this happened. Then people outside the church, people not in the tribe, reacted that he had not acted properly and he eventually did step down. Tribes that are toxic often can't see their bad behavior. I believe this group felt themselves so holy they were, in fact, experiencing what I call "group narcissism". You can read other posts I have on that phenomenon.

7 Charming Habits that are Actually Manipulative, Possible Tactics of Malignant Narcissists.

Here is a link to an article I did for Bustle on manipulative behaviors.

I speak on how to deal with difficult people including extreme malignant narcissists.

You've probably heard that when someone mirrors you or matches your behavior, that's a pretty good sign they like you more than you think. As Patti Wood, M.A., body language expert and author of Snap: Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language, and Charismatells Bustle, "Matching and mirroring are normal behaviors for people that like and trust each other."

While it's something that should happen naturally, manipulative people will take it over the top. If you reach for something at the same time, they'll smile, and explicitly comment on how well-matched the two of you are. As Wood says, narcissists in particular do that in order to create a connection. After some time, they'll stop, leaving the other person to feel devalued and wondering what happened. If you notice this happening to you, just take a step back and collect yourself. Ask yourself if this person really is worth you questioning your own self-esteem.

Find More at the link to the full article. 7 Charming Habits that are Actually Manipulative

You've probably heard that when someone mirrors you or matches your behavior, that's a pretty good sign they like you more than you think. As Patti Wood, M.A., body language expert and author of Snap: Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language, and Charisma tells Bustle, "Matching and mirroring are normal behaviors for people that like and trust each other."

Maintaing eye contact is a great way to make people feel like they're truly being noticed. As Wood says, manipulative people will take simple eye contact a step further and set their eyes on you with a focused and intense gaze. "Hypnotic gazing is typically done to test boundaries," she says. "They may do or say something uncomfortable right before or after the hypnotic gaze to test how you respond. Sometimes, it may feel like love or seduction."

If someone's intense gaze makes you feel off in any way, Wood suggests to get up and take a break. Check your feelings and your body if things start to get too intense.