Body Language Trainer (63 cards) | Hacker News Reader

Body Language Trainer (63 cards)

sonamics.com

17 pointsmotine3 comments

I have trouble with these kinds of interpretations... The "If X then Y" style of presentation is probably helpful for some people, but it can ignore a lot of the context. There is no disclaimer, or anything to clue you in to when these don't apply.

For example, "The Scribbler", The Trainer says: "The person doodles or draws without a particular goal. Boredom - The person has no interest in the current topic or has tuned out completely. 'I would like to do something else now.'"

I'm a very visual person, and sometimes I scribble or doodle to help me think. It's actually because I'm more interested in something, and I want to explore (visually) some of the ideas around the topic. It helps me to relax and be more creative.

I could also see this being a poor interpretation in, for example, a design firm, or with a visual artist. It's true, they could be bored, but that isn't always the only interpretation.

Also, I see "The Patrolman" can also be a sign of insecurity, a way of minimizing space or being non-offensive. "The Eye Wiper" might just be because the persons contacts are bugging them, or maybe some medication is drying out their eyes. So there is a lot of room for interpretation that the article misses.

You are right. Body language can (and should) always interpreted with the context in mind. What we did was to describe the case which fits 90% of the time – without blurring the cards with exception disclaimers (e.g. this person may also be on medication for his/her eyes or a tiny fly just poked the eye).

We will start writing a little intro to the cards: context is important and there are always exceptions to the rule.

Thanks for the input.

> "The person doodles or draws without a particular goal. Boredom - The person has no interest in the current topic or has tuned out completely. 'I would like to do something else now.'"

This is one of many dangerous myths, that made the life of thousands kids in school terrible. In many cases doodling or fidgeting helps them to focus, not the opposite.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com