How Well Can You Read Body Language?

Take this quiz to find out!

How we move and act, a.k.a. “body language,” says everything our words don’t. Are you fluent in body language, or do you need to brush up on the basics?

We’ll show you photos of different emotions, and you tell us what the people in the photos are feeling. Then, we’ll tell you how well you understand body language!

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Questions Overview

1. How do you think this person is feeling? (Choose the word you think is most accurate. More than one may be correct.)
  1. Annoyed
  2. Defiant
  3. Smug
  4. Cheerful
2. How do you think this person is feeling? (Choose the word you think is most accurate. More than one may be correct.)
  1. Angry
  2. Motivated
  3. Excited
  4. Relaxed
3. How do you think this person is feeling? (Choose the word you think is most accurate. More than one may be correct.)
  1. Inspired
  2. Afraid
  3. Hopeless
  4. Frustrated
4. How do you think this person is feeling? (Choose the word you think is most accurate. More than one may be correct.)
  1. Surprised
  2. Excited
  3. Angry
  4. Inspired
5. How do you think this person is feeling? (Choose the word you think is most accurate. More than one may be correct.)
  1. Thoughtful
  2. Contented
  3. Focused
  4. Worried
6. How do you think this person is feeling? (Choose the word you think is most accurate. More than one may be correct.)
  1. Focused
  2. Confused
  3. Thoughtful
  4. Troubled.
7. How do you think this person is feeling? (Choose the word you think is most accurate. More than one may be correct.)
  1. Afraid
  2. Depressed
  3. Inspired
  4. Thoughtful
8. How do you think this person is feeling? (Choose the word you think is most accurate. More than one may be correct.)
  1. Spiteful
  2. Surprised
  3. Disgusted
  4. Silly
9. How do you think this person is feeling? (Choose the word you think is most accurate. More than one may be correct.)
  1. Annoyed
  2. Enthusiastic
  3. Flirty
  4. Superior
10. How do you think this person is feeling? (Choose the word you think is most accurate. More than one may be correct.)
  1. Annoyed
  2. Enthusiastic
  3. Disturbed
  4. Disgusted
11. How do you think this person is feeling? (Choose the word you think is most accurate. More than one may be correct.)
  1. Curious
  2. Joyful
  3. Thoughful
  4. Distressed
12. How do you think this person is feeling? (Choose the word you think is most accurate. More than one may be correct.)
  1. Frantic
  2. Bored
  3. Focused
  4. Annoyed

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Your skills:<\/b> Empathetic, Perceptive, Social, Intuitive
Careers for you:<\/b> Social worker, politician, salesperson, teacher<\/b>
What to watch out for:<\/b> Be careful of saying what people are thinking! You\u2019re definitely right, but it\u2019s usually better to let them say it themselves.","edit_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Read-Body-Language"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Communicate-With-Body-Language"}],"link_data":[{"title":"How to Read Body Language","id":99709,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Read-Body-Language","relUrl":"\/Read-Body-Language","image":"\/images\/thumb\/f\/f2\/Read-Body-Language-Step-13-Version-5.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Read-Body-Language-Step-13-Version-5.jpg","alt":"How to Read Body Language"},{"title":"How to Improve Body Language to Send the Right Message","id":421979,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Communicate-With-Body-Language","relUrl":"\/Communicate-With-Body-Language","image":"\/images\/thumb\/5\/56\/Communicate-With-Body-Language-Step-15-Version-3.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Communicate-With-Body-Language-Step-15-Version-3.jpg","alt":"How to Improve Body Language to Send the Right Message"}],"minimum":0,"image":"","image_url":""},{"number":2,"text":"You're pretty good at reading body language!","meaning":"They say the body does most of the talking in a conversation, and you're someone who knows how to listen. Usually, you can tell what a person is thinking or feeling just by the way they're carrying themselves, how they're standing, and other nonverbal cues. This helps you quite a bit when it comes to communicating with other people, especially in trickier, more complicated situations.

Of course, communication itself is a complicated thing, and while you're pretty good at reading the signs, you could always have a little more practice. One great way to do this is to watch highly-rated drama films or TV shows with especially talented actors. Pay attention to how they act and react to the people around them, and take note of the small ways they carry themselves. That way, you can learn and test yourself without the stakes of real life.

Your skills:<\/b> Sympathetic, Friendly, Open-hearted, Trustworthy
Careers for you:<\/b> Teacher, counselor, interpreter, detective<\/b>
What to watch out for:<\/b> You\u2019re great at reading body language, but some people might use that against you. Never assume what someone else is thinking. When in doubt, ask.","edit_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Read-Body-Language"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Communicate-With-Body-Language"}],"link_data":[{"title":"How to Read Body Language","id":99709,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Read-Body-Language","relUrl":"\/Read-Body-Language","image":"\/images\/thumb\/f\/f2\/Read-Body-Language-Step-13-Version-5.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Read-Body-Language-Step-13-Version-5.jpg","alt":"How to Read Body Language"},{"title":"How to Improve Body Language to Send the Right Message","id":421979,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Communicate-With-Body-Language","relUrl":"\/Communicate-With-Body-Language","image":"\/images\/thumb\/5\/56\/Communicate-With-Body-Language-Step-15-Version-3.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Communicate-With-Body-Language-Step-15-Version-3.jpg","alt":"How to Improve Body Language to Send the Right Message"}],"minimum":0,"image":"","image_url":""},{"number":3,"text":"You could learn more about reading body language!","meaning":"Some of your answers were pretty accurate, but you maybe missed the mark here and there. And we get it! Human communication is complex and often pretty tricky, especially when it comes to communication that doesn't involve any words. In a perfect world, everyone would just say what they're thinking. But everything we don't say is part of the beauty, isn't it?

All the same, that beauty doesn't make it any easier! Luckily, there are ways to get better at reading body language. One great way is to watch highly-rated drama films or TV shows with especially talented actors. Pay attention to how they act and react to the people around them, and take note of the small ways they carry themselves. That way, you can learn and test yourself without the stakes of real life.","edit_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Read-Body-Language"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Communicate-With-Body-Language"}],"link_data":[{"title":"How to Read Body Language","id":99709,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Read-Body-Language","relUrl":"\/Read-Body-Language","image":"\/images\/thumb\/f\/f2\/Read-Body-Language-Step-13-Version-5.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Read-Body-Language-Step-13-Version-5.jpg","alt":"How to Read Body Language"},{"title":"How to Improve Body Language to Send the Right Message","id":421979,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Communicate-With-Body-Language","relUrl":"\/Communicate-With-Body-Language","image":"\/images\/thumb\/5\/56\/Communicate-With-Body-Language-Step-15-Version-3.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Communicate-With-Body-Language-Step-15-Version-3.jpg","alt":"How to Improve Body Language to Send the Right Message"}],"minimum":0,"image":"","image_url":""}]" class="quiz_results_data"/>\"Am<\/picture>","alt":"Am I a Memorable Person Quiz"},{"title":"Am I Mean Quiz","id":14840556,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Am-I-Mean","relUrl":"\/Am-I-Mean","image":"\"Am<\/picture>","alt":"Am I Mean Quiz"},{"title":"How Emotionally Intelligent Am I Quiz","id":14444251,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Emotional-Intelligence-Test","relUrl":"\/Emotional-Intelligence-Test","image":"\"Emotional<\/picture>","alt":"How Emotionally Intelligent Am I Quiz"}],"number":1},{"text":"Politeness","result":"Great answer! In that case, check out these quizzes:","next_quizzes":[{"title":"What Are My Personal Values Quiz","id":14701520,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/What-Are-My-Values","relUrl":"\/What-Are-My-Values","image":"\"What<\/picture>","alt":"What Are My Personal Values Quiz"},{"title":"Am I Naive Quiz","id":14810623,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Am-I-Naive","relUrl":"\/Am-I-Naive","image":"\"Am<\/picture>","alt":"Am I Naive Quiz"},{"title":"Test My Ethics Quiz","id":14580399,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Test-My-Ethics","relUrl":"\/Test-My-Ethics","image":"\"Test<\/picture>","alt":"Test My Ethics Quiz"}],"number":2}]}" class="quiz_questionnaire_data"/>

Interpreting Body Language

When you think of the word “language,” you probably think about the words we speak with our mouths. Maybe you think about sign language, but you probably don’t think about the other way humans are speaking all the time: with our bodies! How we stand, gesture, and emote can say much more than what comes out of our mouths. Here’s some basic body language vocab, organized by emotion:

Happiness

  • Relaxed posture, or energetic movements
  • Smiling
  • Making eye contact
  • Sitting or standing upright

Love

  • Coming close
  • Leaning forward
  • Blushing
  • Grinning
  • Flirty gestures, like winking

Nervousness or Fear

  • Leaning away
  • Avoiding eye contact
  • Trembling

Sadness

  • Head in hands
  • Unfocused gaze
  • Frowning or crying

Anger

  • Frowning or furrowed brows
  • Tensed fists
  • Heavy breathing
  • “Icing” others out, facing away