Day game. Talking her up about her hobbies and what she likes to do. I talk about some cool parties coming up that I think she should go to since they match her interests.
She works in public health, makes six figures, and is pretty smooth at presenting herself.
Then the weird thing.
As she walks out, she turns back to look at me. Her facade slips and her face flashes two emotions at once: In huge, bold letters, fear. But also a wry, hopeful smile is in there. Her back and legs turn stiff, her arms move jerky, like the emotion is so strong its even paralyzing her body.
The last time I saw emotion this intense, I was holding an injured coworker while waiting for the ambulance to arrive.
I'd like to think I was confident enough not to flash back any response to her freak face. I had no idea her fear of rejection was so deep, so huge. And then it just all spilled out and was flashed to me in just those few seconds. If I'd been looking elsewhere or had been distracted I would have totally missed this insight.
I just got telegraphed the biggest poker tell in the world during a day game pickup. I did not know women could have this much fear. So much fear of being rejected it literally paralyzes them.
Just started reading http://www.amazon.com/Unmasking-Face-Rec...1883536367 and have no idea if the rest of the book sucks or not. But just his explanation of how long emotions last and how short they're really shown on the face so you have to keep looking for them has given me new insight.
She works in public health, makes six figures, and is pretty smooth at presenting herself.
Then the weird thing.
As she walks out, she turns back to look at me. Her facade slips and her face flashes two emotions at once: In huge, bold letters, fear. But also a wry, hopeful smile is in there. Her back and legs turn stiff, her arms move jerky, like the emotion is so strong its even paralyzing her body.
The last time I saw emotion this intense, I was holding an injured coworker while waiting for the ambulance to arrive.
I'd like to think I was confident enough not to flash back any response to her freak face. I had no idea her fear of rejection was so deep, so huge. And then it just all spilled out and was flashed to me in just those few seconds. If I'd been looking elsewhere or had been distracted I would have totally missed this insight.
I just got telegraphed the biggest poker tell in the world during a day game pickup. I did not know women could have this much fear. So much fear of being rejected it literally paralyzes them.
Just started reading http://www.amazon.com/Unmasking-Face-Rec...1883536367 and have no idea if the rest of the book sucks or not. But just his explanation of how long emotions last and how short they're really shown on the face so you have to keep looking for them has given me new insight.
"Alpha children wear grey. They work much harder than we do, because they're so frightfully clever. I'm awfully glad I'm a Beta, because I don't work so hard. And then we are much better than the Gammas and Deltas. Gammas are stupid. They all wear green, and Delta children wear khaki. Oh no, I don't want to play with Delta children. And Epsilons are still worse. They're too stupid to be able to read or write. Besides they wear black, which is such a beastly color. I'm so glad I'm a Beta."
--Aldous Huxley, Brave New World