When confronted with mixed signals from the face (such as happiness cues along with anxiety signals or pleasure behaviors seen alongside displeasure … - Joe Navarro

One of the most important observations you can make in relation to the hands is noticing when they go dormant. When the hands stop illustrating and emphasizing, it is usually a clue to a change in brain activity (perhaps because of a lack of commitment) and is cause for heightened awareness and assessment.

When we press our lips together, it is as if the limbic brain is telling us to shut down and not allow anything into our bodies, because at this moment we are consumed with serious issues. Lip compression is very indicative of true negative sentiment that manifests quite vividly in real time.

When we speak, we naturally utilize various parts of our body — such as the eyebrows, head, hands, arms, torso, legs, and feet — to emphasize a point about which we feel deeply or emotionally. Observing emphasis is important because emphasis is universal when people are being genuine.