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Having the ability to read faces is always important. If you would like to know what a person's face is saying when you speak to them, please move down to Step 1.



  1. 1
    Study the person's face closely. However, don't appear like you're staring really hard, because that might make them feel uncomfortable and uneasy.
  2. 2
    Look into their eyes. This may seem awkward, but try to tell if seem tired, sad, busy, deeply interested. If someone is gazing in a different direction or to the side of your face, they probably aren't paying attention. If the person is tired, then their eyes might have dark circles under them. Usually, when people are sad, they may have a glassy look or redness in their eyes which says they've been crying. A busy person may continue blinking from all of their thoughts. It is said that every time a person changes thought, they blink. Finally, a person's pupils might dilate if they're deeply engaged in the conversation, but this can be extremely difficult to pick up on.
  3. 3
    Notice the person's lips. Obviously, smiling signifies that they're happy, but a smile only using the lip muscles would be considered a polite smile; a full smile uses the eye muscles as well as the mouth, while frowning signifies that the person is sad or serious. If their lips are not really smiling or frowning, that could signify that the person is somewhat bored, angry or daydreaming while this conversation is taking place. When people bite their lip, that could mean they're nervous about something or it could be a sign of contempt. Finally, if they're licking their lips, it could mean that the person is very hungry. However, it could also mean that they're attracted to you, but this is probably unlikely if they're not showing any other signs of flirting.
  4. 4
    There is another addendum to the 'Lips reading' that is if someone arches their lip
    • Upward, this is a mark of contempt.
    • Elongated,this is a mark of anger or grudge.
    • Downward, this is a mark of frustration.
    • In almost all of the cases 'Notice eyes too', they will be fixed and contracted (face muscles will be taut). Its nebulous to get the degree of their emotion. However if you practice, its not that hard.
    • Notice the alignment of the upper lip with the lower lip. Means most of the people have the lower lip lagging behind the upper lip, but carefully observe, more the lower lip is lagging behind the upper lip, more the person is likely to be arrogant.
  5. 5
    Try to pay attention to how fast a person is breathing. If they're breathing hard, it could mean that they've been working out, or that they are exhausted for some other reason. Also, hard breathing can mean that the person is nervous to talk to you, very surprised to see you, or that they're angry with you. Normal breathing doesn't signify anything in particular, because this type of breathing goes along with most emotions. Finally, slow breathing could also mean that the person is nervous to see you and that they're trying to become relaxed.
  6. 6
    Notice their skin color. If the person is sick, their skin color could be a pale color. Also, it could mean that the person is very surprised to see you and is recovering from the shock. However, this might only happen if you were to jump out from behind a corner and scare them. If a person has a normal complexion, then they're probably feeling fine. Finally, if a person has a reddish colored complexion, they could be embarrassed to see you for some reason.

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  • If a person is angry, he or she may not look at you and might try to ignore you.
  • Try to get to know a person before you read their face. This may help you understand why they're doing certain things with their face. Also, people you just met may get a bad first impression of you if you were to try this with them.
  • Some people don't think your staring you could go on the conversation normally and play it back to yourself later, the better your memory is the better this works.
  • Find out what the persons normal behavior is, for instance someone may have a reddish complexion naturally if so they are probably not embarrassed to see you


  • Some people have medical issues, so keep this in mind while looking at their facial expressions.
  • Everyone is different. These suggestions will not work for every person you meet.
  • If the person appears to be bothered while you're looking at their face, then stop what you're doing. There is no need to apologize unless of the person says something along the lines of "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Article Info

Categories: Speaking and Listening Skills

In other languages:

Español: leer rostros, Italiano: Leggere le Espressioni Facciali, Português: Ler Rostos, Русский: читать по лицу

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