The kind of body language you'll see here is discomfort shown by face, movement of hands and feet, and posture. If they look nervous, it may be anxiety. Sometimes anxiety can be contagious, strangely. Let's dive deeper into that.
Hands and Feet
Hands are huge. Do you hide them? That's a sign of anxiety. Showing your hands is a sign of peace and friendship, and you have nothing to hide. Hiding hands in pockets, under the table, behind your back, and anywhere else is fear, mistrust, or if you're generally unsure of something. We don't even think about it most times.
Compulsive hands and feet movements are an indicator, too. For instance, crossing legs and bobbing feet, something I do surprisingly often in uncomfortable social situations, is a clear sign. Tapping fingers and other nervous-tic hand movements are equally telling. Being restless, fidgeting and compulsive movements, are common for anxiety. More discomfort means more movement, possibly shifting weight and feet movement when standing.
Face
The eyes being the window to the soul, we have a clear sign of anxiety here. Stiff face and body are a huge indicator. Furrowed brow is, too. Most likely someone will ask if you are okay in this case. Add to that a fixed stare with occasional glance downward. Compressed lips may be something to notice, too.
Why the stare and downward glance? Anxiety leads to intolerance with our environment, maybe irritation, too. The fixed stare is what reflects this. Signs of being in introspective, retreating into yourself, include glancing downward. Thus the fixed stare and downward glances.
Other signs
Biting is a clear sign, whether it be pencil erasers, nails, or lips. Do they have anything in their hand? They may bite it without thinking, unless they are a mechanic or dealing with poisonous substances. (In other thoughts, this could be a murder tactic - poison on a pencil if they have that tendency....hmm.) Chewing gum is a common anxiety thing, too.
Pale face, wide eyes, clearing of throat, rapid breathing and pulse, and sweating may also show anxiety, but may denote other things, like lying or sickness.
Are they looking around the room often? That's a natural attempt to find an escape route. It may be extremely subtle. Paired with fiddling with small items around them and self-comfort (crossing arms and face touching) this is a sign of anxiety.
Context in People Watching
Context is important. Again, these could be signs of a lying person. Who are they talking to? If it's your boss or a high ranking man or woman in power you may not be lying, most likely. Point is, take everything into context with the situation in front of you. They may be in pain, too.
Are you trying to read why they are anxious? Use logical reasoning, rule of threes (three points of evidence usually supports a conclusion). Sexual attraction shares anxiety behaviors, too, in case you're curious. Take into context the culture you live in, too, especially the culture of the person you are speaking to.
With all that, it is easy to misread someone, extremely easy. There isn't anything against subtle, well-timed questions directed at the right people (SUBTLE or you come across as creepy). Make friends with people. It's okay to be interested in people, I promise. If you do come across badly while people-watching you aren't alone. Some humans don't have an interest in their fellow man, at least not as much as some of us. Happy people watching!
Sources:
Pictures:
metro.co.uk
body language project
Medical News Today
Getty Images
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