Forensics

Former FBI agent of 25 years explains how to ‘speed-read’ body language—now that we’re wearing face masks

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, social distancing has dramatically changed the way we interact with each other, especially when it comes to nonverbal communication.

Wearing a face mask has quickly become the norm — and that will likely remain for the foreseeable future. But with nearly half of the face concealed, it can be difficult to tell what a person is thinking and feeling. For example, an employee can’t see that their boss’ lips are pursed, which can be a sign of dissatisfaction. Or, if there’s twitching in the corners of their mouth, it can mean they feel nervous or tense.

That said, as a retired FBI agent who has researched body language for more than 45 years, one question I’ve been increasingly asked is, “How can we better read body language, now that we’re wearing masks?”

Part of the answer lies in the question itself. Too often, we put all our focus into people’s faces, when we should also be observing the movements of their entire upper bodies. (This is especially important today, since we do a lot of social interacting through video platforms, where we see each other mostly from the waist up.)

Body language is an outward reflection of a person’s emotional condition...