An FBI Agent Shares 9 Secrets to Reading People

The ability to read others will greatly affect how you deal with them. When you understand how another person is feeling, you can adapt your message and communication style to make sure it is received in the best way possible.

But what should you be listening for? And what other signs can tip you off to what someone is thinking or feeling?

If you follow my column, you're familiar with LaRae Quy. LaRae, who spent 23 years as a counterintelligence agent for the FBI, now spends her time writing, speaking, and teaching others tips that she learned while working for the Bureau. Those tips provide valuable lessons for entrepreneurs, business owners, and everyone else.

As LaRae put it well:

"You don't need to be a top-notch interrogator to figure out what is going on in someone's head. The signals are always there--all you need to do is know what to look for."

Here are her 9 tips for reading others:

1. Create a baseline
2. Look for deviations
3. Notice clusters of gestures
4. Compare and contrast
5. Look into the mirror
6. Identify the strong voice
7. Observe how they walk
8. Pinpoint action words
9. Look for personality clues

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Psychology Explains How to Choose the Perfect Color for Your Brand

The psychology of color as it relates to persuasion is one of the most interesting--and most controversial--aspects of marketing.

The reason its controversial is that most of today's conversations on colors and persuasion consist of hunches, anecdotal evidence, and advertisers blowing smoke about "colors and the mind."

To alleviate this trend and give proper treatment to a truly fascinating element of human behavior, today we're going to cover a selection of the most reliable research on color theory and persuasion.
Misconceptions about the psychology of color.

Why does color psychology invoke so much conversation that's backed by so little data?

As research shows, it's likely because elements such as personal preference, experiences, upbringing, cultural differences, context, etc., often muddy the effect individual colors have on us. So the idea that colors such as yellow or purple are able to evoke some sort of hyper-specific emotion is about as accurate as your standard Tarot card reading.

The conversation is only worsened by incredibly vapid visuals that sum up color psychology with awesome "facts" such as this one:

Don't fret, though. Now it's time to take a look at some research-backed insights on how color plays a role in persuasion.

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Autism Spotlight

Unlike tuberculosis and polio, two infectious diseases that were nearly eradicated in the twentieth century as a result of scientific advances, many neurological disorders are actually on the rise. One prominent example is autism, a disorder that results in difficulty with communication and social interaction. According to a study published in the journal Pediatrics in 2009, the rate of autism among children is now 1 in 100, more than double the rate assessed in the mid-1990s. This striking growth has renewed public dialogue about the causes of autism and the subjectivity of its diagnosis.

For many decades, autism was considered to have purely psychological origins. Dr. Bruno Bettelheim, a psychologist at the University of Chicago and survivor of the Dachau concentration camp, believed that circumstances of severe deprivation are the basis of severe emotional disturbance. Consequently, through his work with children, he concluded that the emotional disorder now known as autism is a psychotic disturbance caused by maternal neglect. Due in part to Bettelheim's influence, the notion that autism is caused by environmental factors rather than biological factors became widespread during the 1950s and 1960s. However, in 1964 Dr. Bernard Rimland, a psychologist and the father of an autistic child, showed through analysis of data gathered from twins that the occurrence of autism has a strong genetic basis, and is not linked to maternal behavior. His work shifted the focus of blame from so-called "refrigerator" mothers, and launched a vigorous new era of research into the biological basis of autism.

Research has now associated as many as fifteen genes with autism, most of which support the strength of connections between different areas of the brain. According to this research, none of the relevant genes are absent or mutated in an autistic person, but their expression levels vary from expected norms. This results in an abnormally functioning nervous system characterized by poor brain connectivity that causes impaired social behavior and communication.

Recently, the scientific community has developed a more nuanced understanding of autism's origins that takes both biological and environmental causes into account. Advances in the field of epigenetics, in particular, show that environmental interaction with genes can modulate neurological functioning. Intense research is underway today in genetics, neuroscience, psychology, and even nutrition studies to refine our understanding of autism's origins and settle the question of why the rate of autism has grown so much during the past twenty years.

There is another intriguing possibility to consider that involves the work of social scientists: what if it is not the rate of occurrence but the rate of diagnosis of autism that has increased? Physicians and parents are now more aware of the disorder and its symptoms than they were before, and the standards for diagnosis have changed over time. In the mass media, for instance, classical autism proper is often conflated with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs), a broad grouping of disorders characterized by milder forms of impaired language development, social interaction, and motor skills than classical autism. Two of the more familiar ASDs are Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) and Asperger's syndrome. Would these shadow syndromes have been considered autism in the mid-nineties? The American Psychological Association recently announced, for instance, that it is again reviewing the terminology that distinguishes Asperger's syndrome and other ASDs from autism, illustrating how changing standards of diagnosis over time might factor into the growth of autism rates.

Opinions about the best treatments for autism have been as varied as about its origins. Some treatments — Applied Behavioral Therapy, Pivotal Response Therapy, and Verbal Therapy, for instance — are purely behavioral, in that they reinforce desired behaviors with consistent rewards, to develop a patient's social abilities. Other treatments involve pharmaceuticals or special nutritional approaches. Opinions about the best treatment for autism are as complex and changing as the research about its causes.

Popular impressions of autism have been largely shaped by mass media. Dustin Hoffman's Oscar-winning performance as an autistic savant (someone whose social impairment is combined with exceptionally high computational or other intellectual abilities) brought autism into public discussion in 1988. Claire Danes's current performance in an HBO movie as Temple Grandin, an animal scientist who used her autistic sensitivity to develop improved techniques of animal handling in the agricultural industry, presents an even more nuanced and accurate depiction of the experience of an autistic person.

We hope that many people will use Temple Grandin and other mass-media discussions of autism as starting points for learning about the neurological basis of the disorder and its treatment. In this Spotlight, we guide you through the basics of autism, the context for understanding diagnosis rates, and the culture surrounding autistic people and their caretakers.

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Signs You’re a Highly Sensitive Person

Sensitive people get a bad rap. Research suggests that genes are responsible for the 15–20% of people who qualify as “highly sensitive.” Psychologist Elain Aron has studied this phenomenon extensively, and using MRI scans of highly sensitive people’s brains, she’s found that they experience sounds, feelings, and even the presence of other people much more intensely than the average person.
Sensitivity and Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is your ability to recognize and understand emotions in yourself and others and your ability to use this awareness to manage your behavior and relationships. The good news is that highly sensitive people aren’t more or less emotionally intelligent than others.

Highly sensitive people experience things more intensely. Their strong emotions are easier to identify (and potentially use to their benefit) than the average person. This also helps them to communicate effectively because they don’t just hear the words coming out of other people’s mouths, but they also catch on to subtleties in gesture and tone.

There are trade-offs, however, as strong emotions that are left unchecked can have disastrous consequences. Highly sensitive people can use EQ to their benefit only once they understand that they are highly sensitive. This awareness ensures they reap the benefits of their heightened emotional awareness while spotting and defeating their negative tendencies.
The Highly Sensitive Person

You’re likely wondering if you or someone you know are highly sensitive. The following are the most common qualities that highly sensitive people possess. See how many apply.

• You think deeply.
• You’re detail-oriented.
• You take longer to reach decisions.
• You’re crushed by bad decisions.
• You’re emotionally reactive.
• You take criticism harshly.
• You work well in teams.
• You have great manners.
• Open offices drive you crazy.

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7 Ways Meditation Improves Your Brain

The meditation-and-the-brain research has been rolling in steadily for a number of years now, with new studies coming out just about every week to illustrate some new benefit of meditation. Or, rather, some ancient benefit that is just now being confirmed with fMRI or EEG.

The practice appears to have an amazing variety of neurological benefits – from changes in grey matter volume to reduced activity in the “me” centers of the brain to enhanced connectivity between brain regions.

Below are some of the most exciting studies to come out in the last few years and show that meditation really does produce measurable changes in our most important organ. Skeptics, of course, may ask what good are a few brain changes if the psychological effects aren’t simultaneously being illustrated? Luckily, there’s good evidence for those as well, with studies reporting that meditation helps relieve our subjective levels of anxiety and depression, and improve attention, concentration, and overall psychological well-being.

Meditation Helps Preserve the Aging Brain
Meditation Reduces Activity in the Brain’s “Me Center”
Its Effects Rival Antidepressants for Depression, Anxiety
Meditation May Lead to Volume Changes in Key Areas of the Brain
Just a Few Days of Training Improves Concentration and Attention
Meditation Reduces Anxiety — and Social Anxiety
Meditation Can Help with Addiction

Short Meditation Breaks Can Help Kids in School

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Do older people lose interest in sex? Ten myths of ageing – debunked

From older people getting into more car accidents to worries about falling, here are some of our favourite ageing myths busted.

1. Older people lose interest in sex

2. If older widows date, it’s to find a new husband

3. Older people are stingy

4. Older people are extra cautious when they have to make decisions

5. Older people get into more car accidents than younger people

6. Older people worry too much about falling

7. It is best to speak to an older person as you would to a small child

8. As people grow older, they get forgetful and it’s a sign of dementia

9. Growing old is depressing; older people are more depressed than younger people

10. Older people have the greatest fear of death of any age group

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Being human -- Special compilation from Nature

Why do we behave in the way that we do? This series of Essays reveals how the latest research is altering our understanding of what it is to be human. Whether in relation to religion or to our collective behaviour in cities, experts explore the potential impact on society, now and in the future, of discoveries in psychology, anthropology, genetics, neuroscience, game theory and network engineering.

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Schizophrenia -- Special compilation from Nature

Schizophrenia is a condition experienced by over 0.5% of the world's population at some time in their lives, and has a more debilitating impact on sufferers than most psychiatric illnesses, as well as a disproportionate societal impact. This special issue highlights the state of play and opportunities for progress in understanding, diagnosing and treating the condition.

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The autism enigma -- Special compilation from Nature

Autism spectrum disorder has attracted intense interest from the public and scientists over recent years. Nature sorts fact from fiction in this hot, but sometimes contentious, field: from the debate about soaring diagnoses, to the idea that scientists and engineers are at high risk of having a child with autism. The special includes news and comment from Nature, and articles from Nature Medicine, Nature Neuroscience and Nature Reviews Neuroscience.

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Why People Leave - What the Research Reveals

If you compiled an alphabetical list of all the reasons for leaving voluntarily from the exit surveys of dozens of organizations, it would look something like this:

Advancement opportunity
Benefits
Better-paying job
Bureaucracy
Career change
Commuting time or distance
Concerns about organization’s future
Conflict with coworker
Discrimination based on race, gender, religion, etc.
Dishonest or unethical leaders or managers
Distrust of, or loss of confidence in, senior leaders
Excessive workload
Favoritism
Fear of job elimination
Geographic location of the job
Health concerns
Ideas not welcomed
Immediate supervisor
Inability to master the job
Inflexible work hours
Insufficient challenge
Insufficient or inappropriate training
Insufficient resources to do the job
Job elimination
Job itself
Job responsibilities
Job security
Limited earnings potential
Little or no bonus
Little or no empowerment
Little or no growth or developmental opportunity
Little or no performance feedback
Negative work environment
No authority to do the job
No career path
No consequences for nonperformers
No way to voice concerns
Not allowed to complete the job
Not allowed to do the job my own way
Not paid competitively
Not paid in proportion to contributions
Not recognized for contributions
Organization culture
Organization instability or turmoil
Organization politics
Outdated or inadequate equipment
Physical facility noisy, dirty, hot, or cramped
Poor communication
Poor teamwork
Retirement
Return to school
Self-employment
Sexual harassment
Spouse relocation
Stress
Timeliness of pay increases
Too many changes
Treated poorly
Uncaring leadership
Unfair pay increases
Unfair performance appraisal process
Unfair promotion practices
Unfair rules, policies, or procedures
Unwanted change in job duties
Unwanted relocation
Vacation policy
Work-life imbalance

Source: The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave - How to Recognize the Subtle Signs and Act Before It’s Too Late by Leigh Branham

Characteristics of those least vulnerable to stress

Studies show that people who are the least vulnerable to stress tend to exhibit the following characteristics:

• They have many friends and acquaintances.
• They eat regular meals.
• They sleep well.
• They drink alcohol sparingly.
• They don’t smoke.
• They exercise regularly.
• They rarely drink coffee.
• They’re affectionate.
• They feel comfortable with the amount of money they make.
• They’re in good health.
• They gain strength from their spiritual beliefs.
• They’re open about their feelings.
• They belong to at least one club or social group.
• They are neither overweight nor underweight.

Source: Time Management by Marc Mancini

Emotions Associated with Color

Red: Stimulates and evokes excitement, passion, power, energy, anger, intensity. Also, can indicate “stop,” negativity, financial trouble or shortage.

Yellow: Indicates caution, warmth, mellowness, positive meaning, optimism, and
cheerfulness. It can also stimulate thinking and visioning.

Dark blue: Depending on shade, can relax, soothe, indicate maturity, and evoke trust, tranquility, or peace.

Light blue: Cool, youthful, or masculine image can be projected.

Purple: Projects assertiveness or boldness, youthfulness, and contemporary image. Often used as a sign of royalty, richness, spirituality, or power.

Orange: Can indicate high energy or enthusiasm. Emotional and sometimes stimulates positive thinking. Organic image can result.

Brown: An earth tone that creates a feeling of security, wholesomeness, strength,
support, and a lack of pretentiousness.

Green: Can remind of nature, productivity, positive image, moving forward or “go,”
comforting, growth, or financial success or prosperity. Also, can give a feeling of
balance.

Gold/silver: Illustrates prestige, status, wealth, elegance, or conservative image.

Pink: Projects a youthful, feminine, or warm image.

White: Typically used to illustrate purity, cleanliness, honesty, wholesomeness; to
enhance colors used and provide visual relaxation.

Black: Represents a lack of color. Creates sense of independence, completeness, and solidarity. Often used to indicate financial success, death, seriousness, or
heaviness of situation

Source: The creative training idea book : inspired tips and techniques for
engaging and effective learning by Robert W. Lucas.

Gardner’s Eight Intelligences

Gardner’s Eight Intelligences

1. Linguistic intelligence is the ability to read, write, and communicate effectively in a variety of ways.

2. Logical–mathematical intelligence involves the ability to reason, calculate, think
in a logical manner, and process information.

3. Spatial intelligence provides the ability to think in pictures and to visualize a
conclusion or result.

4. Bodily kinesthetic intelligence gives the ability to solve problems or manipulate
items using one’s own body or parts of the body.

5. Musical–rhythmic intelligence allows someone to create or compose music
and to understand, interpret, and appreciate it.

6. Interpersonal intelligence is crucial for understanding others, their emotions,
traits, and abilities and how best to interact with people.

7. Intrapersonal intelligence provides the ability to form accurate perceptions
about oneself and use the knowledge to effectively function throughout life.

8. Naturalist intelligence gives the ability to observe, understand, and classify
patterns in nature.

Source: The creative training idea book : inspired tips and techniques for
engaging and effective learning by Robert W. Lucas.

The A to Z of toxic emotions: A magical new book reveals the feelings that ruin our lives and how to conquer them

Artist and writer Matthew Johnstone won world­wide acclaim after turning his experiences of battling depression into a ­poignant and humorous illustrated guide, I Had A Black Dog.

Now Mathew and his lifelong friend and writer James Kerr have produced an equally enchanting and enlightening book, The Alphabet Of the Human Heart, chronicling the negative emotions that can hold us back in
life ... and how you can ­conquer them.

Have a look at