Actions speak louder than words.
I’m sure you’ve heard that a hundred times already.
But the question is – do we really know what those actions mean?
The simple gestures – the movement of a leg, the distant gaze, the arching of the brow, the flick of a wrist?
This is what Joe Navarro’s book, What Every BODY is Saying, wants to teach us.
But the question on your mind is…
Is this book helpful to mentalists?
Can they take something out of this book that will help them improve their performance art?
Let’s find out in this What Every BODY is Saying review!
What We Like About What Every BODY Is Saying
Here are the things we liked about this book — and think are very helpful to mentalists.
1. You’ll Definitely Learn Something New
There are so many things that happen right in front of us that we dismiss.
It’s the small things, the less noticeable movements, that actually say so much about one’s emotions, perspective, and state of mind.
And Navarro dives into that.
Knowing this, you’ll be more conscious and observant whenever you engage with people – whether it’s family, friends, co-workers, or an audience.
Aside from the literal translations, there are also scientific explanations and context as to why these behaviors occur and why they are interpreted as such.
What’s more, you’ll learn how to observe and interpret body language. You’ll also find out how you and your actions can influence the public’s view of you.
So if you want to improve your mentalism acts on this particular topic – then you might want to pick up this book.
2. The Explanations Are Straightforward with Great Illustrations
Joe Navarro proves to his readers that these observations are true and reliable as they have helped him in his FBI career.
These observations have been validated by a number of people, too!
Plus, with the illustrations, you’ll be able to get a clear picture of the situation.
Once you see the images across the book, you’ll hear yourself saying “Oh, yes. That’s right.” or “That actually makes a lot of sense!”
So it’s not a hard book filled with scientific facts.
It makes sense and is great even for the amateur mentalist.
3. The Highlights on the Legs and Feet were Unexpected, Yet Handy!
We focus so much on the face and the upper torso that we forget there are other telling parts of the body.
The way our feet are positioned and angled — or when we decide to cross our legs up to a specific part — has different meanings that readers never realized!
When you do an assessment of something or someone, you don’t just look at one angle. You look at the entire picture.
The same thing applies if you want to decipher a person based on his appearance and movements.
So again, that’s all very helpful to a mentalist, especially when it comes to cold reading.
What We Disliked About What Every BODY Is Saying
As with any book, there is the good — then there is the bad.
And in this section, we’re going to focus on some aspects that readers (and we) didn’t really like.
Yes, we do have some strong feelings against the book. And if you’re an avid reader, you’ll probably agree with a few of these.
1. There’s a lot of Stereotyping and Generalizations Involved
And many agreed with this.
There were parts in the book that illustrated women’s actions that somehow felt more like criticisms rather than logical and scientific analyses.
The author also had a tendency of stating the obvious. This made it feel like some parts of the book were completely useless.
2. The Writing was Dry
Joe Navarro worked in the FBI for at least half of his life.
There is a certain train of thought and view of how he looks at things that might have cascaded into his writing style.
Some readers commented that it was too straightforward and textbook-ish. They had to drag themselves to finish the entire thing.
Sure it was organized, detailed, and comprehensive.
However, the tone was too formal that it made it hard to stay engaged.
3. Examples are Not Representative of Enough People and Circumstances
Again, tying to his professional background, it’s no surprise that he’ll pull his examples from the many cases and people he has encountered.
Sometimes, the perspective focused on (1) the expected reactions and (2) the intentions as to why people reacted that way.
But there are many things one should consider before confirming a judgment on a person.
One subject in the book that drew some flak is how people dress.
People say his advice sounded insensitive, singular, and closed-minded. People’s fashion choices depend on factors such as money, personal style or taste, mood, influences and inspiration, and so many more.
He gave unhelpful and uncalled-for “advice” that made some readers criticize the book.
The Verdict: To Read or Not to Read?
No, What Every BODY is Saying is not a mentalism book.
However, it can help mentalists a lot.
I mean, you’ll learn about body language — something that a lot of the top mentalists today have perfected.
So it will certainly help you in that area.
But you also have to consider the downsides of the book, such as having to go through dry writing and stereotyping.
All in all, we’d say it’s a good enough read.
However, it’s up to you to decide.
And with this What Every BODY is Saying review, you can choose if it’ll be helpful to you as a mentalist or not.
If so, then you can get the book on Amazon here.
If you’re looking for other books with the same topic, then you can check out some from this list:
- The Definitive Book of Body Language by Allan and Barbara Pease
- Games People Play: The Psychology of Human Relationships by Eric Berne
- Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely
- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman