Nowhere is the power of body language more telling and glaring than in the crazy world of dating. How can you read the other person? How do you know if he or she is interested in

	Lovers are on the same wave length and will start to think and act alike in synchrony.

you? How do you feel about your date? While the spoken word can sometimes lie, body language is hard to cover up. We can get an ever clearer, more defined “read” on the person by learning and observing our date’s body language.

Here are two easily identifiable, contrasting examples of how a date’s body language in action reveals the person and personality:

Pretend you just sat down at the restaurant table to meet your new date, Woody Allen. It’s easy to surmise his nervous, insecure and eccentric personality from all his funny twitches, darting eyes, mannerisms and posture.

Now, suppose you’ve just sat down for a first meeting drink across from James Bond 007 (all looks aside if that’s possible). His calm demeanor, firm handshake, charismatic smile and direct eye contact denote a confident, straight forward, and empowered guy.

Here are some general body language signs to watch for with your date:

Is your date…

• Confident, with high self-esteem — natural smile; good posture; keeps both feet on the ground; firm hand shake; assured eye contact; and locks fingers together and places them behind the back or head.
• Insecure, with low self-esteem — fidgets; shifts weigh; slumping posture; limp handshake; paces the floor; wrings hands; doesn’t maintain eye contact; chews on pencil or pen; and pats or fondles hair.
• Sincere and open — direct eye contact; open palms; natural smile; and relaxed friendly demeanor.
• Deceptive and a liar — blinking and darting eyes; twitching; no direct eye contact; shifting from one foot to the other; fingers tugging at the ears; and playing or touching things nearby during a conversation.

Is your date attracted to you? Look for these signs:

• Eyes — the eyes are the windows to the soul. They seem to become brighter when we’re attracted to the other person. Research shows that the pupils of a person’s eyes will dilate when they look at something or someone they like and are attracted to.
• Gestures — Lovers are on the same wave length and will start to think and act alike in synchrony. When someone is attracted to you, he or she will start to mirror your voice tone, speech speed, gestures, body positions, laughter, mannerisms and even breathing.
• Pointing — When we’re attracted to someone, we will often point at him or her with our eyes, hands, legs, fingers, feet and even our toes.
• Smile — a big, glowing smile with upper and lower teeth showing a relaxed face, and cheek bones lifted.
• Facial expression — a relaxed, balanced expression.
• Posture — sits straight, upright in attentive position with unfolded arms.
• Space — leaning forward and touching your arm or hand to enter your space.

Dee Anne Merriman is a freelance writer who contributes to Happen magazine.