The Secret to Reading Body Language is Not What You Think
Volume 2, Issue 10
SOCIAL: The secret to reading body language is not what you think
WEALTHY: Why you should bet on David and not Goliath
HEALTHY: Why party animals catch more colds
“If you play a tune and a person don’t tap their feet, don’t play the tune.”
-Count Basie
The Secret to Reading Body Language is Not What You Think
Joe Navarro spent 25 years as an FBI agent in the areas of counterintelligence and behavioral assessment. Over his career, he became an expert on nonverbal communication. In his book What Every Body is Saying, Joe reveals the secrets to speed-reading people.
Your Secret Weapon
Why should you care? Researchers estimate that nonverbal behaviors account for 60 percent of all interpersonal communication, and up to 100 percent during lovemaking. Reading body language can give you a big edge in business negotations, understanding your friends and family, and meeting cute guys and girls.
Look Down
According to Joe, the common misconception is that you should focus on a person’s face. The problem is that people train themselves to mask their emotions. For example, it’s not socially acceptable to show disgust when you meet someone you don’t like.
That’s why Joe recommends observing people’s feet to get a truer indicator of how they feel about you. Unlike their faces, most people have not trained their feet to hide their feelings. Also, millions of years of evolution have conditioned our feet to react instantaneously to danger. It’s an instinct that’s hard to fight.
Meet My Feet
Here are Joe’s top tips for reading feet:
- People are genuinely welcoming you if they move their feet along with their torso to face you. If they just swivel their torso but don’t move their feet, then they’d rather be left alone.
- When two people talk, their feet normally face each other. If one person turns her feet away or repeatedly moves one foot in an outward direction, you can bet she wants to get away.
- If you see someone pointing his or her toes upward, it usually means the person is in a good mood or hearing something positive.
- Crossing your legs is a sign that you feel comfortable and confident. The reason is because it significantly reduces your balance and makes it hard to run away from danger. Your brain only lets you do this if you feel safe and secure.
- If you don’t like someone or don’t feel close to them, you will immediately move your feet away if they touch you accidentally with their feet. This is one of the early warning signs that a couple is having problems with their relationship.
- “Happy feet” is when you’re bouncing on the balls of your feet. It’s a strong indication that you’re excited or getting something you want.
The next time you’re at a party, try reading people’s feet and see if it matches what they say to your face.
References
Navarro J. (2008). What every body is saying: an ex-FBI agent’s guide to speed-reading people. HarperCollins.
“Everybody pulls for David, nobody roots for Goliath.”
-Wilt Chamberlain
Why You Should Bet on David and Not Goliath
In the Book of Samuel, the Bible describes how the Philistine army had gathered for war against Israel. Goliath, the Philistine champion, was over 9 feet tall. Thick bronze armor covered every inch of his body. Each day for 40 days, Goliath came out and mocked the terrified Israelites. No one was brave enough to fight him.
Little and Lethal
Finally, the Israelites sent out David, a young shepherd boy who was scarcely old enough to shave. David staggered under the weight of his full battle armor. He could barely lift his sword. Facing off against Goliath, David realized he had no chance if he played by Goliath’s rules. So David took off all his armor and dropped his sword. His only weapon was a slingshot and some stones.
Goliath laughed when he saw David approaching. How could a shepherd boy possibly hope to win against him? Of course, we know that David made Goliath pay for his cockiness with a stone between the eyes.
As Wilt Chamberlain said, people love rooting for the underdog. But was David really at a disadvantage?
The Weakness of Strength
The Correlates of War is a data set of 197 wars fought around the world from 1800 to 1998. Out of this total, there were 170 wars where strong actors started off with military advantages of 5:1 or more against weak actors. Despite the overwhelming odds, weak actors were victorious nearly 30 percent of the time. In fact, the trend is that weak actors are becoming more successful over time. From 1800–1849, weak actors won only 12 percent of these asymmetric conflicts, but this increased to 55 percent from 1950–1998.
Crazy Like a Fox
How is this possible? When a weak actor is attacked by a strong actor, there are two main options: (1) direct defense, such as meeting the enemy head-on, or (2) indirect defense, such as guerilla warfare. The goal of direct defense is to stop the enemy’s attack quickly, whereas the goal of guerilla warfare is to destroy the opponent’s will over time.
Chinese Communist leader Mao Tse-tung explained it this way: “In guerrilla warfare, select the tactic of seeming to come from the east and attacking from the west; avoid the solid, attack the hollow; attack; withdraw; deliver a lightning blow, seek a lightning decision. When guerrillas engage a stronger enemy, they withdraw when he advances; harass him when he stops; strike him when he is weary; pursue him when he withdraws. In guerrilla strategy, the enemy’s rear, flanks, and other vulnerable spots are his vital points, and there he must be harassed, attacked, dispersed, exhausted, and annihilated.”
Successful Strategies
Political scientist Ivan Arreguin-Toft summarizes how to be successful: “Strong actors are more likely to win same-approach interactions and lose opposite-approach interactions.”
Out of the 170 asymmetric wars fought from 1800 to 1998, strong actors won 76 percent of all same-approach interactions, and weak actors won 63 percent of all opposite-approach interactions. Same-approach interactions lasted an average of 2.7 years, whereas opposite-approach interactions lasted an average of 4.9 years.
So if a strong actor directly attacks a weak actor, and the weak actor responds with guerilla warfare, how should the strong actor respond? The answer is that indirect defense should be countered with indirect attack. There are two parts to an indirect attack: (1) Prepare expectations for a long drawn-out war, and (2) Send in special forces trained for counterinsurgency operations.
War and Business
These findings have applications outside of military strategy. For example, Clayton Christensen’s “Theory of Disruptive Innovation” recommends that companies not compete directly against incumbents. Instead, companies should either:
- Target the low-end of the market with “good enough” products and services. Incumbents don’t usually care if they lose these budget-minded customers.
- Target new customers in new markets. These new markets are typically too small to be of interest to incumbents, at least at first.
By not going head-to-head against an entrenched competitor, Christensen showed that the odds of success increased from 6 percent to 37 percent.
In a similar way, martial arts such as judo and kung fu teach you to turn your opponent’s force to your advantage rather than to oppose it directly.
Victory
Victory is a matter of choosing the right strategy based on your circumstances. Chinese general Sun Tzu was one of the greatest military strategists of all time. He said: “It is the rule in war, if ten times the enemy’s strength, surround them; if five times, attack them; if double, engage them; if equal, be able to divide them; if fewer, be able to evade them; if weaker, be able to avoid them.”
References
Arreguin-Toft I. (2001). How the weak win wars: a theory of asymmetric conflict. International Security. 26(1): 93–128. Full Article.
Christensen CM. (1997). The innovator’s dilemma. Harvard Business School Press.
“A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book.”
-Irish proverb
Why Party Animals Catch More Colds
Have you ever noticed that you’re more likely to get sick after a weekend of drinking and dancing? You’re not imagining things. It’s true.
Carriers
The first reason is because there’s usually at least one or two sick people at any party. When they cough or blow their nose, their germs become airborne for you to inhale. When they touch a door handle or washroom faucet, their germs can get onto your hands without you knowing it. If you then touch your eyes or nose, the germs get transferred from your hands and into your body.
The second reason is because staying out late means getting less sleep. And not enough sleep means you don’t fight off colds as well.
Sleepers
Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University proved this by conducting a study with 153 healthy men and women. For 14 consecutive days, the volunteers kept notes on 3 things:
- How long they slept.
- The percentage of time they actually spent sleeping while lying in bed (sleep efficiency).
- Whether they felt rested after sleeping.
Next, the volunteers were quarantined and given nose drops containing a virus for the common cold. For 5 days after exposure, the volunteers were monitored for cold symptoms and administered lab tests to see if they were infected by the virus.
Less Party, More Pillow
The results? Eighty-eight percent of the volunteers were infected by the virus, but only 35 percent developed cold symptoms after being infected. Sleep losses of 2-8 percent (e.g., 10–38 minutes for an 8-hour sleeper) were associated with 4 times the risk of developing a cold. About 9 percent of the volunteers had sleep efficiencies less than 85 percent (e.g., lying in bed for 8 hours but sleeping for less than 7 hours). These people had 5 times the risk of developing a cold. In contrast, feeling rested was not a significant predictor of preventing a cold.
The bottom line is that you’re more likely to catch a cold if you’re not getting enough sleep. And even a small amount of missed sleep means you’re much more likely to catch a cold.
References
redOrbit. (2008). Cold germs lurk for days. October 29. Full Article.
Cohen S et al. (2009). Sleep habits and susceptibility to the common cold. Arch Intern Med. 169(1): 62–67. Abstract.
Copyright 2009 by Paul Lem, M.D. All Rights Reserved.
Posted to: http://masterlifefaster.wordpress.com
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How to Give a Great Presentation
Volume 2, Issue 9
HEALTHY: Why eating eggs helps you lose weight
SOCIAL: How to give a great presentation
SMART: Insights from Singularity University – Part 2
“I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam-I-am.”
-Dr. Seuss
Why Eating Eggs Helps You Lose Weight
Kathryn Myronuk describes herself as a “knowledge sommelier.” For Ray Kurzweil’s book “The Singularity is Near,” she was the perfectionist who collected and compiled most of the data and references. At Singularity University, Kathryn is in charge of Library and Knowledge Resources, which is a fancy way of saying we go to her when we have unanswered questions.
Breakfast of Champions
In the NASA cafeteria, I sat down beside Kathryn and noticed we were eating the same breakfast: soya milk, cream of wheat, fresh fruit, and scrambled eggs. As we ate our eggs together, I remembered a study in the International Journal of Obesity recommending 2 eggs rather than a bagel breakfast of equal calories.
Compared to the bagel eaters, people who ate eggs as part of a calorie-reduced diet:
- Lost 65 percent more weight in 8 weeks (2.6 kg versus 1.6 kg)
- Reported higher energy levels
- Saw no increase in their total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, or triglyercide levels
Nikhil Dhurandhar was the lead researcher on the study. He concluded, “People have a hard time adhering to diets and our research shows that choosing eggs for breakfast can dramatically improve the success of a weight loss plan.”
Tastes Great, More Filling
Why do eggs work? The reason is because eggs have a satiety index that is 50 percent higher than white bread or ready-to-eat breakfast cereal. Satiety is a measure of how filling a food is. Eggs are mostly protein, and protein takes longer to break down in your gut than simple carbohydrates such as bagels. This makes eggs more filling than bagels.
And when you feel full, you’re less likely to overeat or sneak a bad snack.
References
Vander Wal JS et al. (2008). Egg breakfast enhances weight loss. Int J Obesity. 32: 1545–1551. Abstract.
“Power corrupts and PowerPoint corrupts absolutely.”
-Vint Cerf
How to Give a Great Presentation
At Singularity University, we’ve had some incredible lectures—from Dan Barry’s talk on “Failure is an Option” to Andrew Hessel’s glimpses into the future of Synthetic Biology. David S. Rose is New York City’s “Pitch Coach.” Thanks to his 3-hour workshop on the anatomy of presentations, I now know why some presentations are so much better than others.
Here are 5 keys to success:
(1) Great presentations answer 3 questions well:
- What is your main point?
- Why does it matter?
- If the audience remembers only one thing, what do you want it to be?
(2) The audience is there to see you.
If they simply wanted to read your handout, they would have stayed at home. Therefore, you are the center of attention. And to hold the audience’s attention, you must be passionate and genuine. If you’re not excited about your topic, then you shouldn’t give the presentation.
To be genuine, imagine you’re sitting around a fire and telling stories with your friends. For example, watch how South Bronx activist Majora Carter talks about urban renewal.
(3) Slides should be visual and emotional.
The best slides have few or no words. Just one evocative image that adds an emotional punch to what you’re saying. For example, check out these slides from Chris Landry of the Sustainable Food Lab.
To get images for your presentations, go to iStockPhoto, or check out MorgueFile and Google Image Search for royalty-free pictures.
(4) People have short attention spans.
Scientists have found that students recall the most information from the first 5 minutes of a lecture. Attention drops around the 6-minute mark and stays relatively constant until 15 minutes. Past 15 minutes, many students have a hard time staying alert.
This is why your presentations should be less than 20 minutes. If you must talk longer, then intersperse your 20-minute mini lectures with 2–5 minutes of active engagement. For example, ask students to stand up and share opinions with their neighbors.
(5) Practice makes perfect.
To become a great speaker, you must practice constantly. Violin virtuoso Jascha Heifetz once said, “If I don’t practice one day, I know it. If I don’t practice two days, my critics know it. If I don’t practice three days, everyone knows it.” To get more practice, join your local chapter of ToastMasters International. In parallel, watch TED talks for role models and examples.
Knock Their Socks Off
We’ve all sat through countless hours of “death by PowerPoint.” The bar is so low that you’ll distinguish yourself the first time you apply these 5 tips. Then with a bit of practice, watch out as your calendar fills up with speaking requests.
P.S. for the definitive guide to giving great presentations, get a copy of Garr Reynolds’ book “Presentation Zen: Simple ideas on presentation design and delivery.”
References
Burns RA. (1985). Information impact and factors affecting recall. Paper presented at Annual National Conference on Teaching Excellence and Conference of Administrators, Austin TX. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 258 639). Abstract.
“The empires of the future are the empires of the mind.“
-Winston Churchill
Insights from Singularity University – Part 2
I’m back in Canada from Singularity University, and I’ve had a few weeks to reflect on the mind-blowing experience I had this summer. Yes, it was super cool to learn about bleeding-edge technologies in fields such as nanotechnology, biotechnology, robotics, and artificial intelligence. But technology is changing so fast that many things I learned this summer will be obsolete by next summer.
Stories of Success
As I discussed in last month’s newsletter, the most valuable lessons were insights into human nature and psychology. Specifically, what do successful people do to become successful?
Here are some thoughts:
- Dan Barry is a famous retired astronaut. He told me that some of his astronaut friends have their schedules booked up a few years in advance. But Dan does the opposite. He keeps his schedule free by turning down most invitations. This means he’s available when a truly great opportunity comes along, such as the opportunity to teach at Singularity University for 9 weeks.
- Barney Pell is the founder of Powerset, the natural language search engine that was acquired by Microsoft for about $100 million in 2008. For 15 years, Barney knew that natural language search would eventually find its way into the mainstream. In 2006, he judged that the timing was right. He assembled a team of people and technology that he had cultivated patiently for years. It’s a strategy he’s looking to repeat: (1) identify powerful trends, (2) wait patiently for the right time, and (3) assemble the right team.
There were 40 students in the inaugural class of Singularity University. There were doctors, scientists, bankers, entrepreneurs, engineers and artists from around the world. From these outstanding young leaders, we voted Yonatan Adiri as our Class President, and Vijai Anma as most inspiring student. What made these guys stand out from everyone else?
- It felt good to be around them. They had positive energy.
- When they said they would do something, they always did it.
- They were confident and humble.
- They were secure in the five Master Life Faster areas: Happy, Healthy, Wealthy, Smart, and Social.
Singularity University was a life-changing experience for me. Maybe you should apply for next year’s class?
Copyright 2009 by Paul Lem, M.D. All Rights Reserved.
Posted to: http://masterlifefaster.wordpress.com
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Insights from Singularity University
Volume 2, Issue 8
WEALTHY: How to improve your odds as an entrepreneur
HEALTHY: Why raw food helps you lose weight
SMART: Insights from Singularity University
“If there was a simple formula for success and it was easy to follow, everybody would be doing it.”
-Edward C. Johnson III
How to Improve Your Odds as an Entrepreneur
How hard is it to build your own business? What can you do to improve your odds of success?
Hard Work
To answer these questions, Paul Reynolds at Florida International University and Richard Curtin at the University of Michigan launched a project called the “Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics II” (PSED II). In 2005, they contacted 31,845 adults and identified 1,214 nascent entrepreneurs. Twelve months later, they conducted follow-up interviews.
Reynolds and Curtin found that the average time involved in creating a new company was between 1,200 and 1,600 hours of work (30–40 weeks of full-time work). The average amount of startup funding was about $15,000, with 1-in-6 involving $50,000 or more.
High Growth
As part of the study, the researchers analyzed the new companies and attempted to forecast which ones would attain $4 million in sales and/or create 50 jobs within 5 years. Only 6 percent of the startups were judged to be capable of this rapid growth.
These high-growth startups shared the following characteristics:
- Multi-person teams. Average startup team size was 2.5 people, compared to 1.5 people for low-growth firms.
- Industry experience. Seventy-five percent of founders reported 6 or more years of same industry experience, compared to less than 50 percent for low-growth firms.
- Business-to-Business (B2B). About 50 percent focused on providing a product or service to other businesses versus 25 percent of low-growth firms.
- Exports. Almost half of customers were national or international, compared to less than 20 percent for low-growth firms.
- New customers and new markets. High-growth companies were more likely to introduce new goods and services into the market.
There are always exceptions to statistics. For example, J.K. Rowling was a first-time author and single mom when she wrote Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in 1995.
In July 2000, her fourth book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, sold 3 million copies in its first 48 hours. By 2008, Rowling’s fortune was estimated at almost $800 million.
Nevertheless, the findings from PSED II are useful for understanding how to improve your probability of success. As Damon Runyon said, “The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but that’s the way to bet.”
References
Reynolds PD, Curtin RT. (2008). Business creation in the United States: Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics II initial assessment. Foundations and Trends in Entrepreneurship. 4(3): 155–307. Full Article.
“In general, mankind, since the improvement in cookery, eats twice as much as nature requires.”
-Benjamin Franklin
Why Raw Food Helps You Lose Weight
Richard Wrangham is an anthropologist at Harvard University. He believes that cooking was the “killer app” for human evolution—the invention that enabled early humans to evolve bigger brains. What’s Wrangham’s reasoning?
Your Hungry Brain
Your brain has a big appetite. It consumes about 20–25 percent of your body’s energy. A million years ago, early humans were subsisting on a diet consisting mainly of raw fruits and vegetables. This type of diet did not provide enough calories to support the development of a big, hungry brain. Then, several hundred thousand years ago, humans discovered how to cook with fire. All of a sudden, humans were able to get a lot more calories out of their existing food.
For example, researchers have studied digestion in patients fitted with collection bags at the ends of their small intestines. Cooking increases the proportion of food digested in the stomach and small intestine from 50 percent to 90 percent. In other words, cooking almost doubles the calories you absorb from food.
The Miracle of Cooking
How does it work? Cooking transforms food. It breaks down starch molecules into more digestible sugars. It denatures protein molecules into amino acids chains that are easier to digest. Heat also physically softens food, which means your digestive system requires less energy to digest it. All of this extra energy fueled the evolution of our big brains.
Fast forward to modern times. In the developed world, we no longer have a problem getting enough to eat. Instead, we’re eating too much and suffering from obesity. Reflecting on Wrangham’s research, what would happen if we cooked less?
Thin and Raw
Researchers in Germany conducted a cross-sectional survey of people who had been eating a strict raw food diet (70–100 percent of food intake) for an average of almost 4 years. Results showed that men experienced an average weight loss of 9.9 kg compared to 12 kg for women. In fact, 15 percent of men and 25 percent of women had a Body Mass Index (BMI) that was abnormally low (< 18.5 kg/m2). About 30 percent of the women under 45 years of age stopped menstruating, either partially or completely.
In another study, researchers observed that about 50 percent of vegans were deficient in vitamin B12. Typically, this deficiency developed after 2 years on a strict raw food diet.
When it comes to raw food, balance is the key. Too much leads to vitamin deficiencies and excessive weight loss. But the majority of us would do well by eating more fresh fruits and vegetables.
References
Wrangham RW et al. (1999). The raw and the stolen: cooking and the ecology of human origins. Current Anthroplogy. 40(5): 567–594. Abstract.
American Association for the Advancement of Science. (2009). What’s cooking? The Economist. February 19. Full Article.
Koebnick C et al. (1999). Consequences of a long-term raw food diet on body weight and menstruation: results of a questionnaire survey. Ann Nutr Metab. 43: 69–79. Abstract.
Donaldson MS. (2000). Metabolic vitamin B12 status on a mostly raw vegan diet with follow-up using tablets, nutritional yeast, or probiotic supplements. Ann Nutr Metab. 44: 229–234. Abstract.
“Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe.“
-H.G. Wells
Insights from Singularity University
I’m currently attending a 9-week program called Singularity University (SU) at the NASA Ames Campus in Mountain View, California. The purpose of the program is: “To assemble, educate and inspire a cadre of leaders who strive to understand and facilitate the development of exponentially advancing technologies and apply, focus and guide these tools to address humanity’s grand challenges.”
Accelerating Change
Phew, what a mouthful! I’ve been here for a month, and I’m happy to say that the program is better than the mission statement. We’ve had lectures and workshops from some of the world’s top scientists, entrepreneurs, and thinkers.
They’ve shared their thoughts on the future for 10 fields experiencing accelerating technological change:
- Finance & Entrepreneurship
- Medicine, Neuroscience & Human Enhancement
- Artificial Intelligence & Robotics
- Space & Physical Sciences
- Nanotechnology
- Networks & Computing Systems
- Energy & Ecological Systems
- Policy, Law & Ethics
- Future Studies & Forecasting
- Biotechnology & Bioinformatics
Voices of Experience
But the most valuable things I’ve learned so far have nothing to do with technology.
Instead, it’s insights into human nature and psychology.
Here are some of my favorites:
Peter Diamandis has founded ventures such as the X PRIZE, Zero Gravity Corporation, International Space University, and now Singularity University. Peter says that the key to success is launching a new venture in the zone of “supercredibility.” For example, if your venture aims to achieve faster-than-light travel, this is not credible, and you’re doomed to fail. But if your venture aims to offer commercial spaceflights, it’s credible if you’re Burt Rutan, winner of the Ansari X Prize. And your venture becomes supercredible when you sign up partners such as Virgin Galactic, and land paying customers such as Captain James T. Kirk.
- Vint Cerf receives hundreds of e-mails every day. He can’t go through them all in detail. So he triages them quickly. Of course, this means he misses things. But Vint has learned that if something is important, the sender will follow up with him. But the issue often resolves itself without Vint having to get involved.
- George Smoot joined SU because he believes in the vision, and he’s known Peter Diamandis for many years. The lesson is you can sign up Nobel Prize winners if you’re doing something worthwhile. And it helps if you’re already friends.
- Ray Kurzweil says that the reason most startups fail is not due to poor execution or failure of the technology. Rather, it is bad timing—the product or service is too early or too late for the market.
- David S. Rose says that the most important quality for an entrepreneur is integrity. If David doesn’t trust you, he won’t invest no matter how attractive the opportunity.
- At Yahoo Brickhouse, Salim Ismail observed that for any good business idea, there were at least 20 groups working on it around the world. Therefore, success is determined by the best execution mixed with a bit of luck.
- Yossi Vardi has developed a network of the smartest young people around the world. When I asked him how he did it, he replied, “What’s the best way to find the smartest kid in a class? Ask the other kids!”
I wonder what new things I’ll learn at Singularity University in the next 30 days? Read my newsletter next month and find out.
Copyright 2009 by Paul Lem, M.D. All Rights Reserved.
Posted to: http://masterlifefaster.wordpress.com
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