Body Language of Happy Feet
Cue: Happy Feet
Synonym(s): Bouncing Feet.
Description: Happy feet are those that bounce up and down with joy, point upwards when standing, or seem to have a spring in their step when walking. Other times happy feet are feet that point or move in the direction of something they like.
In One Sentence: Feet that bounce up and down signal happiness, confidence, and good health.
How To Use it: Use happy feet to show others that you are healthy, confident and that good things are happening to you. Happy feet will be viewed by others as a symptom of your good fortune. Positive attitudes are transferred through body language and keeping the feet in motion shows others that you are prepared for action.
Bluff in poker by bouncing your feet. If people are attuned, they will read your bouncing feet as a true indicator of a great hand (even if you don’t have one).
Context: General.
Verbal Translation: “I’m happy with joy so my honest feet defy gravity by bouncing, toes rising and pointing.”
Variant: See Cooperative Feet, Toe Pointing or Pointed Toe, Toes Pointed Upward.
Cue In Action: We always knew it was time to fold. When Kevin had a great poker hand, his feet started bouncing. They were nearly vibrating the entire table.
Meaning and/or Motivation: Throughout our evolution, the feet carried out more traditional tasks like escaping predators, avoiding hot sand or coals from fire, leaping from slithering snakes or poisonous spiders, or navigating rough rocky river bottoms. The feet were therefore connected more to the reptilian brain which reacts to stimuli directly instead of contemplating higher order tasks that require planning. This makes the feet “honest” and reliable as clues to fear as well as happiness.
Bouncing feet are called “happy feet” and is a high confidence ‘tell’, indicating that a person is about to gain something important. It is very reliable and happens as a direct result of having heard or seen something significant that is positive to the person displaying the signal. While high affect happy feet make the entire body bounce, happy feet can be display in a more subdued way by just wiggling the feet. Watching for these cues in poker can be a very important tell and save a pile of money, so be careful to watch for it.
Legs and feet can also become jittery and fidget when a person is bored and wants to leave. Jittery feet, though, can also be due to nervous energy or even the result of happiness such as “happy feet.” It is the context that will help decide what feet and legs are telling in this type of body language.
Happy feet are feet that “defy gravity” are an honest indication of joy. When feet are happy they will bounce up and down and move the body in various playful ways. The feet are often extended toward things they like and point to them. Often the toes will point upward demonstrating confidence. This is done by bearing the weight on one foot and putting the heel down and lifting the toes up.
Cue Cluster: Watch for more open cues such as smiling, head tilted to the side in interest, palm up displays, open and lose body, torso flowing, touching other people, bouncing up and down and excited eye flashes and eye pops.
Body Language Category: Amplifier, Buy signals, Childlike playfulness, Gravity defying body language, Honest body language, Up nonverbals.
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