Body Language of Looking To The Left
Cue: Looking To The Left
Synonym(s): Eye Access Cues
Description: Looking to the left.
In One Sentence: Looking to the left signals that a person (right handed) is accessing the creative side of their brain.
How To Use it: This is a cue that is used by reading it in other people. Simply watch how eyes move while another person is thinking in order to assess which sorts of memories are being accessed. For this to be effective, one must verify the cue’s accuracy by baselining it first. In most normal right handed people, looking left signals that a person is constructing a lie with the creative portion of their brain.
Researchers have noted that looking in one direction while thinking is not always reliable.
Context: General.
Verbal Translation: “I’m looking to the left to access the creative side of my brain so I can construct a lie or create a story. I am doing so either visually, auditorily, kinesthetically or with feelings.”
Variant: See Looking To The Right. The opposite will be the case for left handed people. Make sure you baseline this cue to determine is true accuracy on a case-by-case basis.
Cue In Action: When trying to come up with a story for why she was out so late, she looked up and to the left. From her eye access cue, her Dad knew she was creating a story rather than recalling one.
Meaning and/or Motivation: Looking left and up (as you look at person) is a nonverbal cue that signifies that a visual thought is being created (rather than remembered). This can be an indication that lying is taking place. However, in some context this can indicate creative storytelling as both areas of the brain function in this instance.
Looking to the left (level) indicates that a sound is being constructed rather than remembered. Looking down and left indicates the access of kinesthetic or feelings.
Cue Cluster: N/A
Body Language Category: Automatic gesture, Eye Language, Lying or deceptive body language, Microgestures, Pensive displays.
Resources:
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