· Giving a half-shrug and a grin that conveys agreement or secret knowledge
· Flirting
· Comfortable being in close proximity to others or initiating contact
· Telling jokes, adding to or steering a conversation
· Hosting an event or activity (a BBQ, getting the guys together for a football game)
· Bragging, obsessively talking about an achievement or material object (winning a game, a new car, etc)
· Reacting with anger or jealousy if one's reputation is impugned
· Doing or saying things outside of the norm without anxiety or concern
· Leaning in to talk or listen
· Maintaining good eye contact
· Lots of physical contact, touchy-feely
· Running the hands through the hair, flipping one's hair
· Assuming a pose that's sexy, appealing, or draws attention to one's best attributes
· Wearing clothes that are flashy or dramatic
Good news! This sample has been expanded and streamlined into book form! The full list of physical, internal, and mental cues for this and 74 other emotions can be found in The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression, available for purchase at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and Smashwords. The PDF is also downloadable via the Paypal button in the sidebar.
6 comments:
These are great. Eye contact is a biggie with confidence. Excellent list!
NIcely done! I'll bookmark this one, too! :)
Hugs,
Donna
I know you know this, but I'm saying it anyway. This thesaurus is awesome!! Thanks for putting it together.
Interesting. I sometimes have male characters running their hands through their hair, but it didn't occur to me that this might be a sign of confidence. Maybe it's a sign of vanity as well - as in, "look at my great hair, not receding... yet!" :)
That's something that has been interesting in compiling these lists--and challenging too; so many gestures can have multiple emotional meanings, depending on the context.
And thanks for the kudos, people :).
Amazingly useful - thanks very much for putting it together.
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