Instructions on how to recognize a person by his gait

Instructions on how to recognize a person by his gait

Instructions on how to recognize a person by his gait

There is a kind of beauty in the gait, which is not good to neglect. It either attracts or repels.

Among the many methods of determining a person's character by appearance, the most unusual, perhaps, can be considered the method of the Japanese professor Yahi-ro Hirosawa. For 30 years, Hirosawa scrupulously studied the soles. Having examined over 600 thousand copies, he came to the conclusion that information about the physical and mental state of a person is no worse than on the face or hand, you can get by looking at shoes.

It is only necessary to be able to read what is "written" on shoes, says the professor. In his opinion, if the heel is erased on the inner edge, the man is indecisive, and the woman has a good character. If the heel is worn along the outer edge, its owner is an initiative person, and if the heel is very curved outwards, the owner of the heels is prone to carelessness. A well-worn male heel indicates the friendliness of the owner of the shoe. If we are talking about a woman's heel, its owner is most likely a good mother. In fairness, it should be noted that the priority here does not belong to the observant Japanese at all. Long before psychology took shape as an independent science, the French shoemaker Jean-Baptiste de Andre and his Italian colleague Salvatore Ferragamo drew the following conclusions from the way the soles of a person's soles were erased: erased across the width — the quiet one Erased only the inner side — greedy. The outer side is erased — wasteful. Erased heel backs — stubborn, unyielding.

Probably, these conclusions are not without reason. If we imagine that the one who walks stealthily, almost on tiptoe, rather tramples the soles across the width. The one who walks proudly, spreading his legs wide apart, wears out the outer side more, and the one who steps firmly and confidently puts a big load on his heels. Then the estimates of observant shoemakers will not seem so strained. There was even a proposal to found a new science — scarpology to determine the character of a person by his shoes. But its practical value would be small. After all, walking in worn shoes is bad form, which most people try to avoid. In addition, when meeting a person, his soles are not so easy to see.

But one way or another, the basic idea of all such arguments is in principle correct. Shoes wear out depending on the manner of walking, and the gait is a clear evidence of the psychological state of a person. Of course, this state can change, the gait changes accordingly, we move towards an event that promises to be pleasant in very different ways, or we are trudging to serve some boring duty. The general attitude of a person also affects the gait, so it can tell you something about those traits of his character and personality that are quite constant. But even more eloquently it testifies to the momentary state of a person, his mood and intention.

To an attentive observer, the gait can say a lot. Father Brown, the hero of G. K. Chesterton's detective stories, was able to detect the criminal by his gait, and only by ear. Being in a private club, he heard that there was a person in the corridor who was moving in an unusual way, namely, mincing with a hurried gait, then stepping smoothly, slowly. It was important that all the gentlemen present, members of the club, and the waiters invited on the occasion of the celebration were dressed in identical-looking black tailcoats. But it is clear that the helpful waiters moved hurriedly, while the gentlemen could afford to walk decorously while waiting for a meal. The criminal, who did not belong to either of them, but also dressed in a tailcoat, was waiting for the moment to steal the silverware. In full view of a member of the club, he began to mince and gave the impression of a waiter, to whom a gentleman would not pay attention. When faced with a waiter, he would stiffen up and begin to step majestically. Thus, everyone he met took him for a "member of the other team." But the sound of his footsteps indicated to the astute priest that he did not belong to any, which made it possible to remove suspicion of theft from both waiters and club members. Father Brown is a literary character.

And here's what psychologists I. Gorelov and V. Engalychev write about a very real person: "One of our acquaintances, who sells his talent and qualifications as a psychologist in one of the countless offices of acceleration and intensification, has fun during working hours by hearing the steps of those passing along the corridor, confidently calls their height, gender and even nationality and at the same time makes mistakes quite rarely. In an attempt to uncover his secret, we reasoned as follows. Our friend knows the distance between the two turns of the corridor, where the steps are heard. Mentally counting the number of steps, he finds out how many of them fit at a given distance, that is, determines the length of the step. And then, according to a simple formula of correspondence between a person's height and the length of his step, it is not difficult to find out the height itself. The floor is determined by the volume and fraction (heels) of steps, by the degree of pressure on the surface of the corridor covering. But how to find out the nationality of the passing, we have not been able to "calculate". We suspect that the matter here is unclean and there is definitely some kind of relationship between gender and nationality. At least, purely visually, the heads of departments, as a rule, are sedate, heavy men of indigenous nationality, and the secretaries are easily fluttering creatures from "migrants". I would like to know the national composition of the entire institution..."

Sometimes gait observations are not carried out at all for the sake of entertainment. American experts in this field have repeatedly been invited to consult with the FBI when it was necessary to identify hierarchical relationships in criminal groups. Imagine that the detectives managed to get a video recording of a conversation between several mafiosi, made from a long distance. It is impossible to catch the words, you can only follow the movements of people walking around. Observers have found that smug, arrogant people can "report" these properties of their gait. Their chin is raised high, their hands move emphatically energetically, their legs are like wooden. The whole gait is somewhat forced, with an unconscious calculation to make an impression. Such pacing is typical for a leader whose subordinates mince a little behind, like ducklings behind a duck. This simple observation allowed specialists to establish almost unmistakably who was who in the mafia clan. Interestingly, professional Sovietologists also resorted to such observations during the Cold War in order to determine the real significance of a particular figure in the intricate hierarchy of Kremlin leaders.

Observing the gait allows you to draw other interesting conclusions. As already noted, the manner of movement largely depends on what goal a person is striving for. We strive with more energy towards those goals from the achievement of which we expect rewards than towards those that promise trouble. The usual speed of movement in a neutral state of mind is two steps per second. A person walks slower (wanders, trudges) when he does not have a specific goal or when he does not strive to achieve the goal too much. In this case, the walking pace is one step per second. If, on the contrary, it is desirable to achieve the goal as soon as possible, the steps become more frequent and wider. At the same time, a person steps mainly on socks and immediately pushes off, as in a sprint. This unconsciously achieves two advantages: firstly, you can move quietly in order to sneak up on someone or something, and secondly, it is easy to switch from this way of walking to a real run in order to catch up with an elusive goal if necessary.

Walking with wide, sweeping steps is more common in men than in women. They say that Peter the Great walked like this, the embodiment of purposefulness and energy. At least, this is how he is depicted on the famous canvas by V. A. Serov. According to this manner of walking, one can conclude about extroversion, entrepreneurship, activity and diligence. If such walking is accompanied by a rhythmic rocking of the arms and, possibly, the entire torso, then in this case it rather signals that we are dealing with a person who lives for today, is completely at the mercy of his motives and is not inclined to submit to someone else's influence.

If walking is accompanied by disproportionate swinging and striking waving of the arms, characterized by emphatically rapid steps, then it seems that the movements exceed the actual energy of a person. Thus, busyness and efficiency are manifested, often devoid of genuine content.

Sonorous walking, emphasized shoe tapping reveals intemperance of character, brusqueness. Often, at the same time, the raised tone seems to compensate for the lack of real self-confidence.

Short or small steps, which are more often observed in women than in men, most likely indicate introversion. A person with such a gait seems to "keep himself in hand", demonstrating prudence and prudence. In relationships with other people, he is usually pedantic and uncommunicative. This gait is based on an unconscious willingness to quickly change direction if necessary. However, the final decision on the choice of direction can be postponed for a very long time and this applies not only to the direction of movement. If a clear rhythm is not expressed in such a gait, then a completely justified impression of a fearful and nervous person is created, ready at the slightest risk to immediately evade, turn aside.

An intermittent, stumbling gait indicates that the pursuit of a goal has to struggle with opposite impulses. She demonstrates inner duality and uncertainty, stiffness and shyness.

Those who keep their hands in their pockets when walking, even in warm weather, are most likely highly critical and secretive, they like to dominate and suppress. However, a person who is in a depressed state also often hides his hands in his pockets. In addition, he barely drags his legs and looks down, as a rule, as if looking at what lies under his feet. But this is not an unambiguous sign, a slow gait with a lowered head may reflect a person's concentration on some problem. At the same time, hands are often placed behind the back.

Like many movements, gait not only reflects a certain state of a person, but also supports this state to some extent. Knowing this pattern, you can not only observe the gait of other people, but also arbitrarily adjust your own in order to correct your mental state. So, it is believed that a confident rhythmic step indicates strong-willed activity, purposefulness, no wonder in any army recruits are taught to march first. If you are going somewhere, not being sure of the success of your endeavors, and doubts and worries gnaw at your soul, straighten your shoulders, raise your head, walk stiffly and rhythmically. And you will feel how vital energy begins to fill you. Step wider!