[rachilde]

Are you good at 'reading' people's emotions, intentions, and motivations? If so, does it annoy or frighten you when you can't read someone? If not, would you like to be able to read others better?

I confess I'm very good at reading people--to the point that some even say I'm 'psychic'. But currently I'm attracted to someone who I cannot read at all. He's just one blank slate whenever I try to figure out what he's thinking. I don't know, it kind of weirds me out that he's so unpredictable--but that's also what I like about him to begin with haha...

[donporkuloin]

I'm good at reading people, and people don't like it sometimes when you're right. Which has caused me to give less advice.

[veeveeyan]

I think if you're really social, have a lot of different friends, then reading people will come much easier because you'll know the typical human actions like a frown means they're upset. When they cross their arms across their chest during certain situations means that they're defensive about something. Or through the tone in their voice, but it varies for some people like when their voice is lower than normal, they're either upset but depending on the person, they could be happy or just tied. Though there are some things that can't really BE read like what goes on inside a person's mind, etc.

But, I think I can pretty well.

[rachilde]

I'm good at reading people, and people don't like it sometimes when you're right. Which has caused me to give less advice.

I've found the best way to get around this is to be a lawyer and not a judge when it comes to advice. When someone comes to me for advice, I ascertain what their goals are and I give them advice on how to further their goals--not advice on whether or not their goals will be 'morally best' or 'right' for them. It really smoothes out ripples between people even if I have my own opinion about their motivations. I just don't think morality is anything I have a business poking into unless the question at hand is absolutely heinous or against my personal morals.

[Hot Fire Neko]

But currently I'm attracted to someone who I cannot read at all. He's just one blank slate whenever I try to figure out what he's thinking.

As you're on to, that probably plays in to exactly why you're attracted to him in the first place. I'd consider myself a really good reader of character, and that's what usually plays into me deciding if i'd like someone on a friend / other level rather early on. Not gonna lie, being able to read people also plays in to being able to subtlely manipulate situations and actions in a favorable way towards yourself. It's a pretty useful trait to have.

[hannieoon]

I'm good at reading people but I don't try to do it often because sometimes, I can be wrong about the person and then it can lead to prejudices. Anyways... maybe you can't read the person you like because you like him and you're nervous. Hahaha. So you're skills don't work on them lol

[clee86]

I can read a lot of people as well and I think it mostly has to do with how predictable someone is, or how "normal" someone is.

I tend to be attracted to people I can't read at all either as it doesn't seem so ordinary and easy to predict what will happen.

[pinkxlilies]

I think I'm better than most at reading people...usually people tell me things like "omg it's like you know me better than I know myself!" and they're not even close friends too. I just think it's because I'm pretty intuitive and I guess most people are predictable.

I absolute CANNOT stand it when people TRY to read me and they are completely off! It's really annoying. e.g. if they say something like "oh, you're just doing this because _____________" and it's completely wrong! I'd rather they just not try or try and not tell me because it makes them look really foolish.

Oh and I think it should be said that this 'reading' ability can get pretty ugly if it's in the wrong hands. For example, one of my friends is REALLY good at reading people and she really abuses it...as in manipulating people for her own gain just because they're easy to read and therefore easy to manipulate/trick.

[Shuga]

I'm pretty good at reading people, but I don't try to do it as much. I can harness them enough to know whether someone is interested in me more than friends or not, which is what I'm concerned with most of the time, hehe. I also try to use it to make sure I don't offend anyone or step on anyone's toes unnecessarily - but when it comes to drawing conclusions about a person, I don't rely on my reading 100%. I rely on getting to know them through talking and what they say. Like you said, I would dislike to be a judge of a person. Who am I to judge?

I'm quite an unconventional person and would rather be myself then 'normal'. I've been given the 'you're so random' comment somany times that I don't even get offended about it (except if the person I like calls me it ._. People always tell me it's not a good thing for a guy you like to call you random, eurgh). And shown through my confusion in such a matter, it does show I don't have grand reading skills. I have them to get by, sometimes to manipulate situations, but I doubt I'm as perceptive as the rest of the posters here.

I think I've learnt to let go of knowing everything... I used to love knowledge, social knowledge, mind you, and learning about how people's inner selves are progressing/how they're feeling/whether they need any sort of help - pretty creepy - but yeah, I'm less co-dependent now. Maybe too selfish now, I don't know. It's really hard to get a balance of anything these days. -__- I used to be 'frightened' when I couldn't read or manipulate myself, or help them, or comfort them the right way... yes that's it: it used to really bother me when people didn't react as I anticipated.

On the other hand, I'm still very good at guessing, especially at what people subconsciously refer to. They often act surprised but I'm just thinking: but you've talked to me about it last week. It coul just be because I get people to open up easily? I'm not sure! Ah. That's another thing to consider... does it enhances someone readability when you're close to them?

[,astrolicious]

EDWARD CULLEN?

Hahaha Had to bring that up even though I'm not a Twilight fan.
Mm, generally I'm okay. Usually if I can't read someone, I'll assume they have many facets to their personality.
It's a bit fun to have a little obscurity once in a while, right?

[peppermintsugar]

I'm extremely good at reading people. I usually know what someone's going to do about a situation before they even know what they're going to do, but I think a lot of it is just common sense/simple psychology, too.

Only one person has ever really confused me much, and he still confuses me to this day

[strawberrii chuuu]

i'm good at reading people. and usually i don't have a problem with that.
except this one guy. this past summer.
i couldn't read him for shizz.
i thought i figured him out. and then he would change suddenly.
pissed me off.
even now i'm still trying to figure him out.

[한스 ㅋㅋ]

It's funny how every single person says they are good at reading people.
what? Is it easy to become a psychic?

Well just joining the fun, I am also very very extremely incredibly good at reading people, because I watch the mentalist.
Very good show, if you never watch it, should consider watching it before saying you are good at reading people.

[sake-nya]

I don't think it's really hard to read people.
My friend thought I was psychic when I guessed what he was about to ask for as a birthday gift (my best friend's number). But it was obvious anyway since he's pretty interested in her.

To me, it's just a matter of knowing the person and relating it to typical human behavior.
Or just watch movies/dramas. They highlight a lot of things, lol.

[wnelek]

most of the time im right :T
and especially with first impressions...

i try not to give anyone advice or let them know i know though(x

[peppermintsugar]

It's funny how every single person says they are good at reading people.
what? Is it easy to become a psychic?

Well just joining the fun, I am also very very extremely incredibly good at reading people, because I watch the mentalist.
Very good show, if you never watch it, should consider watching it before saying you are good at reading people.

It really has little to do with being psychic. Like I said, it's mostly common sense and basic psychology. People tend to make the same decisions because based off of certain actions/reactions, those decisions seem like the right one.
It's like, girl likes boy, boy likes girl, it's pretty easy to read that they're going to end up dating, when they have both given each other reason to believe that this is the course of action that they both want to take.

Just saying, I'm no psychic.

[rachilde]

It's funny how every single person says they are good at reading people.
what? Is it easy to become a psychic?

Well just joining the fun, I am also very very extremely incredibly good at reading people, because I watch the mentalist.
Very good show, if you never watch it, should consider watching it before saying you are good at reading people.

No, it's not about being psychic at all. It's one part imagination, one part observation, one part categorization, and one part memorization--if you're good at all four things, then you'll usually be exceedingly good at anticipating what others will do. Observation and memorization deal with 'scouting' out someone's behavior and mannerisms--most of which will be nonverbal--and choice of words and how they present their information; categorization deals with relating that person to someone else or some group of people you've met or even read about in the past who share similar fact patterns (which lends to predictability); and imagination deals with imagining all of these facts applied to a very specific situation (what does this person think about after he gets off work, for example). It's really not a complex skill when played in real time, but it is a skill you accumulate over time since it depends on amassing a pool of information from which you can draw from.

Hypo: I know π for a couple of days and I notice he talks a lot about financial independence and working. He works a lot of hours and he takes pride in his work. His mannerisms--the way he carries himself--also suggests he's extremely careful and meticulous and I can most easily relate him to a character in Woolf's Ms. Dalloway. From all of this information, I tell π that he probably gets off work and calculates how much he made that day after tax deductions all the time. π agrees.

[XangelXtranX]

I'm good at reading people's feeling, emotions, even over msn talk when i dont see them face to face. I have this girl that i only talk to on msn...And shes like my sister we clicked after couple talks. the problem is i like to think that im right and she likes to deny the facts. in the end i always ended up letting her win just for the sake of it. I'm also good at regcognizing who is interested in me and whos not....but sometimes i just play dumb and not say anything.

What bugs me the most right now is that theres this few girls who doesn't like me cuz im not " cool " enough for them . Fck not that i care it just irritating.==.==

[mewpower]

I envy you all. I'm TERRIBLE at reading people. I made friends who turned out to be completely selfish, or mean-spirited, or something along the lines, and everyone else around me were like "I already could tell from my first look at her. Why did you make a friend liker her in the first place?!"

I'm a blind duck in a world of hawks.

I wish I could read people better, so that I can stop getting victimized. :s

[tofu plushie]

No, I am pretty bad at reading people. My first perceptions of people often change quickly when I get to know them. I actually had a bad first impression about some of my friends in high school but, we ended up being close.