
Instant Genius Podcast: Body language myths, with Prof Geoff Beattie
The body language you're misinterpreting – and the signals actually worth paying attention to.
Instant Genius is a bite-sized masterclass in podcast form. And in this episode, we're exploring the many myths of non-verbal communication.
Want to get better at interpreting body language? Well, most books on the topic are unlikely to help you. At least, that’s the argument of Geoff Beattie, professor of psychology at Edge Hill University.
He claims that most stereotypes of non-verbal communication, be it defensive arm-crossing or nervous hair twiddling, are vastly misunderstood. In this episode, Beattie unpacks these body language myths – and also explains science worth paying attention to.
Find Instant Genius on your preferred podcast platform here: instantgenius.podlink.to/Podcast
Listen to more episodes of Instant Genius:
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- How to boost your creativity, with Hilde Ostby
- Ultra-processed food, with Dr Chris van Tulleken
- How the battle for space will change the world, with Dr Tim Marshall
- Out-of-body experiences, with Dr Jane Aspell
- A bold new theory of dyslexia, with Prof Usha Goswami
Authors

Thomas is Digital editor at BBC Science Focus. Writing about everything from cosmology to anthropology, he specialises in the latest psychology, health and neuroscience discoveries. Thomas has a Masters degree (distinction) in Magazine Journalism from the University of Sheffield and has written for Men’s Health, Vice and Radio Times. He has been shortlisted as the New Digital Talent of the Year at the national magazine Professional Publishers Association (PPA) awards. Also working in academia, Thomas has lectured on the topic of journalism to undergraduate and postgraduate students at The University of Sheffield.
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