Psychology of a Poker Face (And How to Become Impossible to Read)

Psychology of a Poker Face (And How to Become Impossible to Read) This video breaks down why being hard to read has almost nothing to do with a frozen face. We start with Thomas Gilovich's research at Cornell on the illusion of transparency, a review of 206 studies by Charles Bond and Bella DePaulo showing how rarely people catch what we hide, and Michael Slepian's study of World Series of Poker players, where the face gave nothing away but the arms did. Then we clear out the myths: microexpressions, the "93% is nonverbal" line, and liars who look away. Then the 4 leaks that give you away anyway: the overshare, the announcement, the hands under the table, and the instant reaction, with Diana Tamir and Jason Mitchell's Harvard research on why talking about yourself feels rewarding and Peter Gollwitzer's work on announcing your goals. James Gross's research at Stanford shows why locking your face backfires. And 4 principles to become hard to read without turning cold: stop guarding what nobody can see, open one layer at a time, show results instead of plans, and name the feeling before you show it. Finally, why you still need 2 or 3 people who can read you, from Michael Slepian's research on secrets at Columbia. A poker face isn't a frozen face. It's a closed hand. Which of the 4 leaks is yours: the overshare, the announcement, the hands under the table, or the instant reaction? Be honest. Tell me in the comments. #psychology #pokerface #bodylanguage #emotionalintelligence #selfawareness #selfimprovement #psychery --- Research referenced: Gilovich, T., Savitsky, K., & Medvec, V. H. (1998). The illusion of transparency: Biased assessments of others' ability to read one's emotional states. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75(2), 332-346. Bond, C. F., Jr., & DePaulo, B. M. (2006). Accuracy of deception judgments. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 10(3), 214-234. Slepian, M. L., Young, S. G., Rutchick, A. M., & Ambady, N. (2013). Quality of professional players' poker hands is perceived accurately from arm motions. Psychological Science, 24(11), 2335-2338. Porter, S., & ten Brinke, L. (2008). Reading between the lies: Identifying concealed and falsified emotions in universal facial expressions. Psychological Science, 19(5), 508-514. Tamir, D. I., & Mitchell, J. P. (2012). Disclosing information about the self is intrinsically rewarding. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109(21), 8038-8043. Gollwitzer, P. M., Sheeran, P., Michalski, V., & Seifert, A. E. (2009). When intentions go public: Does social reality widen the intention-behavior gap? Psychological Science, 20(5), 612-618. Gross, J. J. (1998). Antecedent- and response-focused emotion regulation: Divergent consequences for experience, expression, and physiology. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74(1), 224-237. Gross, J. J., & Levenson, R. W. (1997). Hiding feelings: The acute effects of inhibiting negative and positive emotion. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 106(1), 95-103. Savitsky, K., & Gilovich, T. (2003). The illusion of transparency and the alleviation of speech anxiety. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 39(6), 618-625. Slepian, M. L., Chun, J. S., & Mason, M. F. (2017). The experience of secrecy. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 113(1), 1-33. Seneca. (1917). Ad Lucilium epistulae morales (R. M. Gummere, Trans.; Vol. 1, Letter 3). William Heinemann. (Original work written ca. 65 CE) --- Disclaimer: This video is made for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional psychological, medical, or therapeutic advice. If you are going through a hard time, please consider talking to a licensed therapist or a qualified mental health professional.