To think most people are too easy to read?

[ThatIcySwan]

I don’t mean it in a smug way but I often find that people are more transparent than they think - their insecurities, motives or attempts at “cool indifference” come through clearly if you’re paying attention. It’s almost like everyone’s running the same emotional script, just with different scenery.

AIBU to think that most people aren’t as mysterious or unreadable as they imagine themselves to be?

That's part of communication, it's not secret. What we say in words is only a tenth of what we communicate.

Mind you some people believe they can read other people to the extent that they know what other people are thinking and feeling better than the person themselves because they believe themselves to be hyper empathetic, and this is always bollocks - unless, perhaps, the other person is a toddler.

I don't think it would come as an earth shattering suprise to anyone that they communicate things through their face and body language. That's hardly new information.

And unless you are a pathological liar or inherently manipulative I don't suppose most people care.

I think most people aren’t really trying to hide their feelings that much. I’m a pretty open book - don’t try to be otherwise. Why would I? I don’t work for Mi6 and I’m not particularly interesting.

Maybe you’re quite suspicious and hidden away naturally and assume everyone else is trying to be as well? When actually, they don’t care that you can read them?

You keep using the word Reveal. You can only reveal something if you've been keeping it hidden. And I don't know why you assume people keep hiding something in their normal interactions. Like others, I think you're reading too much into things.

I don't think you're wrong that people often communicate far more than they consciously realise, and that other people can become good at observing this. But your attitude towards it seems a little strange, almost like oneupmanship. Like it gives you something over them. I prefer to see it as a way of possibly being able to understand a little bit more of them (if indeed I'm right in my observations).