Anna Jaskolka - Picture Book of Body Language

I have always been intrigued by the way people interact and communicate with each other, and people-watching has always been a hobby of mine. Our mannerisms and body signals are there for all to see, yet often we do not fully appreciate that our non-verbal communication greatly affects both the way we perceive others and the way we are perceived ourselves.

My interest in body language was piqued during my early childhood years. I have vivid recollections of my family and friends ritually passing dreary, wet Sunday afternoons huddled together around a table, eating, drinking and exchanging gossip, but for the most part engaged in the serious business of playing poker. My father is Polish, and poker was a popular pastime in his native land. He was keen to re-establish the card game in his new environment when he moved to England.

A hush would descend over the house as the curtains were drawn to set the scene for the ensuing battle. Then the cards would appear. I would be allowed into the hallowed room only if I discreetly blended into the floral-patterned wallpaper and didn't make a sound. My eyes would be transfixed as the men began to stack their hard-earned money on the table and the serious game of poker commenced.

Crouched behind my father's well-worn chair, I became a silent witness to this family ritual, and a captivated voyeur of each participant's every move and grimace. These hardened poker players would huff, puff and try to bluff their way to victory, their faces often a picture of concentration. Polish vodka would flow freely as the games were won and lost - wins celebrated and sorrows drowned.

My attention was inexorably drawn towards the players' gestures, expressions and posture during this predominantly silent combat, and I sat mesmerised, trying to read their every thought and move. Each twitch, shift of position, smile, scratch and sigh belied the silent desire to express an emotion or thought.

Over time I became increasingly successful at working out who had the winning hand and who was trying to bluff with an inferior hand. As I studied the players' attempts to maintain the classic poker face', I began to realise that this was a very difficult feat to achieve - a near impossibility in fact.

When a thought passes though a person's mind, the body's natural response is to express it immediately. The rare sight of four aces in a hand of poker would evoke a strong emotional response in anyone. Simply put, you would want to whoop with delight and beam your biggest smile, but, of course, if you did so during a game you would never be a successful poker player!

The reverse, of course, is also true. To conceal these instinctive reactions takes immense physical and mental control. Even when self-control is apparently mastered effectively to the untrained eye, a competent student of body language can still spot some subtle tell-tale signs.

Let's imagine that an experienced player is comfortably able to keep virtually all his physical movements under conscious control. Even here, there are still some reflexes that he will not be able to suppress: in particular, movements of the pupils. At the sight of a good hand of cards, adrenalin immediately starts to pump through the body and the pupils automatically dilate. This reaction cannot be prevented. Other gestures may be habitual, such as touching the mouth in response to a particular stimulus.

American films often show card players wearing sunglasses in a darkened casino when they are playing serious poker. This is not just about trying to look cool. In fact, as every seasoned player knows, this practice helps to conceal the players' eyes, so that they will not give themselves away if they are dealt a fantastic hand of cards.

My fascination with people-watching led me to pursue a career as an actress. At drama school I was encouraged to study the subtleties and complexity of non-verbal communication in greater depth. I learnt how to maximise the effectiveness of my body language, an essential skill if an actor is to play a character convincingly and realistically. Nowadays I consider observing body language to be part of my homework', but it is also part of a broader fascination with the vagaries of human nature and expression. I often find myself simply watching the people around me - groups of people socialising, an office worker in a hurry for a bus, a teenager acting cool in front of his mates - just observing human behaviour.

Communication comes in many forms, including words, sounds, tone of voice, gestures and touch. The raising of an eyebrow, for instance, can hold a multitude of meanings: disbelief, quizzical uncertainty, interest or disapproval.

A sideways glance can indicate mendacity, an attempt to enjoin someone in a joke, or to indicate something unusual.

The simple action of tapping a finger can signify irritation, concentrated thinking, impatience or even just the act of counting or tapping out a rhythm.

While we all use and understand a wide range of body language on an instinctive level, we are rarely consciously aware of the messages that our own and other people's bodies are communicating. Developing such a conscious awareness - of even a few of the most basic gestures in body language - can open up a whole new dimension of human behaviour. You can begin to discover what people really mean and whether their intentions are honourable and truthful. You can learn to discern whether your gut instinct about a person is correct and understand how what they are saying is supported by their body language or conflicting with it.

Arming yourself with a knowledge of even a small repertoire of body language gestures can help you to be more effective in all areas of your life. These gestures can help you to communicate better, enhance your popularity with friends and colleagues, and possibly expand your life in ways you may have been too fearful to venture into previously. In the knowledge that we are all human and that we all choose to present a particular image to the outside world, you may no longer be intimidated by people who previously cowed you, and you will have the potential to turn uncomfortable situations into exciting opportunities. An understanding of body language can also make you a more sensitive and compassionate person to be around, in turn enhancing the quality of your life.