7 signs your body language is sending the wrong message

You're curled up in into yourself

Research suggests that we're more attracted to people in expansive — as opposed to contracted — postures, even if we don't consciously realize it. Think arms spread wide as opposed to shoulders hunched or arms crossed.

A 2016 study found that men and women pictured in contractive positions on a dating app were selected less often than the same exact men and women pictured in expansive positions.

You're concealing your hands

When you keep your hands out of sight, according to the book "Crazy Good Interviewing" by John B. Molidor and Barbara Parus, it looks like you have something to hide. This includes keeping your hands in your lap or behind your back.

As Anita Barbee, a professor of social work, told Real Simple, "A person may be telling you one thing, but these cues indicate you're not getting the whole story."

You keep touching your face

This is a dead giveaway that you're nervous.

Joe Navarro, a former FBI agent and the author of "What Every BODY Is Saying," previously told Business Insider that when you videotape someone who's nervous and speed up the recording, "it's hilarious how often we touch ourselves under stress."

Some people, for example, squeeze their face, push on their cheek, or rub their forehead, Navarro said, as a way of self-soothing.

Your hands aren't moving at all

You're not guarding Buckingham Palace. Let loose a little.

Science of People, a human behavior consultancy run by Vanessa van Edwards, found that TED speakers who use more hand gestures on stage tend to get more views on their talks.

You walk slowly or with short strides

A small 2013 study found that prison inmates who scored high on measures of psychopathy could pick out people who'd been victimized in the past, based partly on their walk.

People who were said to "walk like an easy target" — specifically, slowly and with short strides — were seen as more vulnerable to attack.

The only problem is it's not so easy to change your gait to seem more confident — even if you're trained to do so, researchers say the effects generally wear off over time. Still, it's worth trying.

You avoid eye contact — or hold it for too long

Eye contact can help facilitate social relationships and increase empathy between people. But how much is enough?

The Wall Street Journal reported that, according to the communications-analytics company Quantified Impressions, adults make eye contact between 30% and 60% of the time in an average conversation. They really should be making eye contact between 60% and 70% in order to create some emotional connection.

The Cut also reported on a British study that found the ideal length of eye contact for the person you're looking at to feel comfortable is 3.3 seconds.