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Jay Shetty PodcastJay Shetty Podcast

#1 Body Language Expert: “Men Find This IRRESISTIBLE & Most Women Never Do It” - Try This ASAP

What usually holds you back from starting a conversation? Jay sits down with behavioral researcher and bestselling author Vanessa Van Edwards for a powerful conversation that blends science, honesty, and so many surprising moments. Vanessa, who refers to herself as a “recovering awkward person,” shares how her biggest social struggles became the driving force behind her mission to crack the code on human connection. Together, Jay and Vanessa dive into the fascinating world of charisma, exploring the 97 cues, from eye contact to tone of voice, that quietly shape how we’re seen and understood. Vanessa breaks down why so many of us feel overlooked or underestimated—and introduces “signal amplification bias,” a concept that explains why the signals you think you’re sending might not be landing the way you expect. Vanessa shows us how confidence isn’t always something you’re born with but something you can build, with intention and awareness. The conversation goes even deeper as they unpack the tricky balance between warmth and competence, especially for women in the workplace, and how vulnerability isn’t a weakness, but often your greatest strength. They explore how to create those magic “me too” moments that form instant connections, spot the hidden red flags in communication, and let go of the need to be liked by everyone in order to be truly seen by the right people. Whether you struggle with social anxiety, want to level up your leadership presence, or are just tired of surface-level small talk, this episode is packed with practical tools and uplifting wisdom to help you connect with more authenticity and power. What We Discuss: 00:00 Intro 00:51 From Awkward to Empowered: Overcoming Social Anxiety 02:43 How Do You Really Want People to See You? 06:44 Why Aren’t Your First Impressions Landing? 10:01 Why They’re Not Getting Your Signals (And What to Do About It) 13:33 Want to Be More Attractive? Try Being More Available 15:40 One Simple “Hey” That Can Spark a New Connection 19:16 Your Vibe Teaches People How to Treat You 22:06 Speak with Power: Unlock Your Full Vocal Power 23:47 3 Conversation Starters That Actually Work 29:49 Making Friends Doesn’t Have to Be Hard 31:17 Why Compliments Alone Don’t Build Connection 33:30 Break the Ice Without Sounding Like Everyone Else 38:36 Stop Trying to Be Interesting, Do This Instead 40:48 The Art of a Smooth and Respectful Exit 44:32 Use These Nonverbal Cues to Steer the Conversation 47:41 Spot Inauthentic Behavior Before It Costs You 54:28 Why People-Pleasing Feels Safer But Actually Holds You Back 57:48 How to Tell If Someone’s Lying (Without Saying a Word) 01:00:04 When Narcissists Feel Like the Most Charismatic People 01:03:46 Want to Really Get to Know Someone? Take a Road Trip 01:04:45 How Dopamine Makes You More Memorable 01:08:23 Every Answer Can Be a Gateway to Connection 01:10:51 How Asking Better Questions Inspires Growth 01:13:10 Discover Your Social Battery: Introvert, Extrovert, or Ambivert? 01:15:10 You Might Be an Ambivert and That’s a Superpower 01:19:07 The Two Ways Friendships Evolve Over Time 01:22:30 Choose Friends Who Inspire Awe 01:25:20 The Double Standard Faced by Highly Competent Women 01:33:09 Before You Make That Connection, Ask Yourself This 01:34:34 Life’s Too Short for Shallow Connections, Find Your People 01:36:29 Vanessa on Final Five Episode Resources https://www.instagram.com/jayshetty https://www.facebook.com/jayshetty/ https://x.com/jayshetty https://www.linkedin.com/in/shettyjay/ https://www.youtube.com/@JayShettyPodcast http://jayshetty.me https://www.scienceofpeople.com/ https://www.instagram.com/vvanedwards https://x.com/vvanedwards https://www.youtube.com/@Vvanedwards https://www.tiktok.com/@vvanedwards https://www.facebook.com/vvanedwards/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessavanedwards

Jay ShettyhostVanessa Van Edwardsguest
May 12, 20251h 42mWatch on YouTube ↗

CHAPTERS

  1. From feeling awkward to building a “charisma blueprint”

    Vanessa frames her mission as helping “recovering awkward” people overcome self-doubt and the feeling of being underestimated. She introduces the idea that confidence can be built by learning a repeatable blueprint for the signals you send with body, voice, and words.

  2. Choose your first-impression words: current, bad-day, and ideal

    They run an exercise to identify how you currently come across, how you come across on a bad day, and how you want to come across. Vanessa explains that the cues you send don’t just affect perception—they shape how others treat you.

  3. The hidden world of cues: why we misread faces and create cue cycles

    Vanessa describes how people misinterpret neutral expressions as negative (the science behind “resting” faces) and how perception can create self-fulfilling cue loops. She introduces her framework of many cues (including microexpressions) and how decoding/encoding shapes interactions.

  4. Dating signals aren’t landing: signal amplification bias and the ‘availability’ problem

    Vanessa explains that most people think they’re being obvious when flirting, but they’re massively under-signaling. Research shows it can take dozens of signals for interest to register—and being “available” often matters more than objective attractiveness.

  5. Flirty cues that work: eye patterns, small smiles, self-touch, and scent

    Vanessa demos practical nonverbal behaviors that communicate openness and interest, especially eye-contact patterns and subtle smiles. She also explains self-touch as a flirt signal and shares research suggesting smell plays a role in both attraction and friendship formation.

  6. The one-word move: saying “Hey” with confidence (and vocal power basics)

    Vanessa recommends a low-pressure, high-impact opener: a simple “Hey,” delivered with the lowest natural, relaxed part of your voice. She explains how people judge confidence within 200 milliseconds and teaches how breath and resonance change how you’re received.

  7. Start conversations without scripts: context cues, ‘me too’ moments, and aggressively liking people

    After the opener, Vanessa teaches “context cues” (shared environment) to quickly create similarity and comfort. She reframes social success as maximizing “me too” moments and shares a study suggesting popular people are those who like the most people—then say it.

  8. Why compliments often backfire—and how to make them connect instead

    They explore why compliments can create discomfort and distance with strangers: they imply hierarchy and force awkward reciprocity. Vanessa suggests complimenting shared similarities or effort-based traits rather than immutable characteristics.

  9. Break the ice creatively: scripted questions, playful ‘guessing games,’ and being memorable

    Vanessa offers ways to escape repetitive small talk by preparing better answers to common questions and turning them into hooks and stories. She introduces playful verbal games (like “guess”) and explains how novelty creates dopamine, which increases memorability.

  10. Graceful exits and steering talk with nonverbal cues (toes, gaze, nods)

    Vanessa teaches a three-step “graceful exit” process using body orientation, reduced engagement cues, and a verbal bridge to future plans. She also explains how nodding patterns affect how long someone speaks—and how to use nods to encourage or wrap up.

  11. Read red flags sooner: off-script dates, incongruence cues, and scent-based fear

    Jay asks about negative cues we miss when infatuated; Vanessa argues we decide too fast with too little exposure. She recommends “off-script” experiences like a short road trip to observe behavior across contexts, then watch for incongruence between words and body language.

  12. People-pleasing vs authentic connection: balancing warmth and competence

    They differentiate learnable charisma from manipulation and show how people-pleasing often trades competence for being liked. Vanessa uses warmth/competence research to explain why both are needed to be trusted and respected, and why faking “me too” moments erodes trust.

  13. Charisma vs narcissism: victim language, conflict patterns, and why cars reveal character

    Vanessa explains how narcissists can appear highly charismatic early by signaling warmth and competence, then shift into predictable patterns. She highlights “deserve/worth” language, victim mode, and high-conflict dynamics—and recommends off-script settings to detect them sooner.

  14. Women at work: the narrow ‘valley’ and using AI to audit your cues

    They address the double bind competent women face: too warm can reduce credibility; too assertive can be labeled “bossy.” Vanessa recommends auditing written communication (LinkedIn, emails) for warmth/competence balance—using AI as a practical coaching tool.

  15. Social energy and friendship strategy: introvert/extrovert/ambivert, awe, and ‘find your people’

    Vanessa and Jay explore social batteries and why many people are ambiverts who can dial up socially but need recovery time. They discuss “ambivalent” relationships as draining, the idea that friendships can grow together or apart, and choosing relationships that inspire awe rather than checklists.

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