By playing, you agree to uListen's Terms and Privacy Policy and YouTube's Terms of Service.
Lewis HowesVanessa Van Edwards on The Science of People with Lewis Howes
Summaries, chapters, transcripts, and FAQs on this page are made by uListen, not YouTube.
Great conversations run long. Their best ideas don't have to.
uListen is free on iPhone, iPad, Android, Chrome, and Claude.
See howTranscript
100 min read · 19,540 words- 0:00 – 0:52
Subway intuition: sensing fear before a purse snatch
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
This thing happened to me in New York City. I was in New York City and, um, I was walking by myself after a dinner party into the subway. So I was, like, kind of already nervous, and I walk into the subway, walk on the car, and, like, immediately I feel fear. Like-
- LHLewis Howes
Oh
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
... you know that feeling you get, like, in the pit of your stomach where you're like... And, like, I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and I was like, "What is it? What is it? What is it?" And I'm, like, looking around the car, and everything looks fine. And right before the doors close, a guy standing right next to me grabs the purse of the woman sitting, an elderly woman sitting, and runs out the doors. And I was like, "How did I know?" [upbeat music]
- 0:52 – 2:23
Reuniting on the show and introducing “Captivate” with playful connection cues
- LHLewis Howes
Welcome back, everyone, to the School of Greatness podcast. Excited about our guest today, Vanessa Van Edwards. Good to see you.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Yes.
- LHLewis Howes
Thanks for being here.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Hand hugs.
- LHLewis Howes
Hand hugs.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Can we do a hand hug?
- LHLewis Howes
What's a hand hug? Like this?
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
It's this.
- LHLewis Howes
Oh.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Oh. Wasn't that good?
- LHLewis Howes
What's a finger hug? Oh. [laughs]
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Oh. The oxytocin.
- LHLewis Howes
That's right. Yeah, the connection.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
That was so much oxytocin.
- LHLewis Howes
The connection. [laughs]
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Ah. [laughs]
- LHLewis Howes
I'm excited about this. We had you on, what, like three years ago maybe, right?
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Yeah, yeah.
- LHLewis Howes
It was a while ago. And, uh, it was a massive hit, and we're having you back on now because you've got a new book out called Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People. And this is the type of stuff that I love talking to you the most.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
You gotta do your captivating face. Yeah, that's good.
- LHLewis Howes
I know, it's like the, it's like the-
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
It's like Blue Steel
- LHLewis Howes
... right? [laughs]
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
It's like, it's either like a-
- LHLewis Howes
Smizing?
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
[gasps] Smizing, or it's like a Blue Steel. Yeah.
- LHLewis Howes
Exactly.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
[laughs]
- LHLewis Howes
Um, this is the stuff that fascinates me the most.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Yeah.
- 2:23 – 3:59
Owning awkwardness: why vulnerability helps people trust the “expert”
- LHLewis Howes
I love the first couple pages where you-
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Ooh
- LHLewis Howes
... it shows a photo of you with, like, I don't know if you have braces on or not, but you're like-
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Oh, yeah. Oh
- LHLewis Howes
... you have, like, uh, helmet hair, you have braces. You're like-
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Do you like my vest? [laughs]
- LHLewis Howes
... you know? [laughs] Yeah, you're like-
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
That is, that is the sound I was making when I took that picture
- LHLewis Howes
... brr. [laughs]
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
[laughs] Just like that. Okay, wait.
- LHLewis Howes
Uh-
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Can I tell you about that picture, though?
- LHLewis Howes
Sure.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
So I'm, I'm in LA.
- LHLewis Howes
Yes.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
My family's here. [laughs] And I give my mom the galley.
- LHLewis Howes
Uh-huh.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
And she was, like, so excited.
- LHLewis Howes
Yeah.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
She's like, "Oh my God, yay." And she opens it, she was like, "Why did you choose this picture?"
- LHLewis Howes
Ooh.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
I was like, "Mom, like, that's real." Like-
- LHLewis Howes
It's real life
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
... like, that's, that was me. And she said something that was interesting. She was like, "That was the most painful part of your life."
- LHLewis Howes
Hmm.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
"Why would you share that?"
- LHLewis Howes
Hmm.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Which I think is a really-
- LHLewis Howes
You have to
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
... y- you have-
- 3:59 – 5:57
Lewis’s social re-engineering: learning to connect by becoming friends with everyone
- LHLewis Howes
I, I love it. I mean, if I showed you a photo of myself, I sent a photo actually yesterday 'cause-
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
I don't believe you, though
- LHLewis Howes
... no, hold on.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
No way.
- LHLewis Howes
Let me, let me s- I'll send you a photo of me awkward.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
No, you were, like, an athlete.
- LHLewis Howes
No, no.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
I was, like, a mathlete. Come on.
- LHLewis Howes
I was, I was an athlete the way you are a, an extrovert. I was not, uh, you know, an athlete because I was good, because I was bad. And I said, "I'm gonna master this," just like you were.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Okay.
- LHLewis Howes
And we're like, yeah. So that's kinda how I became one.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Are you gonna show me a vest picture?
- LHLewis Howes
I'm gonna see if I can-
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Because I wanna see helmet hair.
- LHLewis Howes
No, not a vest picture.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
[laughs]
- LHLewis Howes
Let me see. I'll show you a photo of me.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Recovering awkward Lewis.
- LHLewis Howes
I mean, this is-
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
That's what I wanna see
- LHLewis Howes
... this is pretty goofy, you know?
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Oh. [laughs]
- LHLewis Howes
[laughs]
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Yeah.
- LHLewis Howes
It's pretty, like-
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Yeah. [laughs] Oh
- LHLewis Howes
... lame, goofy.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Yes.
- LHLewis Howes
Yes.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Yes, this would fit really well next to mine.
- 5:57 – 10:47
What actually makes people popular: liking others, reducing ambivalence, creating safety
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
And I was like, "Yes." So there was research. I've always been fascinated by the popular kids, right?
- LHLewis Howes
Mm.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Like, these, these magnetic sort of like-
- LHLewis Howes
Yes
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
... what makes a kid cool or popular, whatever that is. And Van Sloan did a really interesting research experiment with teenagers- And he found, well, can you guess what makes the most popular kids popular? Like, what is it? It could be anything from attractiveness to clothing to the way they talk. If you had to guess. Listeners, guess too.
- LHLewis Howes
What makes a popular person popular?
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Yes.
- LHLewis Howes
Hmm. Their confidence? I don't know. Their outgoing-ness?
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Okay, that, I would have guessed outgoing.
- LHLewis Howes
Yeah.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
That's exactly what I would have guessed.
- LHLewis Howes
Yeah.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Like extroverted, talkative, which was like, I was like, "Oh, please don't let it be that." So first of all, it wasn't attractiveness, which I think-
- LHLewis Howes
Yes
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
... is very important for people to keep in mind.
- LHLewis Howes
Interesting.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
It wasn't the most beautiful girls or the hottest guys. What it was is the most popular kids also liked the most people.
- LHLewis Howes
Hmm. That makes sense.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
And like now that I heard that, which is exactly what you just said-
- LHLewis Howes
As opposed to just five people, they're like, you know-
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Right
- LHLewis Howes
... everyone.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Yes, exact- It's like he, what he found was is that the most popular kids, when they were asked, "Who do you like?" They had the longest list.
- LHLewis Howes
Whoa.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
And that also meant that they were liked by the most people, and this was measured by typically they smiled more in the hallways. So they would do the, you tell me if this is right, so men, when they know, see someone they know, they give the upward, "Hey, nice- nice to see you," like it's like an acknowledgement.
- LHLewis Howes
Mm-hmm.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Versus if you don't know someone but you want to acknowledge them, you give them the- the downward nod.
- LHLewis Howes
Hmm.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Is that right?
- LHLewis Howes
Probably, yes.
- 10:47 – 20:17
Conferences and first impressions: like more people, prime conversations, and use context cues
- LHLewis Howes
Yes, yes. Um, what we're gonna go into later, I'm gonna- I'm gonna hook you guys right now. We're gonna go in later and talk about how to understand when someone's lying-
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
[laughs]
- LHLewis Howes
... and what to do about it. And this, Vanessa said that this is like a scary thing to talk about.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Uh-huh.
- LHLewis Howes
It's like, uh, she doesn't know if she wants to talk about it that much, but we're gonna go into it a little bit. But first, um, you have different sections in your book. There's the first five seconds, the first five hours, and the first five, mm, days, weeks?
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
First five minutes, first five hours, first five days.
- LHLewis Howes
Minutes, hours, days. Yes.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Yep.
- LHLewis Howes
Not seconds. But the first five seconds are important too, right?
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
It, actually, I- I debated calling it the first five seconds. [laughs]
- LHLewis Howes
I mean, it's true. Like-
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Like that would work.
- LHLewis Howes
Yeah.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Um, but the reason why I didn't is because a couple of chapters are on like conversation starters, and it's hard to get out a full conversation.
- LHLewis Howes
In a few seconds.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Right, right, right.
- LHLewis Howes
Yeah.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Yes.
- LHLewis Howes
But there are cues within the first five seconds-
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Yes
- LHLewis Howes
... probably, right?
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Very much.
- LHLewis Howes
Maybe- maybe sooner than that.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
I- I think that it happens the moment you first see someone. Um-
- LHLewis Howes
Within a, within a second.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
With- within a second, and that, uh, that has proven as well online. Like a lot of our first impressions are actually happening digitally.
- LHLewis Howes
Mm-hmm.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Right? Someone emails you for the first time, they Google you, they see you on LinkedIn.
- LHLewis Howes
See a photo, whatever.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
That's it. That's your digital first impression.
- 20:17 – 24:20
Fear is contagious: the skydiver sweat study and why “fake it till you make it” fails
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
And that's also a really important internal trigger. There's, um... Did I tell you about the skydiver study when we talked last time?
- LHLewis Howes
Probably.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Oh my gosh. This is like one of my-
- LHLewis Howes
Tell me
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
... favorite new studies. So-
- LHLewis Howes
Yeah
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
... what they did is, this thing happened to me in New York City. I was in New York City, and, um, I was walking by myself after a dinner party into the subway. New York City is like not, like it, I love New York, but like at night by yourself, it's like, eh.
- LHLewis Howes
Mm.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
So I was like kind of already nervous, and I walk into the subway, walk on the car, and like immediately I feel fear. Like-
- LHLewis Howes
Uh-oh
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
... you know that feeling you get like in the pit of your stomach where you're like [gasps] and like I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and I was like, "What is it? What is it? What is it?" And I'm like looking around the car, and everything looks fine. And right before the doors close, a guy standing right next to me grabs the purse of the woman sitting, an elderly woman sitting, and runs out the doors.
- LHLewis Howes
No way.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Now, thank God, people stopped him like within five minutes of, like within five seconds of him getting off of the car, got the purse back. But I was like, "How did I know?"
- LHLewis Howes
How did you know?
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
[laughs] So-
- LHLewis Howes
[laughs]
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
I, I was like, "I don't think I'm psychic."
- LHLewis Howes
Yeah.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
So there's, what else is going on here? So there was a study that was done where they had first-time skydivers-
- LHLewis Howes
Mm
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
... before they went up in the air run on the treadmill. They ran on the treadmill enough to get them real sweaty, and they had them wear sweat pads to absorb their sweat. They took those sweat pads out, they put them in a new sweat suit, and then they had them jump out of a plane. Took those sweat pads, obviously you get a little sweaty when you're jumping out of a plane.
- LHLewis Howes
Sure.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Then they had participants smell these sweat pads. I know, it's kinda gross.
- LHLewis Howes
See which one was fear or which one's excitement or what?
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
They didn't even tell them what they were smelling.
- LHLewis Howes
Oh.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
They put them in a, a brain scanner, and they had them smell each one. And these people had no idea what was being tested.
- LHLewis Howes
Yeah. This-
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
They didn't even know they were smelling sweat, okay?
- LHLewis Howes
Right, right.
- 24:20 – 33:25
PQ (interpersonal intelligence): decoding vs encoding and why it impacts outcomes
- LHLewis Howes
Mm. Amazing. Um, tell me about, uh, PQ.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Yeah.
- LHLewis Howes
What is PQ?
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Interpersonal intelligence.
- LHLewis Howes
And I love this 'cause once, you're gonna tell us what that is in a second, but you have a, a test in the first chapter which tells you how your personality, what is it? Your-
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Your interpersonal, your, your level, your interpersonal, interpersonal intelligence.
- LHLewis Howes
Level.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Yes.
- LHLewis Howes
Gotcha. How socially like- ... adaptive you are-
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Yes
- LHLewis Howes
... essentially is.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Yeah. So I'm, I love quizzes.
- LHLewis Howes
Uh-huh.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
I, I can't help it. [laughs] I love, I love quizzes.
- LHLewis Howes
Sure, sure.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Um, it's my, my, uh, I love checklists and all those to-do boxes things. So I was very focused on IQ, right? Like growing up, like-
- LHLewis Howes
Mm-hmm
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
... book smarts-
- LHLewis Howes
Yeah
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
... technical skills. I never heard about PQ. I never heard about social or emotional intelligence. So there's all these IQ tests and things like that, but I found that w- what a really good way to start is, like, where are, where is your smarts, right? Like socially-
- LHLewis Howes
Yeah
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
... what are your social strengths? Like, we even have, like, StrengthsFinder 2.0.
- LHLewis Howes
Yep.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
I'm working on something right now where I wanna do, like, social strengths 2.0.
- LHLewis Howes
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Like, like, what are our social strengths, which are just as important as some of our capabilities.
- LHLewis Howes
Mm-hmm.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
And so the quiz is sort of like, okay, where are you at right now, right? Like, how good are you decoding? So we talk about social intelligence, there's really two things we're talking about. Decoding, so spotting cues, spotting hidden emotions, decoding lies.
- LHLewis Howes
Mm-hmm.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
And encoding. Encoding are the signals that you send out to others.
- 33:25 – 40:35
Personality wiring, neuroticism, and “resource language” triggers in relationships
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Wait, c- I, I, can I tell you something, though?
- LHLewis Howes
Sure.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Okay. So neuroticism, I'm high neurotic.
- LHLewis Howes
Uh-huh.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
And I, I... People are always like, "Neurotic, it's such a bad word." But neurotic is a way, it's a way of talking about emotional stability. You are, I think, low neurotic, yes? You're not very neurotic. You're very emotionally stable.
- LHLewis Howes
[sighs] I can have triggered moments that make me frustrated and-
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Yes
- LHLewis Howes
... yeah, but I'm, I think I'm pretty emotionally stable.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Okay.
- LHLewis Howes
But I like things the way I like them.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Ooh.
- LHLewis Howes
And so when it's not the way I like it, I, you know-
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Okay
- LHLewis Howes
... I get frustrated, but-
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
So that, that's about the, the ritual that, like the habit, the setting things up.
- LHLewis Howes
Yes.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
So y- as a low neurotic, you told me it will be fine.
- LHLewis Howes
Yes.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Now, for my high neurotics listening-
- LHLewis Howes
[laughs]
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
... you might know who you are, when people tell you it will be fine, it actually makes you more nervous.
- LHLewis Howes
Really? [laughs]
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Yes.
- LHLewis Howes
"You know what? It's not gonna be fine. You need to work harder."
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
[laughs] Yeah, that's right.
- LHLewis Howes
"You're screwed."
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
[laughs] I know.
- LHLewis Howes
"You're gonna fail."
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
That... Okay. So let me-
- LHLewis Howes
Is that what I should say? [laughs]
- 40:35 – 53:38
Big Five traits and free trait theory: working with differences (openness & conscientiousness)
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Yes. So- [laughs]
- LHLewis Howes
[laughs]
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
You're, you're like, "I don't know about this topic."
- LHLewis Howes
Let's hear it.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
[laughs] So when we talk about signs of personality, there's a lot of things out there. DiSC and Enneagram-
- LHLewis Howes
Uh-huh
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
... and Myers-Briggs-
- LHLewis Howes
Yeah
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
... and all these things. The only one that is scientifically based is the Big Five, and it's five personality traits.
- LHLewis Howes
Is it the five love languages?
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
It's, it's... I, we talk about the five love languages actually.
- LHLewis Howes
Okay.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
That's a good one, too.
- LHLewis Howes
Yeah.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Um, so there's like special five. Five love languages and the five Big Five.
- LHLewis Howes
Yeah, I'm teasing. Yes.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Um-
- LHLewis Howes
I know that's not scientific, the love languages.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Actually, I think-
- LHLewis Howes
Although it seems-
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
There is some science
- LHLewis Howes
... very practical. Yeah, yeah.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
There is some science behind it.
- LHLewis Howes
Yeah.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Yeah, there is. Um, and the Big Five have, has a lot.
- LHLewis Howes
Okay.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Um, and so everyone has these Big Five personality traits, and they're either high or low in them.
- LHLewis Howes
It's one or the other.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
It's, it's-
- LHLewis Howes
High, low. There's no middle.
- 53:38 – 1:00:37
Flexible leadership and vocal power: why tone shapes trust (even in malpractice risk)
- LHLewis Howes
There's another, uh, personality test with four quadrants. Have you seen this?
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
DiSC.
- LHLewis Howes
Is that what it is?
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
DiSC. Like-
- LHLewis Howes
Where it's promoter, supporter, analyzer, controller.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Yes.
- LHLewis Howes
Have you seen that?
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
I think that, I think that that's DiSC.
- LHLewis Howes
Is it DiSC?
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
But I've seen that one, yes.
- LHLewis Howes
Promoter, supporter, analyzer, controller, and you kind of, like, you rank, you go through a quiz-
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Mm-hmm
- LHLewis Howes
... of figuring out which quadrant you're the highest at.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Yeah.
- LHLewis Howes
So you'd be, you know, I'm a promoter, controller.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Yeah.
- LHLewis Howes
I'm first off promoter. I'm, like, a big idea. I'm passionate. I'm, like, excited. Let's go. Let's do this.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Yeah.
- LHLewis Howes
I like to be in control. I like to, you know, have all those things. Uh, and then it's support, analyze. It's kind of like the top four. But really I'm, like, very close to almost all of them.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Mm-hmm.
- LHLewis Howes
Like, all of them are pretty high.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Mm-hmm.
- LHLewis Howes
So I'm almost, like, very spread out.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Yeah.
- LHLewis Howes
And, like, the true leaders I hear is what they say is, like, you want to be able to tap into each quadrant-
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Right
- LHLewis Howes
... to connect to an analy- if they're an analyzer, you want to be able to be analytical with them.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Mm-hmm.
- LHLewis Howes
If they're a promoter, you want to be promoting with them.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Mm.
- 1:00:37 – 1:06:21
Lie detection basics: incongruence, contempt, and common myths about eye contact
- LHLewis Howes
That's great. Okay. Uh, I wanna get to the final part of talking-
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Oh, yes
- LHLewis Howes
... about, uh, lying-
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Yes
- LHLewis Howes
... and how you can tell someone's lying. [laughs]
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Yes. Oh, God. So I, when Lewis-
- LHLewis Howes
You don't have much of this in the book, right?
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
I don't.
- LHLewis Howes
Yeah.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
I don't have very much of this in the book.
- LHLewis Howes
Why don't you have this in the book?
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
The reason is because I think this is one of those evil superpowers.
- LHLewis Howes
Eh.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Yeah. It's like, it's like muha-ha. It's like that.
- LHLewis Howes
Yeah.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Because it is very powerful. The science behind lie detection is, is very concrete.
- LHLewis Howes
Mm.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
It's not a guessing game. We do know a lot about what pe- what happens to people when they lie. The problem is, is amateur lie detectors do worse than people who don't know anything about lying.
- LHLewis Howes
Ah, got it. [clears throat]
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
That, so my, my, always my worry is, like, oh, my gosh, if I give someone a little bit of information, I actually make them worse. So for example, in the biggest study on lie detection that was done, we can spot lies with 54% accuracy.
- LHLewis Howes
So flip a coin?
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Ex- exactly.
- LHLewis Howes
Yeah. [laughs]
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
It's terrible. Like, we're terrible. And by the way, like police officers don't... Oh, so can you guess, there's one group that did better on this. It's not police officers, it's not doctors, it's not teachers.
- LHLewis Howes
Kids.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
No, I, I wish it was k- they actually didn't test kids 'cause that's a whole-
- LHLewis Howes
Uh
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
... different IRB process.
- LHLewis Howes
Who could test, who, who was more efficient in seeing if there's a lie?
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
It was-
- 1:06:21 – 1:14:40
Where lies happen most and how to reduce them in business calls and negotiations
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
... do you wanna guess the, um, mode of communication that has the highest amount of lies? So your choices are face-to-face, emails, IM, or chat, like text. Which do you think has the most amount of lies?
- LHLewis Howes
Uh, text. Is that the least amount?
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
It is... Nope. It is phone has the most amount of lies, and the reason for this is because-
- LHLewis Howes
Oh, I think I know why.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Tell me. Yeah.
- LHLewis Howes
Maybe.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Yeah.
- LHLewis Howes
I just-
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
I bet you, I bet you have it right
- LHLewis Howes
... I guess. Well, because one, well, I don't know. I was gonna say anything that's not recorded.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Ah. Yeah, yes, that's it. That's the answer.
- LHLewis Howes
But text is like, you got the proof or something, you can go back to it.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
That's exactly right, though. That's why. So phone has the most because there's no paper trail.
- LHLewis Howes
Yes.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
And you don't have to lie to someone's face, right?
- LHLewis Howes
[laughs] True.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Like it's r- it's real easy-
- LHLewis Howes
Yeah
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
... to like turn your back and be like, "I'm gonna-"
- LHLewis Howes
And no, yeah.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Yeah. So, um, whereas email, text, and face-to-face.
- LHLewis Howes
Yeah.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Email, text has a paper trail, and face-to-face doesn't. So there's all these really interesting things about lying that we have misconceptions-
- LHLewis Howes
Mm-hmm
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
... or we don't think about them. So by the way, if you're doing a lot of business on the phone, if you're doing a lot of coaching on the phone-
- LHLewis Howes
Wow
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
... you really have to be careful. Um, all, I have a lot of students who are life coaches, they work with a lot of students, and they do a lot of phone consulting. What the problem with that is, is if it has the most amount of lies, or we're talking about hidden emotions, and if you're working as a coach, like you really have to spot those hidden emotions. You have to think about what are ways that we can either bring the video to this, like do video chat, or do in person.
- LHLewis Howes
Mm-hmm.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Or at least say, "Hey, I'm taking notes on this call. I'm gonna send you a summary after we hang up." That actually brings the amount of lies l- down to email level because you're telling them I'm gonna, I'm gonna commit this to black and white.
- LHLewis Howes
Yes.
- 1:14:40 – 1:21:37
Authentic charisma and five-day social experiments: from roses to relationship repair
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Oh my gosh. I would say that the, the, the last thing, and this is something that I tried to make a big point in the book, and I don't wanna hit people over the head with it, but I don't think I got it as, as well as-
- LHLewis Howes
Mm-hmm
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
... I wanted, which is I don't think you should ever pretend to be something you're not. Again, I don't believe in fake it till you make it. I think that you're better off spending your time instead of trying to be the bubbly extrovert, is trying to find out what is your unique brand of charisma. Like what is your flavor? I think that the more time you can spend on that before trying to emulate-
- LHLewis Howes
Mm-hmm
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
... someone else or trying to dial up something that isn't natural to you, is a much better place to be, and that's where happiness comes from, and that's where auth- that's what people mean when they say authentic. And so anything I've said today in this interview, or anything that you've read, try to figure out what's your unique take on that. Like ma- go prove, go make me prove my worth, right? Like if I, if I said something that sounded interesting to you, go make an experiment, right? Like go up-
- LHLewis Howes
Yeah
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
... to 50 different people the next 50 days-
- LHLewis Howes
Yes
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
... and see if you can try out a conversation starter if that works for you.
- LHLewis Howes
Mm-hmm.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
If you can find your unique flavor, if you can treat it like an experiment, you can never fail-
- LHLewis Howes
Yeah
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
... 'cause experiments never fail.
- LHLewis Howes
Yeah, that's good. I, I did an experiment when I moved to New York City as well, 'cause I was like, "I want, I wanna meet some new people. I don't know anyone here."
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Yeah.
- LHLewis Howes
And I called it the Red Rose Project.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
What?
- LHLewis Howes
Can you guess what it was?
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Did you give red roses to people?
- LHLewis Howes
[laughs] I did.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Yes.
- LHLewis Howes
Every day I bought roses and I would give them out.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Yes.
- LHLewis Howes
This is what I was signaling. I gave them out to girls.
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Yes.
- LHLewis Howes
[laughs] And some-
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Wait, were you only trying to meet girls?
- LHLewis Howes
Uh, yeah. [laughs]
- VEVanessa Van Edwards
Yeah. [laughs] You were about to say no.
- LHLewis Howes
I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie.
Episode duration: 1:21:42
In the uListen app, the transcript lights up word by word as you listen. Get uListen
Transcript of episode QqnNqpvO5kQ