When evaluating body language, pay attention to the following mouth and lip signals:

Pursed lipsPursed lips might be an indicator of distaste, disapproval, or distrust.

Lip bitingPeople sometimes bite their lips when they are worried, anxious, or stressed.

Covering the mouthWhen people want to hide an emotional reaction, they might cover their mouths in order to avoid displaying a smile or smirk.

Turned up or down

Slight changes in the mouth can also be subtle indicators of what a person is feeling. When the mouth is slightly turned up, it might mean that the person is feeling happy or optimistic. On the other hand, a slightly downturned mouth can be an indicator of sadness, disapproval, or even an outright grimace.

Parted

Lips which are slightly parted can be a strong flirting signal, particularly if the lips are then licked and even more so if done

whilst holding the gaze of another person. Parting lips is the first stage in speaking and may thus be a signal that the

person wants to talk.

Polite smile:

Description: This smile happens as the lips are stretched across the face using the risorius muscle. Flexing these

muscles causes the lips to move toward the ears or curled up modestly. No teeth are showing because the risorius

muscles are unable to raise the corner of the lips. The tight-lipped smile can vary with intensity and it is directly

related to the amount the lips that are raised in the corners of the mouth.

In One Sentence: The polite smile signals the desire to appease without being overly friendly.

Cue: Arms Up Posture.

Synonym(s): V-posture, Victor Stance.

Description: a) It is done usually quickly and short in duration where the arms are thrust stiffly upward into the sky.

In One Sentence: Arms up is an expansive posture often associated with victory and is used by people to

demonstrate their desire to be noticed and acknowledged for successes.

How To Use it: Use this posture to claim accolades in dominance encounters. This posture is effectively used in

sports to show that one has scored a goal and is to be identified as a person to be admired. Use this posture when

you wish to claim the pride, dominance, and leadership that come with winning.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I’m right here and I scored a goal, that was me that did it. I’m right here!”

Blushed:

PuckeredA light puckering of the lips into a kiss shape typically indicates desire. It can also indicate uncertainty, particularly if the lips are touched with the fingers.

When you say 'oo', the lips form the kiss shape. This is one reason that romantic songs often linger on words like 'you' and 'too'.

Sucked inWhen lips are sucked into the mouth or turned under so the red part of the lips are hidden ('swallowing the lips'), this can indicate that the person is thinking and uncertain about something, which could easily be bad news.

Lip swallowing can also indicate suppressed speech, where the person is preventing themself from speaking when perhaps they know they should. This can indicate lying or maybe disapproval.

FlattenedLips which are kept horizontal but squeezed flat are an exaggerated closing of the mouth (hence the name 'lip press') and may indicate a repressed desire to speak. This indicate disapproval ('If I spoke I would be very critical, which I do not want to be'). It can also indicate frustration ('I want to speak, but others are speaking and I feel I should wait').

Flattened lips can also indicate a refusal to eat, either because of dislike of offered food or some other motivation.

Another possibility is distress, where the person is trying not to cry or turn down their mouth in sadness.

Turned upWhen the corners of the mouth are turned upwards, this can be a grimace of disgust or a smile of pleasure. In a grimace, the teeth are unlikely to be shown (although toothless smiles are also common). Grimaces are often flatter and tenser.

A full smile engages the whole face, particularly including the eyes. Smiling with lips only is often falsehood, where the smiler wants to convey pleasure or approval but is actually feeling something else.

Turned downCorners of the mouth turned down indicates sadness or displeasure.

Some people are so miserable so often, this is the natural state of rest of their mouths (which is perhaps rather sad).

RetractedWhen the lips are pulled back, they expose the teeth. This may be in a broad smile or it may be a snarl of aggression. The eyes should tell you which is which. In a snarl, the eyes are either narrowed or staring. In a full smile, the corners of the eyes are creased.

MovingLips which are moving in the shape of words but without making sounds means that the person is thinking of saying the words. This subvocalization often happens with very small movement and is often completely subconscious. Stage mentalists use this when they ask their 'victims' to think hard of a word and then lip-read as they silently sound the word.

Up and down movement may indicate chewing. Some people chew the insides of their mouths when they are nervous.

Rolling in the lips so they roll across one another can be a preening gesture for women, evening out lipstick. It can also be a sign of uncertainty or disapproval (look for accompanying lowered eyebrows).

TwitchingSmall, lightning-fast movements of the mouth betray inner thoughts, for example a single twitch of the corner of the mouth that indicates cynicism or disbelief.

Liars in particular will often give themselves away with very brief grimaces as their conscience expresses disapproval of the conscious lies.

ProtrudingWhen the top lip is over the bottom lip, this may be linked with biting of the bottom lip, a common indicator that the person is feeling guilty about something.

The bottom lip extended over the top lip can indicate uncertainty, as if the person is saying 'umm'.

The bottom lip jutting out is often a part of a sulky pout, where the person expresses child-like petulance at not getting their own way.

Both lips pressed together and pushed out generally indicates doubt. If the finger touches them, it may indicate internal thinking or may say 'I am considering speaking but am not quite ready to talk yet'.

BitingBiting the lip, centrally or at the side, is often a sign of anxiety. Usually, this is the bottom lip (especially if the person has overhanging top teeth). This may be a habitual action and people who do this, will often repeat the move in predictable situations. It can also be an indicator for stress during lying.

This is a fairly child-like action, especially if accompanied by wide eyes and eyebrows raised in the middle and lowered at the sides, and thus may betray concern about being told off or otherwise being censured in the manner of a child.

As well as a comforting action, biting the lip can be a suppressing action as a person is stopping themself from saying something.

RelaxedFinally, the lips will have a position of rest when they are not pulled in any direction. This usually indicates that the person is also feeling relaxed.