A TikTok video with over 90,000 likes has people paying more attention to the subtle facial expressions and body language signals that can appear when someone is uncomfortable in a conversation. Shared on May 19, 2025, Liz Rose, who says she is a human behavior expert, listed five signs that she claims could show that a person does not enjoy speaking to you.
While the list given by Rose is amusing to commenters, it is important to have more context than what is offered by a single gesture or facial movement to understand these expressions. Before going into the list, it is important to know that the American Psychological Association describes body language as the way in which thoughts and feelings are expressed through posture, gestures, facial expressions and other movements. It also notes that a person does not always willingly display certain nonverbal behavior, so it may not be correctly interpreted by others.
The five body language cues in Rose's video are as follows.
@lizroseofficial 5 body language signs they don’t like you & don’t like talking to you #pscyhologytip #psychologyfacts #psychology #psychologytricks #bodylanguage #bodylanguagesecrets #psychologyhacks #dating #relationships
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1. Lowered Eyelids
As Rose points out, a person might not be very engaged in a conversation if they lower their eyelids. Yet that may simply be part of a person's ordinary facial expressions, or they might be sleepy.
2. Pressed Lips
Rose also says that if someone is pressing their lips into a thin line, it may indicate that they are uncomfortable or do not want to continue talking. Pressed lips can be linked to many emotions, though, so interpreting the gesture requires looking at what is happening around it.
3. Raised Chin
Another disinterested body language sign, as Rose said, is lifting the chin toward the person who is speaking. The gesture might be seen as dismissive or distant, but its meaning can differ depending on posture, the relationship with the other person and other factors.
4. Scrunched Nose
The fourth example that Rose gives is scrunching the nose in conversation. Although a nose-scrunch may at times go with expressions that mean someone's disapproval, it can also have other reasons. Context is particularly important when interpreting facial expressions.
5. Pinching The Bridge Of The Nose
In the end, Rose said that for some people, the bridge of the nose may look pinched. Although it may be a sign of frustration or discomfort in certain situations, it can just as well be caused by tiredness and stress.
One commenter said that rather than trying to work out each expression, it is better to ask the person directly. They said that there might be several other explanations for the behavior, such as the person's mind being occupied or needing to be elsewhere.
Some of the commenters were more humorous. One pretended not to notice these signs and kept going with the conversation until the other person became more uncomfortable. Another joked about whether it would be OK to keep talking about their irritable bowel syndrome when the other person was standing with their eyes closed and fingers in their ears!
But the fact is that body language can hint at how a conversation is going, but it is not a foolproof method of reading minds..
