Signs of hidden sympathy for a man. Gestures of sympathy of a man for a woman

Look for the truth in your eyes

You can understand that another person likes you by looking more carefully into his clear eyes. If these eyes are really clear, then you can safely write down your interlocutor among your admirers. In this chapter, we will talk about how to determine by the look that you are attractive to another person.

There are hidden and open forms of manifestation of sympathy. The hidden form is used when a person is afraid to be deceived in you, afraid that he will not achieve reciprocity from you. But, despite his fear, he seeks to contact you, seeks to be near you and look at you. Very often, if a person hides his sympathy, then he looks at the object of adoration furtively, imperceptibly. If your eyes cross at some point, he immediately looks away.

If a person openly shows sympathy for you, then in his eyes you can read interest, respect, the question: “How do you feel about me?” In this case, the eyes of a person are wide open, the pupils, as a rule, are dilated. There is no hostility or other negative emotions in his gaze.

Men's and women's views of sympathy are very different from each other. Women are more creative. It was the female representatives who gave rise to the art of “shooting eyes”. It is the lady who, as a rule, is the first to start an innocent game of staring, which, if successful, turns into a whirlwind romance. Let's look at how women and men send visual signals of sympathy to each other.

Male signals of attraction. In order to determine by the look of a man whether you are attractive to him, pay attention to where he is looking. The man, expressing sympathy, examines the object from head to toe. To begin with, he notes for himself your overall attractiveness, then goes lower, holding his gaze on the chest and hips, if you are the happy owner of forms worthy of his attention. If a man begins to show interest in you, this is expressed in the expansion of his pupils and increased eye contact.

Female attraction looks. Girls look differently. They are characterized by a sidelong glance, furtively. If at the same time they meet their eyes with the object of their sighs, then, as a rule, they look away and blush. For girls, keeping a look at a man is considered not very decent, so they try to watch the subject of their dreams secretly until he sees. The girl begins to examine her potential boyfriend from the bottom up, this is different from men. This direction has a double meaning. On the one hand, she gathers courage to look into the eyes of the man she likes, and on the other hand, for a woman, the most desirable moment is the moment when two eyes meet.

Sympathy is hidden in gestures

Gestures of sympathy are very diverse and interesting. Each person has his own individual set of gestures with which he attracts the attention of the person he likes.

We have already noted that male and female gestures of sympathy are very different from each other. Of course, female non-verbal signals are much more diverse and interesting than male ones. There are also universal gestures that both sexes use to express or, on the contrary, hide their sympathy.

If, for example, a person doubts the reciprocity of his chosen one, then his gestures are characterized by caution. If by chance or intentionally a person touches his secret admirer, he, in turn, will instantly pull his hand away, as if burned. This does not happen by chance: hiding his sympathy and affection, a person is afraid of contact with the one he likes, because he is afraid that he will not cope with his instincts and will betray himself with his head.

Men usually express sympathy in the following way. To begin with, they try to attract the attention of a woman they like, they begin to preen in her presence: they smooth their hair, straighten their tie, cufflinks, shirt, pull up their collar, jacket, brush off a non-existent speck of dust from their shoulder or dandruff.

A man can use the following eloquent gesture: put his thumbs behind the belt in the abdomen to focus on his genital area; stand with your hands on your hips, turning your body towards the woman, pointing the toe of the foot in her direction.

The girl seeks to show the man that she liked him with the help of the following gestures and postures. She can touch her hair for no reason, adjust her clothes or make-up in the presence of a person she likes. One of the striking gestures of sympathy is the following gesture: a woman turns her wrists towards a man to show her smooth and delicate skin (for example, while smoking, she holds a cigarette at the level of her neck or shoulders, exposing her wrist towards the man she is interested in). In the process of walking, a woman can shake her hips quite frankly to demonstrate her charms.

If a meeting with a man takes place in an informal setting, for example, in a bar or at a disco, then a woman can resort to very frank gestures. She tries to sit in such a way that her legs are visible to her chosen one. During the conversation, she shakes her shoe on her toes, puts her foot on her foot so that they line up on the same line directed at the object of the woman's interest. If the man is not too far away from the woman, then the latter can slowly intertwine her legs in front of the man's eyes and also slowly return them to the opposite position, gently stroking her thighs with her hand, often while the woman speaks in a low, low voice.

Did you smile? So you like

A smile is not always a 100% indicator of sympathy. Smiling can be a sign that a person needs something from you: he is trying to please you, and then use his influence. How to distinguish a smile of true sympathy from other types of smiles?

A smile that expresses sympathy cannot be confused with anything. It is always symmetrical: both corners of the mouth are equally raised up. Sympathy can express both an open (with bared teeth) and a more restrained closed smile. If a person shows you his teeth, then he makes it clear that he feels completely calm in your company, he has nothing to hide. If the smile is sincere, then the look of the person is sincere, bright, radiating a smile.

If you notice asymmetry in a smile (one corner of the mouth is lower than the other, or one corner is lowered, the other is raised), then this may be a sign of insincerity of your interlocutor. If your companion's eyes do not laugh, while a smile shines on his face, it means that he has some kind of selfish intentions, he wants to deceive you.

The fact that a person treats you well, sympathizes with you, is indicated not only by a smile, but also by laughter. If a person laughs in your presence, then he treats you kindly, does not hesitate to expose his emotions in front of you, to be open. The openness of a person is a sign of sympathy.

The smile can be ironic. This is usually a twisted smile, when the head is tilted to one side, one eye may be squinted. Such a smile is also a sign of sympathy. This is a kind irony, the person treats you well, but at the moment, you may look comical. Do not confuse an ironic smile with a sarcastic smile, this is a sign that your interlocutor does not respect you, but openly laughs at you. Such a smile will differ in greater curvature, a person may have an unusual squint. It is necessary to distinguish an open smile from a smile-grin, which is a sign of hidden aggression and negativity. Its distinguishing feature: a person exposes all teeth, including the lower jaw.

There is another danger: your interlocutor can copy your smile without feeling sincere sympathy for you. This can be easily determined. If your companion smiles only when you do, then he is simply trying to mislead you in order to use your good-natured mood to achieve his own selfish goals.

Remember that the lack of a smile is not an indicator of a lack of sympathy for you. If your interlocutor looks sullenly at you, never smiling, then do not rush to immediately accuse him of antipathy, it is possible that he simply hides his sincere attitude towards you, or he is just such an unsmiling person.

"And he says, he definitely sings"

You can easily determine whether your interlocutor likes you or not, if you carefully listen to how he speaks. Very often, the true attitude towards a person betrays the voice.

Women have developed a standard for expressing sympathy through their voices. If she likes a man, she changes her natural, ordinary voice, begins to speak more low, sometimes even with a hoarseness. This is a sign of sexual attraction to a partner. The pace of her speech is slow enough for a man to be able to perceive the information, in addition, this is a kind of signal that she sends to the male libido, a kind of verbal hypnosis: “Pay attention to how beautiful I am.” Very often melodious intonations appear in a woman's voice, she speaks as if singing. If a girl is embarrassed to express her true attitude towards a man, she is afraid of being rejected, then her voice is characterized by completely different intonations: her voice may tremble, the pace of speech will be very fast, during the conversation she may be tormented by involuntary spasms in her throat, which in itself is a sign of great unrest. In addition, the girl may try (in vain) to control her voice.

Men express their desire to conquer a girl in a slightly different way. Their voice, in a conversation with a girl they like, is similar to the cry of a male in a battle for a female, no matter how cynical it may sound. Animal instincts wake up in a man, this is manifested in his voice. They give a kind of cry, which means: "This is my prey." With all potential competitors, he will be quite harsh, perhaps even rude in handling. As for the conversation with the one to whom he intends to give his heart, here we have the right to compare the voice of a man with a song. He begins to use his brightest voice abilities, tries to demonstrate himself in all its glory. If he owns an instrument and knows how to sing well, he will definitely find an opportunity to demonstrate his talent. His voice becomes gentle, soft, velvety, similar to the sounds of an unprecedented, outlandish instrument, very gentle and melodic sounding.

For some young people, excessive shyness prevents them from meeting a pretty girl. However, any representative of the fair sex will be able to understand that a man likes her. If a woman is attractive to a man, then this is very noticeable.

To recognize the sympathy of a man, you need to look closely at him. You need to pay attention to his gestures, reaction, behavior. The look of a young man betrays his hidden thoughts. A woman should be able to understand the signals of sympathy that a young man gives her.

There is an opinion that body language is much more eloquent than all words. A woman should look at an unfamiliar man and pay attention to how he behaves when she appears. If a man likes this woman, when he meets, he will begin to straighten his clothes and hair. By such movements, one can guess that the woman is attractive to him. In order to attract attention to himself, a young man will change his behavior, a woman needs to pay attention to how a man behaves when she disappears from his field of vision, whether he is looking for her with his eyes, whether he is trying to catch her gaze.

If a man looks at a woman intently, then this indicates that he likes her, and if he looks away, then this means his embarrassment. A look is the very first sign of sympathy. If a young man likes a girl, he will do everything possible to catch her eye as often as possible. You also need to pay attention to his eyebrows. If a young man raises his eyebrows during a conversation with a girl, then this indicates that he likes the girl.

During the conversation, the girl should carefully look at the face of the young man. The expression on his face can give away his feelings that he is experiencing. If his nostrils are dilated, his lips are slightly parted, and his facial expression is friendly, then all this indicates his sympathy. If a young man is nervous, breathes deeply, his eyes are running, it means that he feels some emotions towards the girl.

You can understand male sympathy if he began to be interested in a woman's hobby, her interests. If a girl likes, then the young man will notice any changes in her appearance, he will compliment her, notice and praise the new haircut.

There is another method that allows you to understand whether a young man likes a girl or not. You just need to go on a date with him once, and then give him your phone number. If a man does not call for a long time, then this is evidence that the girl did not like him. If he calls her back immediately after the date, then we can conclude that the fair sex is not indifferent to him.

In order for a girl to understand what a man feels for her, she must make him jealous. To do this, she can talk about the merits of other guys, if a man starts to interrupt the conversation, gets nervous, then this indicates that he likes the girl. If a woman is interesting to a man, then he will not allow her to admire other members of the stronger sex.

When a young man likes a girl, he will invite her to the cinema, on dates. Only beloved girls are given gifts, spend free time with them. A young man will always be happy to help a pretty woman if this or that situation happens in her life.

When the relationship has just begun, the girl should pay her attention to whether the young man changes his life for her or not. You can determine this by his appearance, maybe the guy changed his image, clothes, hairstyle. You also need to pay attention to how often he communicates with friends. If a girl is of interest to a young man, then he will compliment her, give flowers for no reason.

Every woman flirted openly at least once in her life. This was manifested in conversation, facial expressions, gestures. Every time a woman sees a man she likes, she tries in every possible way to show her sympathy. It can be a smile or nice words. But the most interesting thing that a woman shows when she sees a handsome man is her gestures.

What are the gestures of female sympathy?

There is no single answer to this question. Until now, neither psychologists, nor specialists in feng shui and other sciences, nor specialists in seduction, no one can develop a single scheme for the manifestation of gestures of female sympathy. By itself, psychology as a science does not have certain standards, but is constantly supplemented and expands its horizons. This happens when the surrounding factors change.

How to determine the gestures of sympathy for women?

Many men ask this question, turn to specialists, draw analogies between different girls. But, the most interesting thing, as mentioned above, there is no definite scheme. Everything happens at the subconscious level of the girl, she involuntarily shows gestures of sympathy, without even noticing such a manifestation of emotions behind her. For each girl they are different, for some they are gentle, for some they are active, for others they are seductive, and so on. It all depends on what feelings a woman has for a man.

Today, psychologists identify several main manifestations of female sympathy. These are verbal and non-verbal means of showing sympathy. We have already spoken about verbal means that manifest themselves in the form of communication, and we will talk more. This conversation can be continued endlessly. In this article, we will try to understand in more detail and carefully the non-verbal means of expressing female sympathy.

Non-verbal gestures of a woman's sympathy for a man

Gestures can be attributed to non-verbal means of showing sympathy. For a woman who is, and therefore active, the manifestation of gestures is especially important. If a man can talk about something to his friend, while freely holding his hand down, then a woman will definitely gesticulate and show with her hands, lips, face, and everything else.

Very often you can see how a woman who is talking on the phone shows the subject of the conversation with her hands. Although the interlocutor does not see her, but the manifestation of emotions in the form of gestures necessarily helps her in this.

In most cases, a woman may not understand why she shows the subject of conversation. This happens on a subconscious level. The same thing happens with the gestures that appear at the sight of a man she likes.
So, what are the main non-verbal gestures of female sympathy.

Hair

First, fixing the hair. Appearance is very important for any female representative, and hair plays an important role in this. Before an important meeting, especially if it is a date, the girl will definitely make a hairstyle that she will consider the best, with which she will consider herself the most attractive. Ideally, they will visit a special stylist hairdresser. But the services of a hairdresser twice a week are not available to everyone, so you have to do your hair and styling yourself.

During a date, a woman straightens her hair, checks if her hair has scattered, in order to look the most impressive. This gesture may look a little different.

For example, if a meeting or a date takes place immediately after, say, work, or study, or another activity, when there is simply no time left for a hairstyle, the girl simply shakes her head so that the hair is evenly distributed. This can be done not only by long-haired girls, but also by “short-haired”, that is, those who are cut short.

Sometimes, as if by chance, a girl runs through her hair, as if enticing a man to touch it himself.
Some women fiddle with their hair in their hands. This gesture can also be viewed in different ways. Sometimes it can be a gesture of sympathy, sometimes - in the case when the girl is nervous. And in some cases, it can be the most common habit. Therefore, a man should not rely on such a gesture, but it is better to pay attention to others.

Wrists

One of the very popular gestures that women show when they are sympathetic is the demonstration of the wrist. This gesture indicates openness and readiness for further communication. In the literature intended for the business community, psychologists argue that open wrists are half the step to a successful and fair transaction.

As for the relationship between women and men, open wrists are one of the signs of trust. But, in the case of showing the wrist, there are some nuances. For example, a girl who communicates with a man adjusts her watch all the time, or fiddles with a bracelet. On the one hand, she shows her wrist, and on the other hand, this is a clear sign that she is bored with her interlocutor and wants to leave quickly.

In order to correctly determine that the demonstration of the wrist is a sign of female sympathy and nothing else, one must understand how it is demonstrated. Movements should be smooth, sliding. Not harsh or harsh in any way. Any girl, even not the most slender, knows how to be sophisticated. And if she demonstrates her wrist in a refined and graceful way, then this is just a sign of female sympathy.

Lips

One of the important non-verbal signs of showing a man his predisposition is lips. In a normal state, when a woman does not see the man of her dreams next to her, the woman’s lips are closed, and in a state of anger or upset feelings, they are compressed.

When a woman is next to a man in whom she is interested, her lips involuntarily part. Sometimes in such cases it seems that the woman is listening to the man with her mouth open. In fact, this is also a sign of openness. This gesture means that a woman is ready to accept a man, they are on the same level, and she perfectly understands what the conversation is about.

Another of the important signs of a non-verbal attitude towards a man, which is also associated with lips, is lip licking. A man must ensure that the place where he communicates with a woman is not very hot, and at the same time not very cold. If the room or hall where the couple is located is very hot, then the woman may lick her lips due to the fact that they are simply dry. If the temperature is comfortable, then such a gesture indicates that a woman is attracting a man to more active actions, say, in the form of a kiss.

Lipstick does the same thing. By its color, you can determine what exactly a woman wants in this situation. If the lipstick is soft pink, you can say transparent, like a gloss or a balm, then this is a sign that a woman wants to please, but is not ready for action. If the color of the lipstick is bright, for example, bright red, then most likely the woman is ready for more action.

Sight

And, of course, one of the most important signs of female sympathy is the look. A gentle, languid look can suggest a lot, including sympathy. If a woman watches a man from slightly lowered eyelids, and, catching a look at herself, looks away, then this is also a sign of interest. Some women use the look as a powerful weapon of seduction, not only with a man who sympathizes with her, but is unfamiliar, but also with a man with whom she has lived for many years.

To be frank, all non-verbal gestures of female sympathy can tell a lot about a woman. If a man can read a woman's gestures correctly, he can give her exactly what she wants.

Hello dear ladies! It is extremely easy to identify a woman in a crowd who sends signals to a man. She puts on makeup and dresses up for him, and tries to talk, to accidentally run into him. But how is the sympathy of a man manifested? They are so incomprehensible, complex, and who, in general, will understand what is going on in their head. Today I invite you to understand with me the manifestation of male feelings. In addition, today I will expose all the most popular female expectations.

How it might look

Male sympathy can manifest itself in very different ways. Each boy looked at his father, stepfather or a man close to his mother and took an example from him. Some saw peacocks pouring sweet speeches, trying in every possible way to please their young lady. Others saw stern and silent attention and care.

Of course, when a man feels sympathy for a woman, we can safely talk about sexual attraction. Without it, nowhere. The young man will reach out to the girl, will want her.

Some compare it to hunting. The guy hunts, conquers, gets what he wants, and then there are two options: he enjoys the victory and starts looking for a new victim; he becomes attached to a woman and they enter into a more serious relationship.

In addition to sexual attraction, guys show care and attention. The strong half of humanity is distinguished by the desire to protect. Therefore, they try not to offend their ladies, stand up for them if necessary, shelter from the cold, feed them, and so on. Caring can manifest itself in many different ways.

The boss of one of my clients constantly brought her oranges in the morning. She did not understand this gesture, she considered it just politeness and courtesy of a superior in rank. But it turned out that he showed concern so that the girl had enough vitamins.

When a young man is in love, he will try his best to find contact with his sweetheart. More heart-to-heart conversations, frequent and long revelations and secrets. He tells her about himself, sharing his innermost thoughts.

He carefully listens to her stories, helps at work, even if he does not understand anything in this area, he will be ready to find someone who will understand and be able to help. He does some small but very important things. It is they who scream about his interest in the lady.

In my opinion, the most important moment is to open the door to your life. A young man is not afraid to tell his friends about you, he will easily introduce you to his family, he will not hide about his past life.

Many young people are afraid of female control and therefore do not let a young lady into their lives for a long time. It seems to them that she will take complete control and he will no longer be able to be himself.

What can stop a man?

Do not forget that men have their own experiences and complexes. Shyness can prevent them from showing attention. There are guys who are simply afraid to approach beautiful nymphs, let alone speak. Shyness sometimes makes things very difficult for a man.

Another point is fear. Fear of rejection, fear of seeming ridiculous, fear of getting into a ridiculous situation. After all, he is a man and should always be on a horse. What if something goes wrong?

In addition to shyness and fear, there is a third factor that prevents guys - self-doubt. For example, a sad past experience or frequent rejections. A model of a loser has lined up in his head, and because of his insecurity, he no longer even makes an attempt, but simply loves himself quietly.

If you want to understand people by non-verbal signals, then you should definitely read the article "". After all, sometimes body language is more eloquent than our speech.

And in the article "" I raise not only the territorial issue, but also your readiness for relationships and give useful and practical advice on maintaining relationships.

false expectations

The main problem lies in the real manifestation of sympathy and women's expectations. She imagines that a prince on a white horse will come for her, shower her with jewels and overseas dishes, dress her in silks and furs, take her to distant islands and sweetly sing out loud about her beauty and unearthly charm.

Such an amazing set of signs of attention is found in ideal men from films about love. But that's why they are films, to create beautiful images.

In an ordinary guy, sympathy is expressed in a completely different way. He silently takes out the garbage, goes to the store and buys everything on your list, covers it with a blanket, closes or opens the window.

Be able to notice the real manifestation of care. And if you want to hear compliments, then first tell the man about it. He does not have the gift of a clairvoyant and he cannot guess in any way that roses should be given. How would he know this? For him, the normal manifestation of attention will be completely different things.

So don't be afraid to talk about your desires and dreams.

And if you want to meet the perfect man, make yourself the perfect woman first. The article "" will help you with this. Remember that work must always begin with yourself.

How do you notice that a man shows signs of attention? What things did guys do for you? What do you remember the most?

Learn to appreciate the small! After all, it can make the most sense.

Nature is arranged in such a way that in almost any situation, every person subconsciously wants to please another like himself. This manifestation is often mutual. In particular, this is reflected in the interaction of the sexes. Every girl should know signs of sympathy from a man.

First impression upon meeting

In most cases, at the first glance at a person, you can understand how pleasant he is to you. The more discerning of us can boast that the signs of sympathy from a guy are always the same, and any girl can understand them. However, in reality, not everything is so simple.

It is unlikely that it will be possible to understand at the very first meeting whether a person is a soul mate, but you can find out about his habits. From the first meeting, for example, it will be seen how a man dresses, whether he is neat whether has bad habits. Moreover, having an idea about the language of gestures and facial expressions, one can recognize true feelings, a truthful attitude towards the interlocutor.

The ability to understand lies based on the actions of the hands, finger gestures, facial expressions, body position will help not to fall into the trap of gigolos, not to become a victim of a swindler. This is especially true for girls who have little relationship experience.

Scientists conducted a study and it turned out that at the first meeting, the main role is played not by what flies off the lips, but by how they look and what your body says.

So, the first impression depends on:

  • Body position and spectacular appearance (by 55%).
  • Habits, good manners, girl's voice (by 38%).
  • From the information flow (what the woman says).

The ability to identify signs of a guy's sympathy is akin to understanding a foreign language. It must not only be learned, but also understood. A person is not always able to hide his intentions, some trifle will definitely give him away. And the girl is obliged to notice her already at the first meeting.

Does a man feel sympathy

Psychologists say that it does not matter whether the meeting is the very first, or whether the couple communicates for some time. In any of these cases the guy will try to appear in front of his companion in the best light, he in every possible way, even sometimes not on purpose, will attract her attention.

General signs of sympathy

You can judge the interest and desire to get closer by the frequent touches of a man. He tries to take his companion by the hand, to hug him, if the level of their relationship allows it. A man will gradually reduce the distance when communicating. It may even seem to some ladies that he is invading their intimate zone. But for a man in love, this is only an innocent step towards.

The guy will want to seem taller, more confident. He will involuntarily straighten his shoulders, straighten his back, straighten his hair. Now it is important for him to show his solidity. That is why a woman can notice that such the interlocutor will often put his hands on his belt, draw in the stomach. So, the man will be sure that he looks beautiful and attractive.

Sometimes a man involuntarily raises his eyebrows in a conversation with an attractive interlocutor. He rubs his chin, fingering a pen, buttons, etc. A man in love wants to be more open when communicating with his passion, so he most likely will not cross his legs, fence himself off from you. You can often notice how, when communicating, the hands rest on their knees, palms up.

And also it is worth paying attention to whether a man is looking for something to rely on. If such help serves, for example, a set aside leg, a woman can be convinced of his sympathy, because her chosen one is overwhelmed with feelings, which causes slight dizziness.

If a man is sexually interested in a girl, which in most cases happens at the same time as falling in love, he can keep his hands in the belt area. This happens instinctively, symbolizes the desire and readiness for action.

The gaze of a man in love

You can definitely determine hidden sympathy if you meet the eyes of the guy you like. It is here that it is certainly impossible to simulate the situation and lie about hidden feelings.

How to determine love in the eyes:

It is important to understand that all guys are different: someone is shy, and someone can directly declare their desires with a long piercing look. However, a man will definitely try to look at you, even if he is in a large group of friends.

Men's actions

Whether it's a guy or an imposing mature man, in both cases there will be a desire to protect your passion, come to her aid, and also devote maximum free time - such is male psychology.

Guys especially strive to save their beautiful passions, because this elevates them to the rank of heroes, which is nice for any girl. And also a man, having previously learned about your interests, will definitely show attention to them and try to please.

How a man in love behaves:

In addition, to show their feelings, or, in some cases, out of hopelessness, guys can provoke conflict situations with representatives of the stronger sex. In their opinion, this makes them more courageous.

Signs of sympathy from a colleague

Of course, in this case, all of the above methods for determining sympathy are acceptable, but a man in love working with a woman he likes can manifest himself in a special way.

Signs of sympathy for a male colleague cannot be seen on a date; in this situation, it is the girl who will have to try to see the spark and hope for the continuation of the relationship.

Explicit signs of attention

Indirect signs

If a colleague often looks at you, looks at your clothes, arms, legs, whole body, and lips for no reason, this is a clear sign of strong sympathy and desire. You may not notice this immediately, however, repeated episodes will definitely catch your eye.

Often you have to work in the same office. If a man is in the presence of a woman tries to take off his extra clothes, most likely, there is sympathy. It can be a jacket, a vest, a cardigan, or a simple loose tie. Thus, the stronger sex tries to attract attention.

Despite the fact that modern offices do not have a lot of space, a man in love will try to reduce the distance between you even more. He will definitely use the intimate zone for this, while trying to touch the woman.

Finally, it is worth noting that any guy who wants to attract the attention of a girl he is interested in will try to prove himself in society from the best side. This is a demonstration of a sharp mind, intellect, skills and abilities.