Shadowing Practice: 9 Little Things That Reveals A Lot About You - Learn English Speaking with Video
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- Hey, Psych2Goers, welcome back to another video.
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We wanted to let you know that it's only with your support
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that we're able to make psychology and mental health more accessible to everyone.
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So thank you for all of the love that you've given us.
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Now let's continue.
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Sometimes it can be hard to get to know a person, One minute you think you've just figured them out, and then the next they go ahead and show there's someone else from who you thought they were.
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whoever you're trying to get a read on they may be trying to get a read on you too
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there are a lot of little things that can reveal a lot about your personality Like what type of shoes you wear, or how often you check your phone, or even your handshake.
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if you're curious to learn more about these things that give insight into your personality
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Here are nine little things that can reveal a lot about you.
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Number one.
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- How often you check your phone.
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You check your phone a lot.
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It buzzes and beeps, receiving messages from your friends and family, or maybe you have to exclusively use it for work.
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But did you know that checking your phone too much might be a sign that you're struggling with mental illness?
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A team of psychologists at the University of Derby
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and Nottingham Trent University conducted an online study with 640 smartphone users aged 13 to 69,
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to determine the association between smartphone use and personality traits.
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Results indicated
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that people who struggle with their mental health are more likely to intensively use their smartphone as a form of therapy.
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As your anxiety levels increase, the more you might use your smartphone.
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The less diligent you are, the more likely you are to be addicted to your phone.
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So, have you noticed that your roommate has been glued to their phone lately?
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or that your younger sister can't seem to give up their phone for anything or anyone, They could be going through something.
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Now might be a good time to talk with them and see if they need your help.
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Or maybe they just really like playing among us.
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2. How you treat service staff.
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Do you treat your waiter with kindness and patience?
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How do you treat the checkout girl at the grocery store?
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Everyone who works in the service industry is there to help you, and they shouldn't be mistreated or disrespected by customers.
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Pay attention next time to how others around you treat those who work in service areas like restaurants or in stores.
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Is your date complaining nonstop about your waitress?
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Are they losing their patience or temper over every little thing that the waitress does wrong?
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When you take notice of things like that, it can give you some insight into their personality.
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You might learn some interesting details about how they handle stress.
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even if it is as small as waiting for your order of chicken wings to arrive.
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Number three.
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What type of shoes you wear?
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According to a study published in ScienceDirect, The shoes you wear most often can tell a lot about who you are.
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Shoes can wind up conveying a thin but useful slice of information about you.
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The study investigated people's precision in judging characteristics of an unknown person, based solely on the shoes he or she wears most often.
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Participants provided photographs of their shoes, and during a separate session completed self -report measures.
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When subjects were given photos of the participants' shoes, they'd rate and judge them based on their shoes alone.
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The shoes correlated with the shoe owner's personal characteristics.
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They were right about a person's age, income, and attachment anxiety from a picture of their favorite pair of shoes.
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Those who wear comfortable shoes are likely to be agreeable.
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Or if you wear uncomfortable shoes, you're likely a calm person with a touch of internalized pain.
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If you're someone who's more so aggressive, you probably like to wear ankle boots.
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And if you enjoy having new shoes or want to wear clean, well -maintained shoes, you might be trying to calm yourself due to an anxious and clingy personality.
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Number 4 how often you naturally make eye contact.
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Not everyone likes making regular eye contact, and that's okay.
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But eye contact, or lack thereof, can reveal a lot about what you're thinking in that precise moment.
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According to researchers at Cornell University, people often reduce eye contact when discussing something embarrassing or
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when they're deep in thought or when emotions get stirred up during a conversation.
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Also, according to this research, if you're someone who happens to make a lot of eye contact with people, you're likely more socially dominant and have a good amount of confidence.
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Number 5: Your Handshake.
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Your handshake can seem like such a small trivial thing, but it can actually be an important indicator of your personality.
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A study from the University of Alabama had a group of trained handshake coders shake hands twice with 112 male
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and female subjects.
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The subjects didn't know they were being evaluated on their handshake, and afterwards completed four personality questionnaires.
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The study found that your handshake stays consistent, and how you shake can tell a lot about your personality.
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The firmer your handshake is, the more likely you are to be an extrovert and open to new experiences.
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If your handshake is more on the weaker side, you're more likely shy and a bit neurotic.
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When you have a firmer handshake, you make a more favorable impression on others.
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Number six, whether you show up on time or not.
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Do you constantly run late to things?
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Have you gotten a bad rep for struggling to make it to school or work on time?
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In actuality, this bad habit might not be the worst thing.
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Running late can be indicative that you're a multitasker or are more laid back.
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Findings from a 2003 study by Jeff Conte from San Diego State University.
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showed that out of 181 New York City subway operators, Those who preferred to multitask were commonly late to work.
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Multitasking makes it harder to have metacognition, or the awareness of what you're doing, meaning that you aren't as aware of the time when you're in the middle of multitasking.
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Number seven, when you get something for yourself, but don't think to get anything for anyone else.
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Let's say you want some takeout.
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So you decide to grab some sushi on your way home from work.
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And then you call your partner or your family to see if they want some too.
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That is, you probably do this if you're a kind and unselfish person.
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Someone who doesn't do this is likely someone who could be considered rude, and considerate or selfish and isn't very thoughtful.
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They might also just be cheap.
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Number eight, if you subtly put others down, people can subtly be rude to you and you might not notice it right away.
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For example, do they talk like this?
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"You don't like to read that comic, right?" or "You're not really into that video game, are you?" If they often phrase questions in a condescending way,
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and you can't help but feel bad by their remarks, then they might not be the best friend to have.
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Speaking this way can also be a sign
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that they look on the negative side of things and don't think very highly of others.
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And number nine, where you look when you're drinking out of a cup.
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In psychology, where you happen to look while you take a drink can subtly reveal a lot about you.
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If you look over the rim of your cup when taking a drink, you're likely an extroverted type who can be easily influenced.
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It's an indicator that you trust others easily, are environmentally aware, and have a carefree view of life.
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If you look into the cup when drinking, you're more introspective.
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You know yourself, are focused, and have an idealistic view of life.
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If you're someone who closes their eyes while drinking, you might be in some sort of pain or discomfort, and are preoccupied with pleasure and relief.
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Which of these nine things mentioned in the video do you think would reveal the most about your personality?
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Please like and share this video if it helped you and you think it could help someone else too.
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The studies and references used are listed in the description below.
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Don't forget to hit the subscribe button for more Psych2Go videos.
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Thanks for watching, and we'll see you next time.
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Speaking Goals for This Clip: Master Everyday Observational Vocabulary
This video is perfect for IELTS speaking practice and building fluency in describing human behavior. You’ll learn to talk about personality traits, social cues, and daily habits—key topics for conversational English and exam tasks. By practicing with this clip, you’ll hit the milestone of explaining complex ideas (like how small actions reveal character) in clear, natural sentences.
Phrase Bank: Reusable Expressions for Describing Behavior
- "reveal a lot about your personality"
- "get a read on someone"
- "struggling with mental illness"
- "intensively use [something] as a form of therapy"
- "handle stress"
- "convey a thin but useful slice of information"
- "correlated with personal characteristics"
- "internalized pain"
These phrases work in casual chats, shadowspeak practice, or even IELTS speaking part 2, where you need to describe people or situations in detail.
Fix Your Weak Spots: Rhythm and Stress in Longer Sentences
The video’s conversational tone helps you practice improve English pronunciation by focusing on natural rhythm. Notice how the speaker stresses key words like "anxiety," "patience," and "aggressive" to emphasize meaning. Try shadowing (repeating the dialogue aloud right after the speaker) to mimic this stress pattern. A shadowing app can help you match the pace—pausing when the speaker pauses, and speeding up during lists (like the "9 little things"). This trains your mouth to move like a native and makes your speech sound more confident. Don’t worry if you stumble at first—consistent shadow speak practice will make these long sentences feel easy!
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | be addicted · has been glued · be mistreated |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | people who struggle · Everyone who works · those who work |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | you've given · you've just figured · have you noticed |
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.