US3 min(s) read
Published 13:59 07 Jul 2026 GMT
A former CIA official has revealed the subtle body language habit she says can instantly identify Americans when they're overseas.
While you may think you could identify a tourist from the US by picking up on the stereotypical mannerisms and appearances often associated with the country's travelers, such as socks and sandals, colorful, yet clashing outfits, and of course, the unmistakable accents, there is one more revealing trait.
According to Jonna Mendez, one of the biggest giveaways is something many people do without thinking, and that is leaning against walls, railings or doorways.
The former intelligence officer explained that CIA operatives were trained to avoid the relaxed posture while working undercover abroad because it could immediately reveal where they were from.
Mendez said agents had to be "de-Americanized" to help them blend into local environments without attracting attention.
She explained that Americans are often seen as more casual and laid-back than people in many other countries, with their tendency to lean becoming such a recognizable trait that it's earned the nickname the "American lean."
She said locals can sometimes identify Americans simply by how they carry themselves, noting that in many countries people generally stand more upright and are less likely to rest against nearby objects.
She said they're often perceived as dressing more casually than other nationalities and speaking much louder in public.
She joked that it's easy to spot a group of American tourists outside a tourist information office because of the amount of noise they're making.
"We are not disparaged everywhere," Mendez said, "but we do tend to stand out."
The so-called "American lean" became such a well-known giveaway that the CIA reportedly instructed undercover officers to avoid doing it while stationed overseas.
While resting against a wall or railing may feel completely natural to many Americans, intelligence officials believed the casual stance could instantly draw attention in places where people are more likely to stand upright, particularly in crowded public spaces where taking up extra room is considered impolite.
Mendez said body language can reveal someone's background long before they speak, which is why CIA officers were trained to copy local mannerisms, from the way they stood to how they moved through the streets.
For most tourists, the habit is harmless. But for undercover spies, she suggested that something as simple as leaning against a wall could be enough to compromise their cover.
Speaking in a 2019 interview with NPR, which was later highlighted by Upworthy, Mendez also pointed to other, far more subtle cultural differences that can give Americans away to her.
She noted that wedding rings are worn on different hands depending on the country.
While people in the UK, France, Italy, Sweden and the Czech Republic traditionally wear wedding bands on the left-hand ring finger, following the ancient Roman belief in the vena amoris, or "vein of love", many countries across Central and Eastern Europe, including Germany, Poland, Austria, Russia and Ukraine, wear them on the right hand instead.
That tradition is often linked to Eastern Orthodox Christianity and cultures where the right hand symbolizes honor, strength and fidelity.
Mendez also said dining habits can be another giveaway.
"And in a restaurant... They eat differently than we do. They don't shuttle that fork back and forth," she said.
