Do your coworkers like you? How to up your office appeal...

How popular are you at work?

Being liked by your colleagues can make life a lot easier and how you move matters. Relationship expert, John Gottman, says it all boils down to three categories which are toward, neutral and away moves - and they all speak volumes. If you’d like to be liked, you’ll want to practice your toward moves:

• Lean forward. “I’m interested”

• Smile and nod in acknowledgement. “Well done.”

• Ask a question of interest: “How did that project turn out?”

• Agree out loud: “Good point.”

• Take notes while someone is talking. “This matters.”

Here are some common away moves we make and what they’re saying:

• Avoiding eye contact. “I wish you weren’t there.”

• Sigh in frustration. “You’re an idiot.”

• Foot tapping. “It’s killing me to stay here.”

• Sarcasm: “Good luck with THAT.”

• Teasing: “Better you than me.”

Neutral moves can be effective too, but only if they’re in place of away moves. Gottman says it takes five times as many toward moves to keep a relationship positive.