Can a multiple-choice questionnaire evaluate your level of charisma? So it seems, according to  an experiment carried out by  Prof Richard Wiseman on the entrants to FameLab. This study was the first to examine the theory of “emotional contagion” and charisma in a public arena.

Richard Wiseman, a psychology professor at the University of Hertfordshire and author of Quirkology, defines charisma to The Independent as “emotional contagion”, the ability to infect others with your emotions. Professor Wiseman reckons that like most personality behaviours it is 50 per cent natural and 50 per cent learnt. But he warns,  “Just because it’s learnt does not mean you can learn it,” he says. “It can look horribly manipulative. These signs are so natural and complex, it can look rather weird.”

Nick Jackson reported from Wiseman: “There are loads of studies showing that we unconsciously mimic almost all aspects of other people’s behaviour - the rhythm of their speech, facial expressions, posture, body language and so on” And that this mimicry in fact influences our own emotions.  “you have to be able to feel strong emotions yourself, give out signals that others mimic, and not be unduly influenced by others.”

And then, the status which you project comes into play. For the Daily Telegraph, behavior expert Frances-White identified behaviours like touching your face, moving your head, failing to make eye contact and um-ming before sentences with “low status”. Developing physical confidence, “high status” behaviours, is about changing these and replacing them with behaviours that make you seem like someone to be reckoned with. But she says you also need to increase your listener’s level of self-confidence– after all, charisma is also how you make people feel about themselves.