Psychologist and super-snooper Sam Gosling has spent the last 10 years studying how people project and protect their inner selves and how we form impressions of others. And now he has launched his first book, leaving no wardrobe unturned, nor fridge left undisturbed as he sets out on his mission to peek under beds, shuffle through music collections and investigate desks.

British-born Gosling is an associate professor of psychology at the University of Texas in Austin and in his quest to study real behaviour "not just what people say they do", he came across snooping. "People leave tracers everywhere" he explains, "which if you know how to read, can tell you more about their values and aspirations."

But apparently snooping is not a talent he was born with – anyone can learn to do it. It's all about learning to understand the world around you and people's connections to it. "Don't think, for example, that someone's paper clips on their desks just end up where they are – there is a reason behind it."

Gosling has discovered that there are three ways that you can read how people are expressing themselves.

Identity Claims

These are deliberate statements we make to others - for example putting up a picture at work of someone we admire. These are statements of our values and attitudes, but importantly about how we want to be regarded. "This doesn't mean that someone is being disingenuous," Gosling explains, "mostly people want to be seen as they see themselves. In fact this is about allowing others to get to know you."

Feeling regulators

Feeling regulators are all about how we craft our space to affect how we feel. A bathroom is a classic example. Gosling says, "some people use [their bathrooms] to get going in the morning, others see it as their sanctuary, lighting candles, etc. But most interesting are people's photos of loved ones. Photos act as a snack to 'feed' us when we are feeling emotionally hungry. Their placement tells us of their use. So a photo at a desk facing the owner acts as a 'snack' however if they are facing outwards, they act as more of an identity claim – for others to see."

Behavioural residue

These are the indeliberate leftovers that are tracers of our behaviour. So the colleague who has made a poor attempt at filling a business card holder is in fact making some attempt at being seen as more organised, but they don't just quite pull it off. As Gosling explains, you can learn about others as well as learn more about yourself. "Basically you cannot fake your space, whatever impression you try to give, something will give you away. But you have to understand the impressions people can form from your space. For example a tidy desk may be more organised but people also think that tidy people are nicer. This of course isn't necessarily true but they are the impressions people form."

So if you are looking to get to know your colleagues a bit better take a look at their desks. While the placement and use of items may not tell you an exact meaning, snooping will help you understand how to talk to them and what is important to them. Gosling tells a story about dinner with a friend he did not know that well. "In one of their rooms was a Hemmingway book, very carefully placed on top of a shelf. My eye was drawn to it and though I didn't know what it meant, the sensitivity of the placement was revealing and lead me to ask them about something that was in fact very important to them. What the object is, its state and its location can be very revealing.

Snoop is now available in hardback from Amazon and other good book stores.