Body language is a type of nonverbal communication in which physical behaviors, as opposed to words, are used to express or convey information.
Such behavior includes facial expressions, body posture, gestures, eye movement, touch and the use of space.
Most body language, an important part of communication, happens without conscious awareness.
In social communication, body language often complements verbal communication.
Nonverbal communication has a significant impact on doctor-patient relationships, as it affects how open patients are with their doctor.
Body language is not a form of language.
It differs from sign language, which are true languages with complex grammar systems and exhibiting the fundamental properties considered to exist in all languages.
Nonverbal communication accounts for the majority of information transmitted during interpersonal interactions.
It helps to establish the relationship between two people and regulates interaction, yet it can be ambiguous.
The interpretation of body language tends to vary in different cultures.
With the introduction of texting, humans have adapted to using new ways to demonstrate body language cues, for example, the use of emoticons.
Facial expression is an important part of body language and the expression of emotion.
Facial expression can comprise movement of the eyes, eyebrows, lips, nose and cheeks.
The action of the pupil corresponds to mood and communicate the mood of a person when observed.
People have no control over their pupils, which involuntarily expand when expressing interest in another person or when looking at something.
Normally, eyes instinctively blink at around 20 times per minute, but looking at a person the viewer finds attractive can make this rate faster.
The eyes can communicate information that words may not be able to, the intensity and duration of eye contact can determine someone’s intentions depending on the setting.
In the workplace, strong eye contact is usually translated as sincerity and open communication.
People that seem resistant to communication, avoid of eye contact or crossed arms are interpreted as lack of interest regardless of whether it is intentional or subconscious.
Facial expressions and bodily expressions convey visible signs of a person’s emotional state, and that emotions can be judged with a high level of accuracy based on facial expressions.
At the same time, the brain processes another person’s facial and bodily expressions simultaneously.
The movement of the head can indicate various intentions and messages, and is often culture and context-dependent.
The angle of facing and positioning of a person’s head can be indicative of their mood, when considered along with patterns of muscular tension that occur concurrently at the face and neck.
Tilting the head up may demonstrate superiority emotionssuch as self-assurance, pride, or contempt.
When the head is tilted down, this may indicate inferiority emotions such as shame, shyness, or respect.
In many cultures, nodding of the head is considered a sign of saying yes, while shaking the head is usually interpreted as meaning no.
A tilting of the head to the side can be an expression of interest in what the other person is communicating.
A tilting of the head may be a sign of curiosity, uncertainty, or questioning.
If the head is propped up by the hand when the head is tilted then this may indicate disinterest or be a sign of thinking about something.
A head that is tilted forwards slightly while being pulled backward may indicate being suspicious.
As a person’s vocal cords are influenced by the tilt of their head and the respective pattern of muscle tension, and it is possible to discern their head tilt by listening to how they talk.
Head angle and movement have a large impact on the amplitude and pitch of one’s speech.
Body postures are more accurately recognized when an emotion is compared with a different or neutral emotion.
A person sitting still in the back of their chair, leaning forward with their head nodding along with the discussion implies that they are open, relaxed and generally ready to listen.
A person who has their legs and arms crossed with the foot kicking could imply that they are feeling impatient and emotionally detached from the discussion.
In a standing discussion, a person standing with arms akimbo with feet pointed towards the speaker could suggest that they are attentive and interested in the conversation.
Evidence suggests that posture as a product of cultural norms.
When the posture of the chest is fuller, and it is positioned relatively forward, then this is a sign of confidence.
If it is thrusting prominently forward, then this may be an indication that the person wants to be socially prominent and make a statement of physical confidence.
When the chest is pulled back then this can indicate a less confident attitude.
When one positions their chest closer towards another person it may be a sign of paying closer attention to them as part of a conversation, or, in other circumstances, it may be a sign of physical assertion and aggression.
Gestures are movements made with body parts and may be voluntary or involuntary, and can be used to convey various messages about what someone is thinking or feeling.
Gestures can even be used to produce language, such as sign language.
When one stands, sits or even walks with folded arms, it is normally not a welcoming gesture. It could mean that they have a closed mind and are most likely unwilling to listen to the speaker’s viewpoint.
The arm gesture of an arm crossed over the other, demonstrating insecurity and a lack of confidence.
Hand gestures often signify the state of well-being of the person making them.
Relaxed hands indicate confidence and self-assurance, while clenched hands may be interpreted as signs of stress or anger.
Wringing of the hands, this demonstrates nervousness and anxiety.
Finger gestures are frequently used to exemplify one’s speech as well as denote the state of well-being of the person making them.
In certain cultures, pointing using one’s index finger is deemed acceptable, but in others it may be viewed as aggressive.
The thumbs up gesture could show “OK” in countries like the United States, South Africa, France, Lebanon and Germany, but is insulting in other countries like Iran, Bangladesh and Thailand, where it is the equivalent of showing the middle finger in some cultures.
There are cultural difference in non-verbal communication is between Americans and the Greek: Americans nodding up and down to indicate “yes” while they nod side to side to indicate “no”.
The Greek nod upwards to indicate “no” and downwards to indicate “yes”.
Such cultures clash and have a harder time decoding the non-verbal cues
Another way that out-group bias could be created is through low and high contact cultures.
Low contact cultures express mostly verbally, and use less of the non-verbal cues, while high contact cultures use both forms of communication at the same time.
Handshakes are regular greeting rituals and commonly used when meeting, greeting, offering congratulations, expressing camaraderie, or after the completion of an agreement.
Handshakes can improve the accuracy of first impressions, particularly in judging conscientiousness, especially among men.
In negotiations, handshakes promote cooperative behavior and lead to better outcomes.
Negotiators who shake hands are more likely to craft fairer agreements.
There are several handshake styles, including the finger squeeze, the bone crusher, shaking hands too strongly, the limp fish or shaking hands too weakly.
Handshakes are popular and appropriate for use between men and women.
In Muslim cultures, men may not shake hands or touch women in any way and vice versa.
InHindu cultures, Hindu men may never shake hands with women.
A firm, friendly handshake has long been recommended in the business world as a way to make a good first impression.
A handshake greeting is thought to date to ancient times as a way of showing a stranger you had no weapons.
Body language related to patterns of breathing can be indicative of a person’s mood and state of mind.
Oculesics, a subcategory of body language, is the study of eye movement, eye behavior, gaze, and eye-related nonverbal communication.
Oculesics is a form of nonverbal communication focusing on deriving meaning from eye behavior.
Oculesics Is a social or behavioral science of a form of nonverbal communication focusing on deriving meaning from eye behavior.
Oculesics is culturally dependent: in traditional Anglo-Saxon culture, avoiding eye contact usually portrays a lack of confidence, certainty, or truthfulness; in the Latino culture, direct or prolonged eye contact means that you are challenging the individual with whom you are speaking or that you have a romantic interest in the person; and in many Asian cultures, prolonged eye contact may be a sign of anger or aggression.
Haptic communication: people can accurately decode distinct emotions by merely watching others communicate via touch.
Communication with touch helps people to keep good relationships with others.
Strategic touching is a series of touching usually with an ulterior or hidden motive thus making them seem to be using touch as a game to get someone to do something for them.
Five haptic categories:
Functional/professional: This expresses task-orientation.
Social/polite: This expresses ritual interaction.
Friendship/warmth: This expresses idiosyncratic relationship.
Love/intimacy: This expresses emotional attachment.
Public touch can serve to show others that your partner is taken: holding hands, putting their arms around each other, this is a ‘tie sign’ showing others that they are together.
Proxemics is the study of measurable distances between people as they interact with one another.
Intimate distance for embracing, touching or whispering
Close phase – less than 6 inches (15 cm)
Far phase – 6 to 18 inches (15 to 46 cm)
Personal distance for interactions among good friends or family members
Close phase – 1.5 to 2.5 feet (46 to 76 cm)
Far phase – 2.5 to 4 feet (76 to 122 cm)
Social distance for interactions among acquaintances
Close phase – 4 to 7 feet (1.2 to 2.1 m)
Far phase – 7 to 12 feet (2.1 to 3.7 m)
Public Distance used for public speaking
Close phase – 12 to 25 feet (3.7 to 7.6 m)
Far phase – 25 feet (7.6 m) or more.
Changing the distance between two people can convey a desire for intimacy, declare a lack of interest, or increase/decrease domination.
The distance between two people can influence the body language that is used: when people talk they like to face each other, and if forced to sit side by side, their body language will try to compensate for this lack of eye-to-eye contact by leaning in shoulder-to-shoulder.
Proximity range varies with culture.
Certain body postures can significantly influence the tone of voice, as intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) is a direct influence on, and discernible in, tone of voice: Pitch, intonation, speed, and volume impact the way messages are decoded.
The pitch of someone’s voice can be interpreted in different ways, a high-pitched voice is associated with excitement, while a low voice is associated with seriousness.
The intonation of a statement can help people determine if a claim is being made or if a question is being asked.
Statements with a rising intonation are usually questions.
The speed and volume at which someone speaks helps determine the emotion behind the statement: a loud-quick paced tone of voice is associated with urgency and anger, on the other hand, a slow-soft voice is associated with calmness and tenderness.
Body language is a major contributor to the attitude a person conveys to others.
Albert Mehrabian maintained that during a conversation dealing with feelings and attitudes 7% of what is communicated is via what is said, 38% is via tone of voice, and the majority, 55%, is via body language: the ‘7%–38%–55% Rule’.
Body language plays a fundamental role in determining the attitude a person conveys.
People may alter their body language in order to alter the attitude they convey, influencing the rapport they have with another person.
Body language that expresses trust will usually convey a sense of openness and warmth.
Mistrusting body language makes one appear relatively closed and cold.
Nonverbal communication has a significant impact on doctor-patient relationships.
Having open body language, which is typically identified as having a relaxed posture, nodding, eye contact can contribute to patients having higher levels of trust with their doctors.
Patients who had a doctor that avoids eye contact by looking at a screen or had negative facial expressions contribute to patients feeling dissatisfied after their visit.
Women and men express body language differently.
In the workplace women tend to express more intense nonverbal cues than men, this makes the cues easier to decode.
Women tend be highly comfortable being close and communicating with other women.
Body language conveying trust in a business context is done so in a formal manner and in line with business etiquette: power structures that tend to exist are communicated non-verbally.
Nonverbal dominance refers to how people communicate power, control, and authority uses gestures, posture, facial expressions, and voice.
People decode nonverbal dominance as silence, loud voices, and a non-smiling face.
Body language between friends is typically more expressive and informal than body language in business.
People display a lack of dominance more casually.
The may show more expressive facial expressions, nodding, and hand gestures.
Their nonverbal cues display open-body language, which contributes to improved communication among friends, and displays of body language may increase trust between friends, as nonverbal and verbal communication work together to form a clearer message.
Body language in friendships can sometimes mean certain handshakes or gestures towards one another. It may also correlate to some sort of meaning for a certain idea or thing.
In Western society holding hands is a common sign between intimate partners that expresses their affection and trust in each other.
Trust is also conveyed in intimate relationships through people caressing and kissing each other.
The above actions are designed to convey openness and warmth in a highly personalized way, by communicating to the other that they are attracted to them and also that they trust them and are allowing them to touch them in a more intimate way than would otherwise be acceptable.
Such body language may be established gradually over a period of courtship.
The body language of intimate relationships cannot be used acceptably in non-intimate relationships.
When people are in an intimate relationship, they often position themselves closer to each other than if they were in a different kind of relationship.
Body language can convey the impression of a readiness to take action.
It is always observable in the physical sense and can be further categorized as being ready for physical exertion or ready for social interaction.
Body language states of readiness influence the person’s whole body, tone of voice, and the impression they convey.
A state of increased readiness is being in a state of high energy or intensity.
Relative to states of unreadiness, most states of readiness typically involve a deeper breathing pattern, increased excitation of the nervous system, and an increased heart rate.
Readiness physiological effects influence the person’s skin and its fullness of appearance.
A person’s skin will usually look fuller and more taut while in a state of readiness, and thinner and more flaccid in a state of unreadiness.
Both humans and animals share similar postural expressions of emotions such as anger/aggression, happiness, and fear.
Social animals, including humans, have a natural ability to relay emotional signals with one another.
There are similarity in expression across cultures in humans, even though they may be completely different.
On the other hand, the cultural advantage model predicts that individuals of the same race “process the visual characteristics more accurately and efficiently than other-race faces”.
There are seven emotions are universally recognized, regardless of cultural background: happiness, surprise, fear, anger, contempt, disgust, and sadness.
Others have added emotional expressions of pride and shame as universal.
The expression of pride includes an expanded posture of the body with the head tilted back, with a low-intensity face and a smile raising the corner of the mouth.
The expression of shame includes the hiding of the face, either by turning it down or covering it with the hands.
Body language is an involuntary and unconscious phenomenon that adds to the process of communication.
There are certain areas where the conscious harnessing of body language – both in action and comprehension are useful.
A related use of body language is as a substitution to people who lack the ability to use vocal language because of deafness or aphasia.
Body language has also been applied to detecting deceit through micro-expressions, both in law enforcement and even in the world of poker.
Sociolinguistic competence includes understanding the body language that aids the use of language.
A conscious ability to recognize and even perform this sort of body language is necessary to achieve fluency in a language beyond the discourse level.
The importance of body language to verbal language use is the need to eliminate ambiguity and redundancy in comprehension.
Body language can be a useful aid not only in teaching a second language, but also in other areas.
The communicative feature of body language to create an environment and atmosphere that is able to facilitate effective learning.
A holistic environment is more productive for learning and the acquisition for new knowledge.
Despite the absence of evidence indicating that non-verbal lie detection works and many law enforcement bodies still rely on it.
Body language is a purported tool for evaluation truthfulness and detecting deception.
The game of poker involves the competence of reading and analyzing the body language of opponents and moderating one’s own body language.
Folded arms and looking away, in body language, can be interpreted as insecurity.
Exaggerated, repetitious, and inappropriate body language is often used to achieve a humorous effect in comedy productions.
Kinesics is the study and interpretation of nonverbal communication related to the movement of any part of the body or the body as a whole.
Human gestures differ from those of other animals in that they are polysemic, that they can be interpreted to have many different meanings depending on the communicative context in which they are produced.
Body language is not deciphered in some absolute fashion.
Non verbal behavior (NVB) plays a crucial role in sports by conveying athletes’ emotions, intentions, and psychological states.
NVBs, such as facial expressions and postures, are correlated with internal factors like emotions and contextual variables like success.
Observers-opponents and referees, can interpret these NVBs, which can influence perceptions and decisions during competition.
Body language provides powerful insights into what people are thinking and feeling beyond their words.
Facial Expressions Genuine smile- Involves eye muscles,not just lips
Microexpressions-Brief involuntary expressions that reveal true feelings.
Eye contact-Sustained eye contact shows interest; avoiding it may indicate discomfort
Pupil dilation-Occurs when someone is interested or attracted
Posture
Open posture- Uncrossed arms and legs, facing toward you shows receptiveness.
Closed posture-Crossed arms or legs, turning away suggests defensiveness Leaning forward-Indicates interest or engagement Leaning back-May suggest discomfort or disinterest
Hand Gestures Steepling fingers-Confidence or expertise Fidgeting-Nervousness or impatience Hand-to-face gestures-Often signal deception or discomfort Palm display-Open palms suggest honesty and openness
Proxemics-Personal Space
Intimate zone-0-18 inches,reserved for close relationships
Personal zone-18 inches to 4 feet for friends and acquaintances
Social zone-4-12 feet, for professional and casual interactions
Public zone-Beyond 12 feet as for public speaking
Mirroring occurs when someone unconsciously imitates your posture, gestures, or expressions, it often indicates rapport and connection.
Context Matters
Remember that body language should be interpreted in clusters and within cultural context as individual gestures can be misleading when viewed in isolation.