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Reading Body Language

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IntroBy a man's fingernails, by his coat-sleeve, by his boots, by histrouser-knees, by the calluses of his forefinger and thumb, by his

expression, by his shirt-cuffs, by his movements- by each of

these things a man's calling is plainly revealed. That all united

should fail to enlighten the competent enquirer in any case is

almost inconceivable.

SHERLOCK HOLMES, 1892

Every day people around you people are communicating their true thoughts and feelings without ever saying a

word. The ability to work out what is really happening with a person is simple - not easy, but simple. It's about

matching what you see and hear in the environment in which it all happens and drawing probable conclusions.

Most people, however, only see the things they think they are seeing. This is contrary to the fact that non-verbal

communication makes up 55% of what our words convey every day. The remaining percentages are 7%

vocabulary and 38% vocal (tone of voice, inflection, and other sounds). This is why it is difficult to tell when non-

familiar strangers are being dishonest with us when we cannot see their body language. The human body reveals

what peoples real thoughts are even when their words say otherwise!

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Commercialization of Body LanguageSilent movie actors like Charlie Chaplin were the pioneers ofbody language skills, as this was the only means of communication

available on the screen. Each actor's skill was classed as

good or bad by the extent to which he could use gestures and

body signals to communicate to the audience. When talking

films became popular and less emphasis was placed on the

non-verbal aspects of acting, many silent movie actors faded

into obscurity and only those with good verbal and non-verbal

skills survived.

As far as the academic study of body language goes,perhaps the most influential pre-twentieth-century work was

Charles Darwin's The Expression of the Emotions in Man and

Animals, published in 1872, but this work tended to be read

mainly by academics. However, it spawned the modern studies

of facial expressions and body language, and many of

Darwin's ideas and observations have since been validated by

researchers around the world. Since that time, researchers have

noted and recorded almost a million non-verbal cues and

signals.

By studying the language of the body, individuals are able todecipher what others are not telling them which could change the

world!

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Upper Limbs Head Greetings Lower Limbs

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Arms Eyes Mouth Kissing

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HeadHead

Smiling and laughing are universally considered to be signals that show a person is happy. We cry at birth, beginsmiling at five weeks and laughing starts between the fourth and fifth months. Babies quickly learn that crying gets

our attention -and that smiling keeps us there. In humans, smiling tells another person you are non-threatening

and asks them to accept you on a personal level. Lack of smiling explains why many dominant individuals, such as

Vladimir Putin, James Cagney, Clint Eastwood, Margaret Thatcher and Charles Bronson, always seem to lookgrumpy or aggressive and are rarely seen smiling - they simply don't want to appear in any way submissive. And

research in courtrooms shows that an apology offered with a smile incurs a lesser penalty than an apology without

one. Click below for more information on how others cannot fool you any longer.

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The Eyes Have It Those Lips Drive Me Wild A kiss is a lovely trick


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EyesEyes

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Exasperation: A familiar sign ofexasperation, the eyes are

turned heavenward, as though

invoking divine assistance.

Anxiety: Eyebrows raised andfurrowed is an instinctive

response to extreme anxiety. Itis a natural expression,

common to all cultures.

Winking: A wink has variousmeanings, from sexual approval

by a potential partner, to

collusion between two people in

the know.

Skepticism: Raising just oneeyebrow is a common gesture of

disbelief. The two sides of the faceare at odds, registering a state of

confusion.

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MouthMouth

Raspberry: Children theworld over stick their

tongue out as a rude

gestureperhaps their

first insult.

IDont Know: This gestureinvolves pulling down the

corners of the moutha

facial equivalent to

shrugging the shoulders.

Be Quiet: An easilyrecognized symbol of

silence, the lips are sealed.

Anger: Biting ones lowerlip while shaking ones

head from side to side

shows barely contained

anger.

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Upper LimbsUpper Limbs

The hands have been the most important tools in humanevolution and there are more connections between the brain

and the hands than between any other body parts. Few

people ever consider how their hands behave or the way they

shake hands when they meet someone. Yet those first five to

seven pumps establish whether dominance, submission or

power plays will take place. Throughout history, the open

palm has been associated with truth, honesty, allegiance and

submission. Many oaths are still taken with the palm of the

hand over the heart, and the palm is held in the air when

somebody is giving evidence in a court of law; the Bible is held

in the left hand and the right palm held up for the members of

the court to view. One of the most valuable clues to

discovering whether someone is being open and honest - or

not - is to watch for palm displays. Just as a dog will expose its

throat to show submission or surrender to the victor, humansuse their palms to display in a similar way to show that they

are unarmed and therefore not a threat.

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Arm

s

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Rejoicing: This gesture which combinesjumping in the air with the slapping of

hands, is a spontaneous display of joy. It

is common in the field of sports.

Triumph: Arms straightin the air are a sign of

success: the person feels

this big.

Praise: in this gesture,palms and head are

turned heavenwward.

Hail: Depending onthe stiffness of the

arm, this is a friendly

gesture or a Fascistsalute.

Surrender: A recognizedgesture of submission,

this arms-raised pose

shows that the person is

not reaching for a

weapon.


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HandsHands

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Jealousy: This gesture has various

meanings and is generally aninsult. In Mediterranean countries,

it represents the horns of a

cuckold; in Japan, it means an

angry or jealous wife.

Thinking: People adopt this

posture unconsciously. It is amodified prayer with a

reassuring touch of the lips.

Mockery: Thumbing ones

nose is a playful insult,familiar to all ages and

nationalities. Often the

fingers are wiggled to

emphasize mockery.

Stupidity: Common inSaudi Arabia, this

implies, I can see

clearly that you are a

fool.

Loose screw: This gesture

indicates that someone iscrazy, that (s)he needs to

tighten a loose screw in

the head.

Teeth flick: This gesture,

flicking a thumb-nailagainst the teeth, is

common in

Mediterranean countries,

where it denotes anger.


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GreetingsGreetings

Bowing: This form of greeting is practiced mainly in Asian and is acommon sign of respect. Performers also bow to their audience to

acknowledge applause. In the West bowing still sometimes

accompanies the handshake, suggesting humility, the person

bowing being symbolically smaller than the other.


Waving: This gesture is oftenmade on meeting or parting.

The hand raised with the palm

upward is a classic way of

drawing attention to oneself.

Nose Rubbing: Although rarein the West, the rubbing of

nose is still practiced in other

cultures, notably among

Polynesians.

Handshake: The claspingof hands is a common

gesture both on meeting

and parting. It signifies a

certain equality of status.


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LegsLinks


Lee, Mark. (2006). Three elements ofcommunicationand the so called 7%-38%-55%

Rule. Retrieved on October 19, 2009, at

http://www.ecademy.com/node.php?id=78144

Pease, B. and Allan Pease. (2006). TheDefinitive Book of Body Language. Bantam:

New York. Available for purchase at

http://www.amazon.com/Definitive-Book-

Body-Language/dp/0553804723

Morgan, N. (2002). The Truth Behind theSmile and Other Myths When Body

Language Lies. Retrieved on October 19, 2009

@ http://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/3123.html

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