Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you tell someone how you are feeling, but that verbal expression is not what you truly mean? Have you ever tried to convey a message to someone without actually saying the message out loud? Have you ever looked at a friend mid-conversation, and somehow known exactly how they were feeling about the topic being discussed?
You may have succeeded or failed in any one of these scenarios, but do you know why? This is where body language comes in. You could have successfully interpreted someone's body language. Body language is complex in its own right. Let's explore the different facets of body language, including gesture use and posture implications.
- First, we will aim to understand the body language meaning.
- Next, we will explore what body language means within psychology.
- We will then discuss how body language in combination is used.
- Finally, we will go through different examples and signs of body language, along with their interpretations.
Body Language Meaning
We are all aware of how vital communication is for the formation and maintenance of Relationships. Communication falls into categories of being verbal, for instance, talking and expressing yourself via words, and non-verbal, for example, the tone of voice when speaking, hand gestures, postures and so on. From this, body language falls under the non-verbal category and is used so often that it accounts for almost 60-65% of all communication!¹
Body language includes gestures and movements people or animals use to communicate with other people and animals.
Body Language: Psychology
Body language is a psychological concept in itself, but before we delve deeper into some of the possible signs and examples of how communication occurs through it, we should keep a few things in mind.
The first thing to note is that body language, unfortunately, is not a universal concept, and different individuals will analyse and understand cues differently; cultural differences are at the forefront of this, and the same cue could be interpreted differently, depending on where you are from.
Individuals coming from a Western background may interpret Eye Contact with another individual when speaking as a sign of interest, whereas some other cultures, such as most Eastern ones, consider direct eye contact to be disrespectful.
Next, we can look at developmental differences across individuals. The best way of doing so is by categorising individuals into 'Neurodiverse' and 'Neurotypical'; you may or may not have come across these terms before, but let's take a moment to understand what they mean.
According to Merriam-Webster, neurodiversity consists of "individual differences in brain functioning regarded as normal variations within the human population"², and neurotypical means an individual is "not affected with a developmental disorder and is exhibiting or characteristic of typical neurological development"³.
Neurotypical individuals may meet a person's eyes in an attempt to focus on the conversation at hand, whereas those who are neurodiverse may struggle to maintain Eye Contact or struggle to focus on the conversation overall.
Finally, psychological differences and mental illnesses can play a role in an individual's body language, and their cues can be interpreted in a manner far different to what they might actually mean.
Someone may not like physical touch and would prefer to be friendly from a distance, thereby avoiding shaking hands and/or hugging someone. This may make you feel that they dislike you when in reality, they have simply set a boundary that they would rather not cross
Understanding these differences and considering all aspects before making judgements about someone, are the ways in which communication can be successful.
Body Language in Communication
While understanding body language is important, the most beneficial way to do this is by looking at the context in which these cues are expressed; instead of focusing on a single action and deriving a conclusion from there, it may be better to look at the cues as a whole and consider them together.
Having the awareness of what different signs and cues of body language can mean can help in understanding unsaid emotions and/or feelings. When you are able to understand how someone truly feels, you are able to change your behaviour in accordance with their feelings.
Body Language Examples and Signs
It can be hard to identify how a person truly feels by observing the signs in their body language. Every individual is different and reacts uniquely. However, some of their basic non-verbal cues may stay the same, and the guide below may help you understand people around you a little bit better.
Facial Expressions
Think of the basic forms a facial expression can make that most people can identify fairly easily; they can range from a smile or a frown, with a smile indicating happiness, and a frown indicating the opposite. However, humans are complex beings that are capable of smiling when they are sad, and frowning when they are happy (actors often force expressions to match the scene they are in, for example).
Fig. 1, Different facial expressions convey different messages, freepik.com
Different types of smiles mean different things:
- If an individual is genuinely happy and wants to portray it as such, the corner of their mouth will turn up and the eyes will narrow and wrinkle around the edges.
- A smirk can indicate unpleasant emotions such as dislike or uncertainty, and a smile that is followed by long-lasting eye contact with dilated pupils, and/or a slight tilt of the head can mean that the individual in question is attracted to you.
There are nuances to all emotions, but we can identify signs of true emotions through the small differences, and usually, these are consistent across cultures. They are universal.
- Eyebrows, for instance, often rise when someone is surprised, alongside wide eyes and dilated pupils (which usually indicate some form of arousal).
Gestures
You can show how you are feeling and communicate with others by using gestures. Examples can include waving, pointing, and using fingers to show numbers, as well as rolling the eyes and blowing a kiss.
Many different gestures exist across the world, and culture can influence gestures; a peace sign in one country may mean something else entirely in another (in America, a peace sign with the palm facing outwards means just that, however, in the UK, if the palm faces inwards the same peace sign transforms into an offensive gesture).
The mirror neuron system is activated when a person is communicating via hand gestures with another person. For instance, by showing someone a thumbs up or a thumbs down, you could be indicating your approval or your disapproval of what is being said4 .
Fig. 2, Hand gestures are often used as means of communication in different cultures, freepik.com
Touch
Complex messages and emotions are often simplified with the use of body language, and touch is one of the means of doing so, influencing others through the type, intensity, and amount of touch you provide which can also differ across cultures. Those from a western society may be more comfortable with casual touch than an eastern society.
Jones and Yarborough (1985) conducted a study which helped classify the common kinds of touch that exist and what they signify.5
- When you touch someone positively, as a means of showing that you're interested in them or that you like them. This can also influence a person's decision; they may be more inclined to be agreeable with you if you touch them positively and casually, such as a handshake or pat on the arm.
- Comfort also plays an important role in the language of touch. You may be more inclined to touch someone, such as a guiding hand on the back or shoulder if you are closer to them.
- Superiority and control can also be shown through touch - if you grab someone/someone grabs you with immense force, they may be trying to get you to comply with what they want to do.
- Handshakes fall under the category of touch.
- Finally, we come to the touches that are associated with carrying out a specific task. These can include things like helping an elderly individual to sit down/stand up, or guiding someone when they are trying something new (such as riding a bike).
Fig. 3, Touch can vary in its means of communication, freepik.com
Posture/Postural Echo
Finally, our posture is another important part of body language. It indicates if someone is open or closed towards conversation and confident or shy.
- An open posture consists of keeping your torso open and widely stretched, showing others that you are friendly, open and willing to talk.6
- On the other hand, a closed posture is when your torso is bent forward and your arms and legs are crossed - this can show unkindness, an unwillingness to engage, and in some cases anxiety.6
Additionally, there exists what is known as 'postural echo'. In simple terms, this means mirroring one's body language as your own to show that you are interested in what the topic of conversation is. It takes place unintentionally - if you see someone leaning forward when they are talking about something, it could mean that they are passionate about the topic and you may find that after a few exchanges of sentences, you are leaning forward as well.
Fig. 4, Body language changes throughout conversation, pexels.com
Personal Space
Personal space is also a form of body language. It can be interpreted differently.
Personal space can be defined as the space between two or more people with which each person feels comfortable with the amount of distance between one another.
Let's now briefly discuss some topics related to personal space, and one that relates directly to the above definition is that of proxemics.
Proxemics is the study of that amount of distance and how people use space in communication.
This study could include the messages one is conveying when unconsciously being at a certain distance from another individual. This closely relates to the interpersonal distance which is the physical space between individuals.
An example of interpersonal distance can be displayed when you think about the amount of distance you choose to have with loved ones, i.e., family, friends or a significant other as compared to the amount of distance you choose to have with a colleague in a professional setting.
It was Edward Hall (1963) that brought about the study of proxemics, after which in 1969, he identified the four zones of personal space. According to him, the
intimate zone of personal space constitutes a distance of up to 0.46 metres. The
personal zone constitutes a distance of 0.46 to 1.2 metres, the
social zone constitutes a distance of 1.2 to 3.7 metres, and the
public zone constitutes any distance greater than that of 3.7 metres.
Body language - Key takeaways
- Body language includes gestures and movements people or animals use to communicate with other people and animals.
- Body language is not a universal concept, and different individuals will analyse and understand cues differently; cultural differences are at the forefront of this, and the same cue could be interpreted differently depending on where you are from.
- Developmental differences across individuals also impact communication via body language - 'neurodiverse' and 'neurotypical' individuals may express the same body language, but the meaning of these will not be the same.
- The most basic non-verbal cues that makeup one's body language are facial expressions, gestures, touch and postures.
References
- Foley GN, Gentile JP. Nonverbal communication in psychotherapy. Psychiatry (Edgmont). 2010;7(6):38-44.
- Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Neurodiversity. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved July 31, 2022, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/neurodiversity
- Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Neurotypical. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved July 31, 2022, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/neurotypical
- Montgomery KJ, Isenberg N, Haxby JV. Communicative hand gestures and object-directed hand movements activated the mirror neuron system. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2007;2(2):114-22. doi:10.1093/scan/nsm004
- Jones, S. E., & Yarbrough, A. E. (1985). A naturalistic study of the meanings of touch. Communication Monographs, 52, 19–56.
- Vacharkulksemsuk T, Reit E, Khambatta P, Eastwick PW, Finkel EJ, Carney DR. Dominant, open nonverbal displays are attractive at zero-acquaintance. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2016;113(15):4009-14. doi:10.1073/pnas.1508932113
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