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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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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.
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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
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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