Body Language of The Chin Jut and Chin Lift
Cue: Chin Jut
Synonym(s): Chin Lift, Jutting The Chin, Lifting The Chin, Pushing The Chin Out.
Description: Pushing the chin out and up by slightly tilting the head backwards.
In One Sentence: Jutting the chin out and away from the body tells others that one is ready to confront rather than conform.
How To Use it: Use the signal to show your dominance and to intimidate others. In competition you can use the chin to taunt your opponent and tempt them into submission by demonstrating your pride and smugness. The cue can also be done during normal conversation to issue a challenge of another person’s authority. As the cue is subtle, it is often registered under conscious awareness, but the message will be received as an insult against another person and their position.
Context: General.
Verbal Translation: a) “I’m sticking my chin out to say hello there, I see and acknowledge you.” b) “I’m sticking my chin out to tempt you into punching me and fighting me. It is a challenge as I’m not going to back down.”
Variant: See Chin Stroking, Chin Tuck, Head Lowered.
Cue In Action: a) When passing each other on their bikes, the two riders tilted their chins upward as an acknowledgement. b) It almost came to blows; he stuck his chin out, balled up his first and made threatening remarks.
Meaning and/or Motivation: When the gesture is not done as a greeting or acknowledgement gesture, jutting the chin out means smugness, confidence, pride and confrontation. It is a challenge display, almost like a dare to attack. Lifting the chin exposes the neck to attack but it also puts the chin on full exposure. During physical conflict, a quick jab to the chin often puts people unconscious because it compresses the nerve that runs behind the jaw. Just ask any professional boxer! Keeping the chin tucked, on the other hand, keeps it protected and reduces it as a target making it a submissive posture.
a) A greeting gesture done by quickly forcing the chin outward and returning it to its origin. It is done to acknowledge someone else without having to directly interact with them and done most often by dominant individuals. It signifies superiority, fearlessness and arrogance. b) This is a signal used to display pride, confidence and smugness because it exposes the vulnerable neck to attack. This can be a gesture done subtly as a slight protrusion of the lower jaw.
Cue Cluster: When the chin jut is used in conflict it is accompanied by other threatening language such as balled up fists, arms either lose at the side of the body taunting, or raised and batoning.
Body Language Category: Greeting gesture, Aggressive body language, Anger, Closed facial gestures, Emotional body language, Hostile body language, Negative body language, Power play, Expansive movements, Threat displays, Up nonverbals.
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