Author: Chris

Barriers, Blocking or Shielding, Defensive body language, Security blankets, Stressful body language

Body Language of Leaning Against The Wall

by Chris • October 23, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Leaning Against The Wall

Cue: Leaning Against The Wall.

Synonym(s): Leaning Against A Chair, Leaning Against A Podium, Holding A Chair With Both Hands, Propping Up Against The Wall.

Description: Leaning against the wall with the shoulder or hand, or placing the hands on the back of the chair with it in front of the body. This cue is also replicated by leaning against a podium, or a car, grasping a hand rail, resting the hand of the edge of a countertop or any other way to gain support from the environment that serves no direct purpose.

In One Sentence: Leaning against the wall demonstrates that one is in need of extra support because one can not stand independently.

How To Use it: Leaning against the wall, when done in a casual way, can signal positive impressions and a relaxed attitude. However, if one wishes to create a dominant impression, one should not rely on other objects for support.

Leaning against the wall, or a bar top can be used as a crutch to activate memories of being held up. In an of itself, this will make one feel more at ease and secure. This is useful in novel environments or any other environment that creates discomfort. Thus, leaning against the wall is helpful as a security blanket and lends emotional “support.”

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I’m feeling insecure and lack the self confidence needed to stand under my own weight and balance, so I’m using the wall or chair as a crutch for stability and security.”

Variant: See Coffee Cup Barrier or Handbag Barrier, Ownership Gestures.

Cue In Action: a) They were ready to depart, so he quickly put his jacket on and stood up. Most of the rest in his party were slow to their feet so he awkwardly stood waiting in the middle of the restaurant. He pulled his chair in close to his body and put both hands on the back of the chair propping himself up. b) While speaking to a lovely lady, he braced himself against the wall with his shoulder. c) As they stood speaking with one another he reached out and placed his hand on the handrail for support.

Meaning and/or Motivation: Placing the hands on objects to support shows that a person feels insecure or lacks self confidence. A person will use the wall, table, chair, podium, railing, bar top or any object to provide stability and comfort. The object is turned into a crutch that provides a “security blanket” when people feel overexposed.

Leaning against the podium while presenting, a shoulder against the wall in an unfamiliar room, or two hands on the chair in a crowded room, are a few ways we convey uneasiness and discomfort. The objects help ground us and produce a strong wide base when our confidence fails us.

Cue Cluster: Often, this cue stands by itself because the object provides enough protection to keep a person from feeling insecure. One might watch for a person’s reliance on crutches to verify his level of insecurity. If a person holds a chair that is lower than normal, he may hunch up protecting his torso indicating additional insecurity.

Body Language Category: Barriers, Blocking or Shielding, Defensive body language, Security blankets, Stressful body language.

Resources:

Bernstein, Constance. Winning trials nonverbally: six ways to establish control in the courtroom. Trial. 1994. 30(1).61(5)

Balzarotti, Stefania ; Piccini, Luca ; Andreoni, Giuseppe ; Ciceri, Rita “I Know That You Know How I Feel”: Behavioral and Physiological Signals Demonstrate Emotional Attunement While Interacting with a Computer Simulating Emotional Intelligence. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 2014. 38(3): 283-299.

Brownell, Judi. Communicating with credibility: The gender gap. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly. 1993. 34(2): 52-61.

Carney, Dana R.; Amy J.C. Cuddy; Andy J. Yap. Power Posing: Brief Nonverbal Displays Affect Neuroendocrine Levels and Risk Tolerance. Psychological Science, 2010; 21 (10): 1363-1368.

Cuddy, Amy J.C., Caroline A. Wilmuth, and Dana R. Carney. The Benefit of Power Posing Before a High-Stakes Social Evaluation. Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 13-027, September 2012.

Cashdan, Elizabeth. Smiles, Speech, and Body Posture: How Women and Men Display Sociometric Status and Power. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 1998. 22(4): 209-228.

Desteno, David ; Breazeal, Cynthia ; Frank, Robert H ; Pizarro, David ; Baumann, Jolie ; Dickens, Leah ; Lee, Jin Joo. Detecting the Trustworthiness of Novel Partners in Economic Exchange. Psychological Science. 2012. 23(12): 1549-1556.

Fatt, James P. T. It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.(nonverbal communication). Communication World. 1999. 16(6): 37(4).

Fennis, Bob M. ; Stel, Marielle. The pantomime of persuasion: Fit between nonverbal communication and influence strategies. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 2011. 47(4): 806-810.

Gorkan Ahmetoglu, Viren Swami. Do Women Prefer “Nice Guys?” The Effect Of Male Dominance Behavior On Women’s Ratings. Social Behavior And Personality, 2012; 40(4), 667-672.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/how-to-significantly-increase-male-attractiveness-with-simple-body-language-nice-guys-finish-last-once-again/

Hung, Iris W. and Aparna A. Labroo. From Firm Muscles to Firm Willpower: Understanding the Role of Embodied Cognition in Self-Regulation. Journal of Consumer Research. 2011 37(6): 1046-1064.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/firm-muscles-lead-willpower/

Hareli, Shlomo; Noga Shomrat and Ursula Hess. Emotional Versus Neutral Expressions and Perceptions of Social Dominance and Submissiveness. Emotion. 2009 9(3): 378-384. DOI: 10.1037/a0015958
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/dominance-expression-conveyed-different-facial-expressions-men-women/

Koppensteiner, Markus ; Grammer, Karl. Body movements of male and female speakers and their influence on perceptions of personality. Personality and Individual Differences. 2011. 51(6): 743-747.

Koppensteiner, Markus ; Stephan, Pia ; Jäschke, Johannes Paul Michael. From body motion to cheers: Speakers’ body movements as predictors of applause. Personality and Individual Differences. 2015. 74: 182-185.

Lee Ann Renninger, T. Joel Wade, Karl Grammer. Getting that female glance: Patterns and consequences of male nonverbal behavior in courtship contexts. Evolution and Human Behavior. 2004; 25: 416–431.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/part-i-how-to-read-male-sexual-body-language-a-study-for-women-and-the-men-who-wish-to-cheat-the-system/

Leigh, Thomas W. ; Summers, John O. An initial evaluation of industrial buyers’ impressions of salespersons’ nonverbal cues. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management. 2002. 22(1): 41(13).

Mehrabian, Albert ; Williams, Martin Mcguire, William J. (editor). Nonverbal concomitants of perceived and intended persuasiveness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1969. 13(1): 37-58.

Marsh, Abigail A; Henry H. Yu; Julia C. Schechter and R. J. R. Blair. Larger than Life: Humans’ Nonverbal Status Cues Alter Perceived Size. PLoS ONE. 2009. 4(5): e5707. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0005707.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/large-life-nonverbal-dominance-affects-perception-size/

Neumann, R., & Strack, F. (2000). Approach and avoidance: The influence of proprioceptive and exteroceptive cues on encoding of affective information. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79, 39–48.

Navarro, Joe. A four-domain model for detecting deception: an alternative paradigm for interviewing. The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin. 2003. 72(6): 19(6).

Park, Lora E.; Lindsey Streamer; Li Huang and Adam D. Galinsky. Stand Tall, But Don’t Put Your Feet Up: Universal and Culturally-Specific Effects of Expansive Postures On Power. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 2013; 49: 965–971.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/are-expansive-postures-of-power-universal-or-cultural/

Rule, Nicholas, O.; Reginald B. Adams Jr.; Nalini Ambady and Jonathan B. Freeman. Perceptions Of Dominance Following Glimpses Of Faces And Bodies. Perception. 2012; 41: 687-706 doi:10.1068/p7023
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/people-can-read-dominance-split-second

Riskind, J. H., & Gotay, C. C. (1982). Physical posture: Could it have regulatory or feedback effects upon motivation and emotion? Motivation and Emotion, 6, 273–296.

Roll, William V. ; Schmidt, Lyle D. ; Kaul, Theodore J. Berdie, Ralph F. (editor). Perceived interviewer trustworthiness among black and white convicts. Journal of Counseling Psychology. 1972. 19(6): 537-541.

Ryan, Mary E. Good nonverbal communication skills can reduce stress. (Law Office Management). Trial. 1995. 31(1): 70(5).

Stepper, S., & Strack, F. (1993). Proprioceptive determinants of emotional and nonemotional feelings. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64, 211–220.

Schubert, Thomas W. and Koole, Sander L. The embodied self: Effects of making a fist on the implicit and explicit self-concept of men and women. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 2009. 45: 828-834.

Sturman, Edward D. Invluntary Subordination and Its Relation to Personality, Mood,
and Submissive Behavior. Psychological Assessment. 2011. 23(1): 262-276 DOI: 10.1037/a0021499
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/nonverbal-submission-men-women-depression-critical-examination-use-disuse-submission/

Tracy, J. L., & Matsumoto, D. (2008). The spontaneous expression of pride and shame: Evidence for biologically innate nonverbal displays. Proceedings from the National Academy of Sciences, 105(33), 11655–11660.

Tracy, J. L., & Robins, R. W. (2007). The prototypical pride expression: Development of a nonverbal behavior coding system. Emotion, 7(4), 789–801.

Yap, Andy J.; Abbie S. Wazlawek, Brian J. Lucas, Amy J. C. Cuddy, Dana R. Carney. The Ergonomics of Dishonesty: The Effect of Incidental Posture on Stealing, Cheating, and Traffic Violations, 24(11); 2281-2289.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/body-posture-physical-environment-determine-feelings-and-behaviour-study/

Yuksel, Atila. Nonverbal Service Behavior and Customer’s Affective Assessment. Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality & Tourism. 2008. 9(1): 57-77.

Appease, Enthusiasm (nonverbal), Excited body language, Fearful body language, Happiness body language, Indicator of interest (IoI), Masked emotions, Nervous Body Language, Nonthreatening body language, Open body language, Rapport or rapport building, Stressful body language, Surprised body language, Universal gestures

Body Language of Laughter

by Chris • October 23, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Laughter

Cue: Laughter

Synonym(s): Laughing.

Description: Laughs follow a “ha-ha-ha” or “ho-ho-ho” pattern, but never “ha-ho-ha-ho”. We can see other variations though like “cha-ha-ha” or “ha-ha-ho.”

In One Sentence: Laughing is a sign of joy, happiness, and sometimes discomfort or awkwardness.

How To Use it: Laughing is well research. It has proven to be an effective way to keep the body in good spirits and even boost healing and immunity. Laughing is encouraged to build friendships and finds a welcome place in all contexts from dating, to business, and amongst friends. Use laughing to create lasting bonds and break tension.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I’m so happy and surprised by what you said that I’m showing my primitive panting vocalization.”

Resources:

Bachorowski, J A ; Owren, M J. Not all laughs are alike: voiced but not unvoiced laughter readily elicits positive affect. Psychological science. 2001. 12(3): 252-7.

Dunbar, R I M ; Baron, Rebecca ; Frangou, Anna ; Pearce, Eiluned ; Van Leeuwen, Edwin J C ; Stow, Julie ; Partridge, Giselle ; Macdonald, Ian ; Barra, Vincent ; Van Vugt, Mark. Social laughter is correlated with an elevated pain threshold. Proceedings. Biological sciences / The Royal Society. 2012. 279(1731): 1161-7.

Foley, Erin ; Matheis, Robert ; Schaefer, Charles. Effect of forced laughter on mood.(Abstract). Psychological Reports. 2002 90(1): 184(1).

Grammer, K., and Eibl-Eibesfeldt, I. 1990. The ritualisation of laughter. In W. Koch (Ed.), Naturalichkeit der Sprache un der Kultur: Acta colloquii 192–214.

Grammer, Karl. Strangers meet: Laughter and nonverbal signs of interest in opposite-sex encounters. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 1990. 14(4): 209-236.

Hall, Jeffrey A. and Chong Xing. The Verbal and Nonverbal Correlates of the Five Flirting Styles. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 2015. 39:41–68. DOI 10.1007/s10919-014-0199-8
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/first-12-minutes-flirting-using-nonverbal-communication-study-reveals-26-body-language-cues-attraction/

Kawakami, Kiyobumi; Takai-Kawakami, Kiyoko; Tomonaga, Masaki; Suzuki, Juri; Kusaka, Tomiyo; Okai, Takashi. 2006. Origins of smile and laughter: a preliminary study. Early Human Development. 82 (1): 61.

Keltner, Dacher; Bonanno, George A. 1997. A study of laughter and dissociation: Distinct correlates of laughter and smiling during bereavement. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 73(4): 687-702.

Kipper, Silke ; Todt, Dietmar. The Role of Rhythm and Pitch in the Evaluation of Human Laughter. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 2003. 27(4): 255-272.

MacDonald, C., 2004. A Chuckle a Day Keeps the Doctor Away: Therapeutic Humor & Laughter. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services 42(3):18-25.

Martin, Rod A. 2001. Humor, laughter, and physical health: Methodological issues and research findings Psychological Bulletin. 127(4): 504-519.

Moore, Monica. Courtship Signaling and Adolescents: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. Journal of Sex Research. 1995. 32(4): 319-328.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/girls-just-want-to-have-fun-the-origins-of-courtship-cues-in-girls-and-women/

Neuhoff, Charles C ; Schaefer, Charles. Effects of laughing, smiling, and howling on mood. Psychological reports. 2002 91(3 Pt 2): 1079-80.

Owren, Michael J.; Bachorowski, Jo-Anne 2003. Reconsidering the evolution of nonlinguistic communication: the case of laughter Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 27(3): 183-200.

Panksepp, J., Burgdorf, J., “Laughing” rats and the evolutionary antecedents of human joy? Physiology & Behavior (2003) 79: 533-547.

Provine, Robert R.. 2000. The laughing species. Natural History. 109(10): 72-76.

Provine, Robert R. 2000. Laugh and the world laughs with you. Scientific American. 283(6): 108-110.

Provine, Robert R. Laughing, grooming, and pub science. Trends in Cognitive Sciences. 2013. 17(1): 9-10.

Provine, R. R. 1992. Contagious laughter: Laughter is a sufficient stimulus for laughs and smiles. Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society 30: 1- 4.

Provine, R. R. 1993. Laughter punctuates speech: Linguistic, social and gender contexts of laughter. Ethology 95: 291-298.

Provine, R. R., and K. R. Fischer. 1989. Laughing, smiling, and talking: Relation to sleeping and social context in humans. Ethology 83: 295-305.

Provine, R. R., and Y. L. Yong. 1991. Laughter: A stereotyped human vocalization. Ethology 89: 115-124.

Provine, R.R. Contagious yawning and laughing: Everyday imitation and mirror-like behavior. Behavioral and Brain Science. 28: 142.

Priest, RF; Thein, MT. 2003. Humor appreciation in marriage: Spousal similarity, assortative mating, and disaffection. Humor-international journal of humor research, 16(1): 63-78.

Ritter, Jan ; Brück, Carolin ; Jacob, Heike ; Wildgruber, Dirk ; Kreifelts, Benjamin. Laughter perception in social anxiety. Journal of Psychiatric Research. 2015. 60: 178-184.

Szameitat, Diana P. ; Kreifelts, Benjamin ; Alter, Kai ; Szameitat, André J. ; Sterr, Annette ; Grodd, Wolfgang ; Wildgruber, Dirk. It is not always tickling: Distinct cerebral responses during perception of different laughter types. NeuroImage. 2010. 53(4): 1264-1271.

Szameitat, Diana P. ; Alter, Kai ; Szameitat, André J. ; Darwin, Chris J. ; Wildgruber, Dirk ; Dietrich, Susanne ; Sterr, Annette Phelps, Elizabeth A. (editor). Differentiation of Emotions in Laughter at the Behavioral Level. Emotion. 2009. 9(3): 397-405.

Szameitat, Dianap. ; Darwin, Chrisj. ; Wildgruber, Dirk ; Alter, Kai ; Szameitat, Andréj. Acoustic correlates of emotional dimensions in laughter: Arousal, dominance, and valence. Cognition & Emotion. 2011. 25(4): 599-611.

Vettin, Julia ; Todt, Dietmar. Laughter in Conversation: Features of Occurrence and Acoustic Structure. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 2004. 28(2): 93-115.

Variant: Giggling is another form of laughter that is more characteristic of children being silly.

Cue In Action: After a few beers it was all jokes and laughter at the party, most of the time no one really knew what caused the laughing spells.

Meaning and/or Motivation: Some researchers pin laughs as a modification of the fear response or as a warning that danger was near. By that same theory, we laugh because our brains are scared or frightened which is why we don’t laugh when we hear a joke for the second time and have predicted its outcome. Laughter usually comes about due to humour and helps clarify emotional context (by defining amusement) between people. Laughter is a way to heal as it releases positive hormones. It is also a way people can share and therefore bond with one another. Laughter in a nonverbal context shows that people are thinking alike and are in agreement and trying to build trust and friendship.

Subordinate people will laugh simply to appease more dominant people, and dominant people exclude themselves from the laugh so as to maintain their dominance. Controlling laugher therefore, can help control our dominance or submission to others, as well as show our acceptance or rejection of others. For example, a polite laugh shows that we are at least “onboard” with a person even though we might not totally agree that what they have said is in fact funny.

Laughter is a form of mirroring and communicates mutual liking and well-being. It can also be used to reduce the harshness of comments or even to take comments back. Humour is an innate vocalization that fosters a sense of community and can help in learning and in creativity. It helps break down walls between different people and can act like a social lubricant to bind people together. Laughter is thirty times more likely to happen in a social setting rather than alone and studies have shown that people don’t really seem to care if the laugh is fake or real, they still tend to like people more when they laugh. Laughing helps us build bonds. Even fake laughs help because at least it shows that a person is trying to fit in.

Cue Cluster: Laughter might be accompanied by social touching, smiling, loose body that lacks negative tension, plenty of “up” non-verbal cues such as arms up, shoulders and head up, toes pointed up, bodies leaning in with engagement and so forth.

Body Language Category: Appease, Enthusiasm (nonverbal), Excited, Fearful body language, Happiness body language, Indicator of interest (IoI), Masked emotions, Nervous body language, Open body language, Nonthreatening body language, Rapport or rapport building, Stressful body language, Surprised body language, Universal gestures.

*No Photo, Displacement behaviour, Enthusiasm (nonverbal), Gravity defying body language, Low confidence body language, Nervous Body Language, Stressful body language, Suspicious body language

Body Language of Jerky Movements

by Chris • October 23, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Jerky Movements

Cue: Jerky Movements

Synonym(s): Twitchy, Spastic Movements, Sporadic Movements, Erratic Movements, Failing Arms.

Description: Unpredictable, twitching, erratic, flailing wildly, theatrical, impulsive or random motions by the head, arms, hands, feet, legs, torso and so forth.

In One Sentence: Jerky movements signal emotional uneasiness.

How To Use it: Use jerky movements to show others that you are emotionally unstable!

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I have lost complete control of my body which is why it moves around so sporadically and twitches and this makes you think I’m not emotionally well.”

Variant: Jerky movements can also spread to the voice as it becomes high pitched and increases in volume.

Cue In Action: When Dave was presenting his research on butterflies, his gestures were erratic and out of tune with what he was saying. He seemed scatterbrained, moving back and forth across the stage, his arms pointing quickly to his whiteboard and then scratching his face and neck. He was difficult, even annoying to follow.

Meaning and/or Motivation: Jerky movements comes across as hysteric, frustrated, and breeds a lack of respect in others and is generally unflattering. It says nonverbally that a person lacks precise control over their bodies which people assume transfers to erratic thoughts and a scattered mind. People with jerky movements are seen as untrustworthy and often as having hyperactivity disorder.

Usually sporadic behaviour is not due to any actual negative traits and is mostly due to a high affect, meaning people simply have lots of excess energy and don’t like being in one place for extended periods of time. Other times, jerky movements are linked to excitement and enthusiasm for a topic.

Cue Cluster: Watch for erratic movements of the eyes, touching the face, neck, nose, ears, rubbing the eyes, pacing back and forth, pointing, smoothing clothing, patting, rubbing the hands, hands in pockets and so forth.

Body Language Category: Displacement behaviour, Enthusiasm (nonverbal), Gravity defying body language, Low confidence body language, Nervous body language, Stressful body language, Suspicious body language.

Resources:

Atkinson AP, Dittrich WH, Gemmell AJ, Young AW (2004) Emotion perception from dynamic and static body expressions in point-light and full-light displays. Perception 33: 717–746. doi: 10.1068/p5096.

Boone RT, Cunningham JG (1998) Children’s decoding of emotion in expressive body movement: the development of cue attunement. Dev Psychol
34: 1007–1016. doi: 10.1037//0012-1649.34.5.1007.

Burba, Nathan ; Bolas, Mark ; Krum, David M. ; Suma, Evan A.. Unobtrusive measurement of subtle nonverbal behaviors with the Microsoft Kinect. 2012 IEEE Virtual Reality. 2012. 1-4.

Brownlow S, Dixon AR, Egbert CA, Radcliffe RD (1997) Perception of movement and dancer characteristics from point-light displays of dance. Psychol Rec 47: 411–421.

Camurri A, Lagerlo¨f I, Volpe G (2003) Recognizing emotion from dance movement: Comparison of spectator recognition and automated techniques. Int J Hum Comput Stud 59: 213–225. doi: 10.1016/S1071-5819(03)00050-8.

Da Silva, Felipe N. ; Irani, Farzin ; Richard, Jan ; Brensinger, Colleen M. ; Bilker, Warren B. ; Gur, Raquel E. ; Gur, Ruben C. More than just tapping: Index finger-tapping measures procedural learning in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research. 2012. 137(1-3): 234-240.

de Meijer M (1989) The contribution of general features of body movement to the attribution of emotions. J Nonverbal Behav 13: 247–268. doi: 10.1007/BF00990296.

Dittrich WH, Troscianko T, Lea SEG, Morgan D (1996) Perception of emotion from dynamic point-light displays represented in dance. Perception 25: 727–738. doi: 10.1068/p250727.

Deans, Pamela ; O’laughlin, Liz ; Brubaker, Brad ; Gay, Nathan ; Krug, Damon. Use of eye movement tracking in the differential diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and reading disability.(Report). Psychology (Irvine). 2010. 1(4): 238(9).

Davis, Martha. Movement characteristics of hospitalized psychiatric patients. American Journal of Dance Therapy. 1981. 4(1): 52-71.

Fisch, Hans-ulrich ; Frey, Siegfried ; Hirsbrunner, Hans-peter Buchwald, Alexander M. (editor). Analyzing nonverbal behavior in depression. Journal of Abnormal Psychology. 1983. 92(3): 307-318.

Godøy R (2010) Gestural affordances of musical sound. In: Godøy R, Leman M, editors. Musical gestures: Sound, movement, and meaning. New York, NY: Routledge. 103–125.

Katza, Carmit; Irit Hershkowitz; Lindsay C. Malloya; Michael E. Lamba; Armita Atabakia and Sabine Spindlera. Non-Verbal Behavior of Children Who Disclose or do not Disclose Child Abuse in Investigative Interviews. Child Abuse & Neglect. 2012. 36: 12-20.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/reading-nonverbal-behaviour-child-abuse-cases-encourage-children-divulge-information-truth-telling

Kupper, Zeno ; Ramseyer, Fabian ; Hoffmann, Holger ; Kalbermatten, Samuel ; Tschacher, Wolfgang. Video-based quantification of body movement during social interaction indicates the severity of negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research. 2010. 121(1): 90-100.

Lagerlo¨f I, Djerf M (2000) Communicating emotions: Expressiveness in modern dance. Int J Psychol 35: 225–225.

Montepare, J. M., Goldstien, S. B., & Clausen, A. (1987). The identification of emotions from gait information. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 11, 33–42.

Montepare, Joann ; Zebrowitz, Leslie. A cross-cultural comparison of impressions created by age-related variations in gait. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 1993. 17(1): 55-68.

Nao, Misako Sawada and Motonobu Ishii. Development of the Movements Impressions Emotions Model: Evaluation of Movements and Impressions Related to the Perception of Emotions in Dance. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 2013. 37:107-121.
DOI 10.1007/s10919-013-0148-y
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/convey-emotion-nonverbally-dance-study/

Prasad, S., & Shiffrar, M. (2009). Viewpoint and the recognition of people from their movements. Journal of Experimental Psychology – Human Perception and Performance, 35(1), 39–49. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/A0012728.

Risner D (2009) What we know about boys who dance: The limitations of contemporary masculinity & dance education. In: Shay A, Fisher J, editors. When men dance: Choreographing masculinities across borders. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Sawada, M., Suda, K., & Ishii, M. (2003b). Relationship between leg movement quality and emotional expression in dance. Poster session presented at the annual meeting of the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science, London, England.

Sweeney, John A. ; Haas, Gretchen L. ; Clementz, Brett ; Weiden, Peter ; Frances, Allen ; Mann, J.John. Eye movement abnormalities in schizophrenia. Biological Psychiatry. 1989. 25(7): A77-A78.

Van Dyck, Edith ; Vansteenkiste, Pieter ; Lenoir, Matthieu ; Lesaffre, Micheline ; Leman, Marc Canal-bruland, Rouwen. Recognizing Induced Emotions of Happiness and Sadness from Dance Movement. PLoS ONE. 2014 9(2): e89773.

Van Dyck E, Maes P-J, Hargreaves J, Lesaffre M, Leman M (2013). Expressing induced emotions through free dance movement. J Nonverbal Behav 37: 175–190. doi: 10.1007/s10919-013-0153-1.

Wilder, Vicky. Effects of antipsychotic medication on the movement pathologies of chronic schizophrenics. American Journal of Dance Therapy. 1987. 10(1): 77-94.

According to Wikepdia, there are at least 25 movement disorders of which nonverbal eratic movement may signal: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movement_disorder

Akathisia (inability to sit still)
Akinesia (lack of movement)
Associated Movements (Mirror Movements or Homolateral Synkinesis)
Athetosis (contorted torsion or twisting)
Ataxia (gross lack of coordination of muscle movements)
Ballismus (violent involuntary rapid and irregular movements)
Hemiballismus (affecting only one side of the body)
Bradykinesia (slow movement)
Cerebral palsy
Chorea (rapid, involuntary movement)
Sydenham’s chorea
Rheumatic chorea
Huntington’s disease
Dyskinesia (abnormal, involuntary movement)
Tardive dyskinesia
Dystonia (sustained torsion)
Dystonia muscularum
Blepharospasm
Writer’s cramp
Spasmodic torticollis (twisting of head and neck)
Dopamine-responsive dystonia (hereditary progressive dystonia with diurnal fluctuation or Segawa’s disease)
Essential tremor
Geniospasm (episodic involuntary up and down movements of the chin and lower lip)
Myoclonus (brief, involuntary twitching of a muscle or a group of muscles)
Metabolic General Unwellness Movement Syndrome (MGUMS)
Mirror movement disorder (involuntary movements on one side of the body mirroring voluntary movements of the other side)
Parkinson’s disease
Paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia
Restless Legs Syndrome RLS (WittMaack-Ekboms disease)
Spasms (contractions)
Stereotypic movement disorder
Stereotypy (repetition)
Tic disorders (involuntary, compulsive, repetitive, stereotyped)
Tourette’s syndrome
Tremor (oscillations)
Rest tremor
Postural tremor
Kinetic tremor
Essential tremor
Cerebellar tremor
Parkinsonian tremors
Physiological tremor
Wilson’s disease

*No Photo, Childlike playfulness, Power play, Rapport or rapport building

Body Language of Jaw Drop Smile

by Chris • October 23, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Jaw Drop Smile

Cue: Jaw Drop Smile.

Synonym(s): Drop-Jaw Smile.

Description: When the jaw seems to unhinge and drop from the upper jaw as if surprised.

In One Sentence: The jaw drop smile indicates playful surprise.

How To Use it: The jaw drop smile should be used to create a playful atmosphere. This can help calm the mood when too much tension exists therefore has applications in many context. The smile will create positive feelings in other people.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I’m laughing, or sort of laughing because my jaw is dropping and I hope you will see me in a positive light and see me as playful.”

Variant: See Smiling, Fear Smile, Friendly Smile, Frown (the) or Downturned Smile, Honest Smile or Duchenne Smile, Jaw Drop Smile, Nervous Smile, Polite Smile (the), Uneven Smile Or Lopsided Smile, Upper Lip Smile, Artificial Smile or Fake Smile, Nervous Smile, Honest Smile or Duchenne Smile, Contempt Facial Expression.

Cue In Action: George Clooney dropped his jaw and smiled at the camera evoking a playful response in the media reporter.

Meaning and/or Motivation: It is commonly seen in politicians and celebrities. It serves to imitate laughter. It is used to seem playful and unthreatening and is used to elicit a laugh and hence happiness response in others. It has roots in submission and appeasement.

Cue Cluster: The jaw drop smile can be accompanied by palms up “offering,” playful touching, actual laughing and smiling eyes.

Body Language Category: Childlike playfulness, Power play, Rapport or rapport building.

Resources:

Abel, Ernest L. and Michael L. Kruger. Smile Intensity in Photographs Predicts Longevity. Psychological Science. 2010. 21(4): 542-544.
Seder, J. Patrick and Shigehiro Oishi. Intensity of Smiling in Facebook Photos Predicts Future Life Satisfaction. Social Psychological and Personality Science. 2012. 3(4): 407-413.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/facebook-smile-predicts-life-satisfaction/

Colonnesi, Cristina; Susan M. Bogels; Wieke de Vente and Mirjana Majdandzic. What Coy Smiles Say About Positive Shyness in Early Infancy. Infancy. 2013. 18(2): 202–220. ISSN: 1525-0008 print / 1532-7078 online
DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-7078.2012.00117.x
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/nonverbal-meaning-coy-smiles-infants/

Fairbairn, Catharine E.; Michael A. Sayette; Odd O. Aalen and Arnoldo Frigessi. Alcohol and Emotional Contagion: An Examination of the Spreading of Smiles in Male and Female Drinking Groups. Clinical Psychological Science. 2014. DOI: 2167702614548892
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/alcohol-social-lubricant-male-smiles/

Guéguen, Nicolas. Weather and Smiling Contagion: A Quasi Experiment With the Smiling Sunshine. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 2013. 37:51–55. DOI 10.1007/s10919-012-0140-y
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/weather-smile-not-contagion-smile-linked-weather-conditions/

Gosselin, Pierre; Reem Maassarani; Alastair Younger and Mélanie Perron. Children’s Deliberate Control of Facial Action Units Involved in Sad and Happy Expressions. Journal of Nonverbal Behaviour. 2011. 35:225–242. DOI 10.1007/s10919-011-0110-9.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/childrens-control-facial-actions-improve-age-create-accurate-emotional-expressions/

Gunnery, Sarah D.; Judith A. Hall and Mollie A. Ruben. The Deliberate Duchenne Smile: Individual Differences in Expressive Control. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 2013. 37:29–41. DOI 10.1007/s10919-012-0139-4
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/can-probably-fake-honest-smile-deliberate-duchenne-smile/

Guéguen, Nicolas. The Effect Of A Woman’s Smile On Men’s Courtship Behavior. Social Behavior and Personality. 2008. 36(9): 1233-1236.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/how-women-can-use-a-simple-smile-to-attract-men/

Guéguen, Nicolas, and Fischer-Lokou, J. (2004). Hitchhiker’s Smiles And Receipt Of Help. Psychological Reports. 94: 756-760.

Golle, Jessika; Fred W.; Mast and Janek S. Lobmaier. Something to Smile About: The Interrelationship Between Attractiveness and Emotional Expression. Cognition and Emotion, 2014. 28:2: 298-310. DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2013.817383.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/smiles-arent-just-cameras/

Hertenstein, Matthew J.; Carrie A. Hansel; Alissa M. Butts and Sarah N. Hile. Smile Intensity In Photographs Predicts Divorce Later In Life. Motiv Emot. 2009; 33:99-105
DOI 10.1007/s11031-009-9124-6
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/small-smiles-predicts-divorce/

Harker, L., & Keltner, D. (2001). Expressions Of Positive Emotion In Women’s College Yearbook Pictures And Their Relationship To Personality And Life Outcomes Across Adulthood. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80(1), 112–124. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.80.1.112.

Krumhuber, E., Manstead, A., & Kappas, A. Temporal Aspects of Facial Displays in Person and Expression Perception: The Effects of Smile Dynamics, Head-tilt, and Gender. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 2007. 31(1), 39-56.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/slow-onset-smile-best/

Krause, Michael W. and Teh-Way David Chen. A Winning Smile? Smile Intensity, Physical Dominance, and Fighter Performance. Emotion. 2013. 13 (2): 270–279. DOI: 10.1037/a0030745
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/smile-lose-smile-intensity-predicts-fighting-ability

Krumhuber, Eva G.; Manstead and Antony S. R. Can Duchenne smiles be feigned? New evidence on felt and false smiles. Emotion. 2009. 9 (6): 807-820.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/can-fake-real-smile-practice/

Krumhuber, Eva; Antony S. R.; Manstead; and Arvid Kappas. Temporal Aspects of Facial Displays in Person and Expression Perception: The Effects of Smile Dynamics, Head-tilt, and Gender. Journal Nonverbal Behavior. 2007; 31: 39-56.
DOI 10.1007/s10919-006-0019-x
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/head-tilt-and-slow-onset-smile-nonverbals-trust-attraction-dominance-and-flirting-a-brief-report/

Labroo, Aparna A.; Anirban Mukhopadhyay; Ping Dong. Not Always the Best Medicine: Why Frequent Smiling Can Reduce Wellbeing. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 2014. 53:156-162.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/why-too-much-smiling-can-be-bad-for-you/

Lockard, J. S., McVittie, R. I., & Isaac, L. M. (1977). Functional Significance Of The Affiliative Smile. Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society, 9, 367-370.

Okubo, Matia; Akihiro, Kobayashi and Kenta Ishikawa. A Fake Smile Thwarts Cheater Detection. Journal of Nonverbal Behaviour. 2012. 36:217–225. DOI 10.1007/s10919-012-0134-9
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/fake-till-make-cheaters-fake-smile-make-lies-difficult-detect/

Reissland, Nadja; Brian Francis, James Mason, Karen Lincoln. Do Facial Expressions Develop before Birth? August 2011. 6(8): e24081. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0024081.g001
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/the-cry-and-laugh-face-in-the-human-fetus/

Reed, Lawrence Ian; Katharine N. Zeglen and Karen L. Schmidt. Facial Expressions as Honest Signals of Cooperative Intent in a One-Shot Anonymous Prisoner’s Dilemma Game. Evolution and Human Behavior. 2012. 33: 200-209.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/facial-expressions-honest-signals-smiling-contempt-predict-cooperation-defection/

Samuele Centorrino, Elodie Djemai, Astrid Hopfensitz, Manfred Milinski, Paul Seabright. Honest Signaling in Trust Interactions: Smiles Rated as Genuine Induce Trust and Signal Higher Earning Opportunities. Evolution and Human Behavior DOI:
dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2014.08.001.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/smile-great-gain-smiling-key-negotiation/

Tidd, K., and Lockard, J. (1978). Monetary Significance Of The Affiliative Smile: A Case For Reciprocal Altruism. Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society, 11, 344-346.

Walsh, D. G., & Hewitt, J. (1985). Giving Men The Come-On: Effect Of Eye Contact And Smiling In A Bar Environment. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 61, 873-874.

Vazire, S., Naumann, L.P., Rentfrow, P. J., and Gosling, S. D. (2009). Smiling reflects different emotions in men and women. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 32:5, 403–405.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/smiling-reflects-different-emotions-men-women/

Vigil, J. M. (2009). A socio-relational framework of sex differences in the expression of emotion. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 32, 375–428.

*No Photo, Confused body language, Microexpression, Surprised body language

Body Language of Jaw Drop or Jaw Droop

by Chris • October 23, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Jaw Drop or Jaw Droop

Cue: Jaw Drop or Jaw Droop

Synonym(s): Dropping The Jaw.

Description: A facial expression where the mouth or jaw seems to unhinge and drop down.

In One Sentence: The jaw drop indicates shock or awe.

How To Use it: Drop the jaw when you want to show others that you are surprised by what you have heard or seen.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “My jaw is dropping because I can’t believe what I’m seeing – oh my god!”

Variant: See the Surprised Facial Expression.

Cue In Action: The two sisters were calling each other bad names back and forth when out of nowhere one of the girls dropped the f-bomb cuss. Her mom had been passively listening until then, but when the nasty word came out, she dropped her jaw in shock.

Meaning and/or Motivation: It signifies surprise, uncertainty or puzzlement.

To visualize the expression imagine a child lost in a crowd or a person entering an unfamiliar and threatening setting such as a dark alley – their jaws drop and a worried expression comes across their face.

Cue Cluster: The eyes often pop out or flash along with the eyes and the head sometimes drops slack forward.

Body Language Category: Confused, Microexpressions, Surprised body language.

Aggressive body language, Anger body language, Clenching and gripping, Closed body language, Closed facial gestures, Dislike (nonverbal), Emotional body language, Frustration or frustrated body language, Hostile body language, Microgestures, Stressful body language, Threat displays

Body Language of Jaw Clenching or Jaw Tightening

by Chris • October 23, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Jaw Clenching or Jaw Tightening

Cue: Jaw Clenching or Jaw Tightening

Synonym(s): Clenched Jaw, Teeth clenching, Teeth Grinding, Talking Through The Teeth, Lip Occlusion.

Description: The jaws appear to be tightly compressed and the teeth can even be ground together back and forth. Sometime the muscles connected to the temple can be seen flexing.

In One Sentence: Jaw clenching is a signal of an internal struggle.

How To Use it: Flexing the jaw muscles can produce a bulge in the side of the mouth which can signal to others your mounting frustration. You might consider using this signal as a way to have others take your aggression more seriously or as a warning that you are about to lose your cool. Often, demonstrations of aggression lead others to submit and placate. This can work in your favour.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I’m angry or frustrated and I want to speak out, but feel that it’s inappropriate so my teeth are clenching down to bottle myself up and prevent me from saying something I might regret.”

Variant: Sometimes the jaw is held open where muscles both work to keep the jaw open yet clenched at the same time. This causes pain at the edges of the jaw which people register as stress. See Hand Clenching or Fist Clenching.

Cue In Action: a) He put his hand out to shake hands, as they hadn’t seen each other for some time. At the conclusion of the handshake, he clenched his jaw and said “It’s nice to have you back.” Obviously, he felt quite differently. b) She wasn’t impressed. She clenched her teeth and talked thought them. Right away, he knew she was to be avoided, especially until she had time to calm down.

Meaning and/or Motivation: The jaw clenching gesture might be a throwback to a primitive desire to bite someone else. Teeth clenching is a nonverbal signal that indicates hidden or inward-directed grief, stress, fear, tension, anxiety, anger, frustration, or that aggression is being suppressed. Other times, clenching is due to intense physical strain or in anticipation of pain.

Clenching and gripping are ways of signaling that a negative thought or emotion is being held back. In this case, it is a person holding their negative thoughts back from spilling out their mouths.

Many people are fitted with retainers and mouth guards to protect their teeth as they are habitual teeth clenchers and grinders during the night. This is thought to be because of a high stress lifestyle or occupation. Some even develop pain in the muscles surrounding the jaw. When jaw clenching happens during the day, it is a sign that a person is not well and wishes to speak out, but feels like they can’t so they bottle it up. Other times, stress boils high and someone will even speak through their teeth.

Cue Cluster: Be aware of microexpressions such as snarls of the nose, eyes darting, fists slightly clenched or the fingers beginning to curl, mouth pulled to the side, tight-lipped smile, eyes rolling. As the cue is subtle, it indicates that someone is unlikely to want to be overt with their distain.

Body Language Category: Aggressive body language, Anger body language, Clenching and gripping, Closed body language, Closed facial gestures, Dislike (nonverbal), Emotional body language, Frustration or frustrated body language, Hostile body language, Microgestures, Stressful body language, Threat displays.

Resources:

Arsenio, W. F., Cooperman, S., & Lover, A. Affective Predictors of Preschooler’s Aggression and Peer Acceptance: Direct and Indirect Effects. Developmental Psychology. 2000. 36: 438-448.

App, Betsy; Catherine L. Reed and Daniel N. McIntosh. Relative Contributions Of Face And Body Configurations: Perceiving Emotional State And Motion Intention. Cognition and Emotion. 2012. 26(4): 690-698.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/facial-expressions-versus-bodily-expressions-nonverbal-communication/

Arsenio, W. F., Cooperman, S., & Lover, A. Affective Predictors of Preschooler’s Aggression and Peer Acceptance: Direct and Indirect Effects. Developmental Psychology. 2000. 36: 438-448.

American Psychiatric Association, A. P. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of
mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.

Costa, P. T., & McCrae, R. R. (1987). Neuroticism, somatic complaints, and disease: Is
the bark worse than the bite. Journal of Personality, 55, 299–316.

Call, B., Hare, B., & Tomasello, M. (1998). Chimpanzee gaze following in an object-choice task. Animal Cognition, 1, 89–99.

Behne, T., Carpenter, M., & Tomasello, M. (2005). One-Year-Olds Comprehend The Communicative Intentions Behind Gestures In A Hiding Game. Developmental Science, 8, 492–499.

Broth, Mathias and Lorenza Mondada. Walking Away: The Embodied Achievement of Activity Closings in Mobile Interaction. Journal of Pragmatics. 2013. 47: 41-58.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/nonverbally-negotiate-conversation-walking-away/

Gräfenhaina, Maria; Tanya Behnea; Malinda Carpentera; and Michael Tomaselloa. One-Year-Olds’ Understanding Of Nonverbal Gestures Directed To A Third Person. Cognitive Development. 2009. 24: 23-33. http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/origins-nonverbal-communication-body-language-infants-study/

Gungormus, Z., & Erciyas, K. (2009). Evaluation of the relationship between anxiety
and depression and bruxism. Journal of International Medical Research, 37,
547–550.

Hatz, Jessica L. and Martin J. Bourgeois. Anger as a Cue to Truthfulness. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 2010. 46: 680-683.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/anger-nonverbal-cue-truth-telling/

Hubbard, J. A. Emotion expression processes in children’s peer interaction: The role of Peer Rejection, Aggression, and Gender. Child Development. 2001. 72: 1426-1438.

Hubbard, J. A., Smithmyer, C. M., Ramsden, S. R., Parker, E. H., Flanagan, K. D., Dearing, K. F., Relyea, N., & Simons, R. F. Observational, Physiological, and Self-Reported Measures of Children’s Anger: Relations to Reactive Versus Proactive
Aggression. Child Development. 2002. 73, 1101-1118.

Hung, Iris W. and Aparna A. Labroo. From Firm Muscles to Firm Willpower: Understanding the Role of Embodied Cognition in Self-Regulation. Journal of Consumer Research. 2011 37(6): 1046-1064. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/657240
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/firm-muscles-lead-willpower/

Huang, Ding-Hau; Shih-Wei Chou; Yi-Lang Chen and Wen-Ko Chiou. Frowning and Jaw Clenching Muscle Activity Reflects the Perception of Effort During Incremental Workload Cycling. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine. 2014. 13: 921-928.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/physical-strain-leads-jaw-clenching-frowning-body-language/

Johnson, Richard R. and Jasmine L. Aaron. Adults’ Beliefs Regarding Nonverbal Cues Predictive of Violence. Criminal Justice and Behavior. 2013. 40 (8): 881-894. DOI: 10.1177/0093854813475347.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/wanna-fight-nonverbal-cues-believed-indicate-violence

Kret, M. E. and B. de Gelder. When a Smile Becomes a Fist: The Perception of Facial and Bodily Expressions of Emotion in Violent Offenders. Exp Brain Res. 2013. 228: 399-410. DOI 10.1007/s00221-013-3557-6.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/reading-bodily-postures-facial-expressions-incorrectly-can-disastrous-just-ask-violent-offenders/

Kampe, T., Edman, G., Bader, G., Tagdae, T., & Karlsson, S. (1997). Personality traits in a group of subjects with long-standing bruxing behaviour. Journal of Oral Rehabilitation, 24, 588–593.

Lavigne, G. J., Khoury, S., Abe, S., Yamaguchi, T., & Raphael, K. (2008). Bruxism
physiology and pathology: An overview for clinicians. Journal of Oral Rehabilitation, 35, 476–494.

Manfredini, D., Landi, N., Romagnoli, M., & Bosco, M. (2004). Psychic and occlusal
factors in bruxers. Australian Dental Journal, 49, 84–89.

Marsh, Abigail A; Henry H. Yu; Julia C. Schechter and R. J. R. Blair. Larger than Life: Humans’ Nonverbal Status Cues Alter Perceived Size. PLoS ONE. 2009. 4(5): e5707. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0005707. http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/large-life-nonverbal-dominance-affects-perception-size/

Marsh, Abigail A; Karina S. Blair; Matthew M. Jones; Niveen Soliman, and R. J. R. Blair. Dominance and Submission: The Ventrolateral Prefrontal Cortex and Responses to Status Cues Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience. 2009. 21:4, pp. 713–724.

Núria Esteve-Gibert and Pilar Prieto. Infants Temporally Coordinate Gesture-Speech Combinations Before They Produce Their First Words. Speech Communication. 2014; 57 301-316.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/pointing-is-infants-first-communicative-gesture/

Ohayon, M. M., Li, K. K., & Guilleminault, C. (2001). Risk factors for sleep bruxism in
the general population. Chest, 119, 53–61.

Restrepo, C. C., Vásquez, L. M., Alvarez, M., & Valencia, I. (2008). Personality traits
and temporomandibular disorders in a group of children with bruxing behaviour. Journal of Oral Rehabilitation, 35, 585–593.

Rosales, V. P., Ikeda, K., Hizaki, K., Naruo, T., Nozoe, S. I., & Ito, G. (2002). Emotional stress and brux-like activity of the masseter muscle in rats. European Journal of Orthodontics, 24, 107–117.

Sutin, Angelina R. ; Terracciano, Antonio ; Ferrucci, Luigi ; Costa, Paul T. Teeth grinding: Is Emotional Stability related to bruxism? Journal of Research in Personality. 2010. 44(3): 402-405.

Sell, A., Tooby, J., and Cosmides, L. Formidability and the Logic of Human Anger. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. 2009. 106(35), 15073-78

Sinke, C.B, Sorger, B, Goebel, R, and de Gelder, B. Tease or Threat? Judging Social Interactions From Bodily Expressions. Neuroimage. A Journal of Brain Function. 2009. 49:1717-1727. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/friend-foe-let-body-language-decide

Sun Jung, Hyo Sun and Hye Hyun Yoon. The Effects of Nonverbal Communication of Employees in the Family Restaurant Upon Customers’ Emotional Responses and Customer Satisfaction. International Journal of Hospitality Management. 2011. 30: 542-550.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/effect-body-languagel-cues-family-restaurant/

Sell, A., Cosmides, L. and Tooby, J., The Human Anger Face Evolved to Enhance Cues of Strength. Evolution and Human Behavior. 2014, doi: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2014.05.008
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/human-anger-face-signal-strength

Schubert, Thomas W. and Sander L. Koole. The Embodied Self: Making A Fist Enhances Men’s Power-Related Self-Conceptions. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 2009; 45: 828–834.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/the-power-of-a-balled-fist-making-a-fist-makes-men-feel-more-powerful/

van der Goot, Marloes H.; Michael Tomasello and Ulf Liszkowski. Differences in the Nonverbal Requests of Great Apes and Human Infants. Child Development. 2014. 85(2): 444–455.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/body-language-pointing-human-infants-point-manipulate-apes-point-reach/

Aggressive body language, Amplifier, Body pointing, Displacement behaviour, Enthusiasm (nonverbal), Hostile body language, Intention movements, Negative body language, Threat displays

Body Language of Jabbing The Finger

by Chris • October 23, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Jabbing The Finger

Cue: Jabbing The Finger

Synonym(s): Finger Jabbing, Foot Jabbing

Description: A type of finger pointing but with added emphasis and direction, usually aimed at a person who is being spoken to, and repeated rhythmically. At times, a finger might actually physically make contact with another person to make the cue more salient.

In One Sentence: Finger jabbing is a rude gesture symbolizing being poked by a spear.

How To Use it: Use finger jabbing when you want to use nonverbal aggression to make a point. Jabbing the finger with every point tells others that you should be taken seriously through force and intimidation. In an emotionally charged debate one can use the finger jab to drive your point home.

On the other hand, to appear more rational, drop the finger jab and instead use a calm voice and fluid hand movements to make a proper “point.”

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I trying to make a point that I feel strongly about. I’m jabbing my fingers toward you like I would jab a spear. I really want to drive my idea home.”

Variant: The feet are sometimes jabbed or kicked in the direction of other people or during heated situations. Other times, a finger only points in the direction of another person and lacks a jabbing motion. Also see Baton Gesture.

Cue In Action: It was nearing blows. They both exclaimed their case with extreme enthusiasm. At one point, she was shouting and jabbing at close quarters and encroaching on his personal space.

Meaning and/or Motivation: Finger jabbing is a rude gesture. It is as if the person is being stabbed with a spear, especially if is present in a particularly negative or heated context. The voracity and amplitude of the jab outlines the degree of emotion present.

Other times, a jab can be a playful expression between say an uncle and his nephew to tickle his sides and have him giggle.

Cue Cluster: Expect to see violations of personal space, loud voices and shouting, wide focus intense eyes, erratic arm movements, puffing of the chest, arms akimbo and chin jutting.

Body Language Category: Amplifier, Aggressive body language, Body pointing, Displacement behaviour, Enthusiasm (nonverbal), Hostile body language, Intention movements, Negative body language, Threat displays.

Resources:

Axtell, Roger E. Gestures: The Do’s and Taboos of Body Language Around the World. 1997. Wiley.

Anderson, C. A., & Bushman, B. J. (2002). Human aggression. Annual Review of
Psychology, 53, 27–51. http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.53.100901.
135231.

Arsenio, W. F., Cooperman, S., & Lover, A. Affective Predictors of Preschooler’s Aggression and Peer Acceptance: Direct and Indirect Effects. Developmental Psychology. 2000. 36: 438-448.
LINK yyyy

Arsenio, W. F., Cooperman, S., & Lover, A. Affective Predictors of Preschooler’s Aggression and Peer Acceptance: Direct and Indirect Effects. Developmental Psychology. 2000. 36: 438-448.

Bjorkqvist, K., Osterrnan, K. and Lagerspetz, K.M.I. (1994) ‘Sex Differences in Covert
Aggression among Adults’, Aggressive Behaviour 20: 27–33.

Anderson, J. (1972). “Attachment Behavior Out of Doors.” In N. G. Blurton Jones (Ed.), Ethological Studies of Child Behaviour (Cambridge: University Press), pp. 199-215.

Bruner, J. (1978). “On Prelinguistic Prerequisites of Speech.” In R. N. Campbell and P. T. Smith, eds., Recent Advances in the Psychology of Language (New York: Plenum Press), pp. 199-214.

Call, B., Hare, B., & Tomasello, M. (1998). Chimpanzee gaze following in an object-choice task. Animal Cognition, 1, 89–99.

Behne, T., Carpenter, M., & Tomasello, M. (2005). One-Year-Olds Comprehend The Communicative Intentions Behind Gestures In A Hiding Game. Developmental Science, 8, 492–499.

Ekman, Paul, and Wallace V. Friesen (1969b). “The Repertoire of Nonverbal Behavior: Categories, Origins, Usage, and Coding.” In Semiotica (Vol. 1), pp. 49-98.

Freedman, Norbert ; Blass, Thomas ; Rifkin, Arthur ; Quitkin, Frederic Lanzetta, John T. (editor). Body movements and the verbal encoding of aggressive affect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1973. 26(1): 72-85.

Gray, Hilary (1978). “Learning to Take an Object from the Mother.” In Andrew Lock, ed., Action, Gesture and Symbol: The Emergence of Language (New York: Academic Press), pp. 159-82.

Hubbard, J. A. Emotion expression processes in children’s peer interaction: The role of Peer Rejection, Aggression, and Gender. Child Development. 2001. 72: 1426-1438.

Hines, N.J. and Fry, D.P. (1994) ‘Indirect Modes of Aggression among Women of Buenos Aires, Argentina’, Sex Roles 30: 213–24.

Lagerspetz, K.M.J., Bjorkqvist, K. and Peltonen, T. (1988) ‘Is Indirect Aggression Typical of Females? Gender Differences in Aggressiveness in 11- to 12-year-old Children’, Aggressive Behavior 14: 403–14.

Marsh, Abigail A; Henry H. Yu; Julia C. Schechter and R. J. R. Blair. Larger than Life: Humans’ Nonverbal Status Cues Alter Perceived Size. PLoS ONE. 2009. 4(5): e5707. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0005707. http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/large-life-nonverbal-dominance-affects-perception-size/

Murphy, Catherine M. (1978). “Pointing in the Context of a Shared Activity.” In Child Development (Vol. 49), pp. 371-80.

Morris, Desmond (1994). Bodytalk: The Meaning of Human Gestures (New York: Crown Publishers).

Olson, Loreenn. ; Braithwaite, Dawno. If you hit me again, I’ll hit you back:” Conflict management strategies of individuals experiencing aggression during conflicts.
Communication Studies. 2004 55(2): 271-285.

Okken, Vanessa ; Van Rompay, Thomas ; Pruyn, Ad. Room to Move: On Spatial Constraints and Self-Disclosure During Intimate Conversations. Environment and Behavior. 2013. 45(6): 737-760.

Sell, A., Tooby, J., and Cosmides, L. Formidability and the Logic of Human Anger. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. 2009. 106(35), 15073-78

Topel, Eva-Maria ; Lachmann, Frankm. Nonverbal Dialogues: Orienting and Looking Behaviors Between Aggressive and Violent Children and Adolescents and Their Therapist. Journal of Infant, Child, and Adolescent Psychotherapy. 2007. 6(4): 285-307.

Trevarthen, Colwyn (1977). “Descriptive Analysis of Infant Communicative Behaviour.” In H. R. Schaffer, ed., Studies in Mother-Infant Interaction (London: Academic Press), pp. 227-70.

Amplifier, Arrogance or arrogant body language, Courtship display, Indicators of disinterest (IOD), Masked body language

Body Language of Invisible Lint Picker or Lint Picker

by Chris • October 23, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Invisible Lint Picker or Lint Picker

Cue: Invisible Lint Picker or Lint Picker

Synonym(s): Lint Picker (The), Picking Invisible Lint.

Description: When someone in mid-conversation breaks eye contact to remove lint, smooth clothing, apply lipstick and so forth.

In One Sentence: The invisible lint picker is a person who is showing nonverbal distain.

How To Use it: When you wish to send an insult that falls below the conscious radar; pick lint, especially lint that does not actually exist. Removing lint and other self-grooming gestures while listening to another speaks is an obvious insult.

Some moderate grooming in the presence of a date can indicate positive meaning, but should only include things like smoothing and adjusting clothing, fixing the hair, and so forth and not unsightly things like picking the finger nails. A good rule to follow is to avoid breaking eye contact as much as possible while grooming especially when the other person is speaking. This will result in a positive rather than a negative impression.

Context: a) General b) Dating

Verbal Translation: a) b) “I don’t like you and what you are saying so I’m going to act rude and remove fake lint from my body until you shut up.”

Variant: Pimples can be pinched, nose picking, cleaning under the nails, smoothing clothing, applying lipstick, glancing in a mirror. See Eye Aversion, Gaze Avoidance and Wandering Eyes.

Cue In Action: As Debbie was talking she noticed that Mary was much more attentive to her task of removing cat hair from her jacket than she was to her. Debbie got the message loud and clear, broke off the conversation early and carried on with her day.

Meaning and/or Motivation: a) A non-verbal displacement gesture indicating a difference of opinion, disapproval, dislike, contempt, and indifference or dismissiveness which is especially salient when lint is entirely absent indicating that the true purpose is to avoid eye contact. Removing invisible lint shows a critical listener through eye contact avoidance and distraction.

b) In dating, lint picking can sometimes indicate interest through preening to make one appear more attractive, and when done on someone else, is a form of affection. When grooming is a positive signal, it is mostly done in private, thus preparing the self to be viewed. When eye contact is visibly broken, it does however signal disinterest. When lint picking is a negative cue it can be compared to picking the nose, picking the nails or pinching pimples. They all show forms of distasteful grooming that should be done in privacy. Making others witness such grotesqueness is truly offensive and dehumanizing.

Cue Cluster: Lint picking is coupled with eye contact avoidance, overall distraction and a lack of agreement indicators.

Body Language Category: Amplifier, Arrogance or arrogant body language, Courtship display, Indicators of disinterest (IOD), Masked body language.

Resources:

Barroso, Felix ; Feld, Jason. Self-touching and attentional processes: The role of task difficulty, selection stage, and sex differences. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 1986. 10(1): 51-64.

Butzen, Nathan David ; Bissonnette, Victor ; Mcbrayer, Dan. Effects of modeling and topic stimulus on self-referent touching. Perceptual and motor skills. 2005. 101(2): 413-20.

Buckley, V., & Semple, S. (2012). Evidence that displacement activities facilitate behavioural transitions in ring-tailed lemurs. Behavioural Processes, 90, 433–435.

Bouhuys, A.L. ; Jansen, C.J. ; van den Hoofdakker, R.H. Analysis of observed behaviors displayed by depressed patients during a clinical interview: relationships between behavioral factors and clinical concepts of activation. Journal of Affective Disorders. 1991. 21(2): 79-88.

Berridge CW,Mitton E, ClarkW, Roth RH. 1999. Engagement in a non-escape (displacement) behavior elicits a selective and lateralized suppression of frontal cortical dopaminergic utilization in stress. Synapse 32:187–197.

Chen, Yi-Chia ; Yeh, Su-Ling. Look into my eyes and I will see you: Unconscious processing of human gaze. Consciousness and Cognition. 2012 21(4): 1703-1710.

Castles, Duncan L. ; Whiten, Andrew ; Aureli, Filippo. Social anxiety, relationships and self-directed behaviour among wild female olive baboons. Animal Behaviour. 1999. 58(6): 1207-1215.

Goldberg, Shelly ; Rosenthal, Robert. Self-touching behavior in the job interview: Antecedents and consequences. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 1986. 10(1): 65-80.

Harrigan, Jinni A. Self-touching as an indicator of underlying affect and language processes. Social Science & Medicine. 1985. 20(11): 1161-1168.

Harrigan, Jinni A.; Karen S. Lucic; Denise Kay; Anne McLaney and Robert Rosenthal. Effect of Expresser Role and Type of Self-Touching on Observers’ Perceptions. Journal of Applied Social Psychology. 1991. 21(7): 585-609.

Jenkins, R., Keane, J., & Calder, A.J. (2007, August). From your eyes only: Gaze adaptation from averted eyes and averted heads. Paper presented at the Thirtieth European Conference on Visual Perception, Arezzo, Italy.

Kochanska, G., Coy, K. C., & Murray, K. T. (2001). The development of self-regulation in the first four years of life. Child Development, 72, 1091–1111.

Kochanska, G., Murray, K. T., & Harlan, E. T. (2000). Effortful control in early childhood: Continuity and change, antecedents, and implications for social development. Developmental Psychology, 36, 220–232.

Kirschbaum C, Pirke K-M, Hellhammer DH. 1993. The ‘Trier Social Stress Test’: a tool for investigating psychobiological stress responses in a laboratory setting. Neuropsychobiology 28: 76–81.

Maestripieri D, Schino G, Aureli F, Troisi A. 1992. A modest proposal: displacement activities as an indicator of emotions in primates. Anim Behav 44:967–979.

Mohiyeddini, Changiz ; Semple, Stuart. Displacement behaviour regulates the experience of stress in men. Stress. 2013. 16(2): 163-171.

Mohiyeddini, C., Bauer, S., & Semple, S. (2013a). Displacement behaviour is associated with reduced stress levels among men but not women. PLoS One, 8, e56355.

Mohiyeddini, C., Bauer, S., & Semple, S. (2013b). Public self-consciousness moderates the link between displacement behaviour and experience of stress in women. Stress, 16, 384–392.

Mohiyeddini, C., & Semple, S. (2013). Displacement behaviour regulates the experience of stress in men. Stress, 16, 163–171.

Nelson, Holly ; Geher, Glenn. Mutual Grooming in Human Dyadic Relationships: An Ethological Perspective. Current Psychology. 2007. 26(2): 121-140.

Pecora, Giulia ; Addessi, Elsa ; Schino, Gabriele ; Bellagamba, Francesca. Do displacement activities help preschool children to inhibit a forbidden action? Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. 2014. 126: 80-90.

Pease, Barbara and Allan Pease. 2006. The Definitive Book of Body Language Hardcover. Bantam.

Schino G, Perretta G, Taglioni AM, Monaco V, Troisi A. 1996. Primate displacement activities as an ethopharmacological model of anxiety. Anxiety 2:186–191.

Supplee, Lauren H ; Skuban, Emily Moye ; Shaw, Daniel S ; Prout, Joanna. Emotion regulation strategies and later externalizing behavior among European American and African American children. Development and Psychopathology. 2009. 21(2): 393-415.

Troisi A. 1999. Ethological research in clinical psychiatry: the study of nonverbal behaviour during interviews. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 23:905–913.

Troisi A. 2002. Displacement activities as a behavioral measure of stress in nonhuman primates and human subjects. Stress 5: 47–54.

Thompson, Kristin. Grooming the Naked Ape: Do Perceptions of Disease and Aggression Vulnerability Influence Grooming Behaviour in Humans? A Comparative Ethological Perspective. Current Psychology. 2010. 29(4): 288-296.

Wirth, James H ; Sacco, Donald F ; Hugenberg, Kurt ; Williams, Kipling D. Eye gaze as relational evaluation: averted eye gaze leads to feelings of ostracism and relational devaluation. Personality & social psychology bulletin. 2010 36(7): 869-82.

Courtship display, Eye Language, Indicator Of Sexual Interest (IOsI), Liking

Body Language of The Intimate Gaze or Triangular Gaze Pattern

by Chris • October 23, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of The Intimate Gaze or Triangular Gaze Pattern

Cue: Intimate Gaze (The) or Triangular Gaze Pattern

Synonym(s): Triangular Gaze Pattern, Seducer Gaze.

Description: If interest is mutual and conversation arises, scanning of the face will take place. The eyes will form a triangular pattern from eye-to-eye and down to the mouth or chin. The eyes will also wander briefly to other parts of the face, but the vast majority of time will be spent looking at the eyes and mouth. Gaze duration during intimacy lasts in bouts of approximately four to five seconds. When the eyes finally do leave the face they will check out the rest of the body, to examine clothing, overall build, jewelry and rings.

In One Sentence: The intimate gaze pattern indicates sexual feelings.

How To Use it: Use the intimate gaze pattern to show others that you are romantically interested in them. This is an effective signal when done by both men and women.

Context: Dating.

Verbal Translation: “I like you sexually so I’m being respectful to check out your emotional cues which are found in your eyes, face and mouth, but I’m also making visual forays to the rest of your body including your chest and privates.”

Variant: See Staring or The Evil Eye, Eye Aversion, Gaze Avoidance and Wandering Eyes, Business Gaze, Face Gaze, Friendly Social Gaze.

Cue In Action: As Bill and Debbie spoke, they followed a characteristic gaze pattern from the eyes to the mouth, but also to the rest of the body.

Meaning and/or Motivation: If the eyes of men and women meet and there is a spark, the eyes will follow specific patterns across the face to form an intimate gaze. When eye contact is broken it usually happens by looking down. Looking down punctuates sexual interest. Looking sideways is a willful indication that one is scanning the room entirely and is not checking someone else out.

Both sexes, despite social norms, will glance over more intimate areas of the body such as the crotch and breasts coupled with the intimate gaze as described above. Men tend to check women out from the ground up, starting from the legs, then to the crotch, torso, breasts, shoulders, then face. The vast majority of women find being scanned by men to be a turn-off, however, studies show that women habitually check men out just as often, they simply do it much more discretely.

Cue Cluster: Expect to see additional courtship cues such as neck and wrist exposure, batting of the eyes, touching the neck, grooming, in women, puffing out the chest, and hands on the hips, in men.

Body Language Category: Courtship display, Eye Language, Indicators of sexual interest (IOsI), Liking.

Resources:

Argyle, Michael; Lefebvre, Luc; Cook, Mark 1974. The meaning of five patterns of gaze. European Journal of Social Psychology. 4(2): 125-136.

Argyle, M., and Ingham, R. 1972. Gaze, mutual gaze, and proximity. Semiotica, 1, 32–49.

Argyle, M. and Cook, M. Gaze and Mutual Gaze. London: Cambridge University Press, 1976.

Allan Mazur; Eugene Rosa; Mark Faupel; Joshua Heller; Russell Leen; Blake Thurman. Physiological Aspects of Communication Via Mutual Gaze. The American Journal of Sociology. 1980; 86(1): 50-74.

Breed, G., Christiansen, E., & Larson, D. 1972. Effect of lecturer’s gaze direction upon
teaching effectiveness. Catalog of Selected Documents in Psychology, 2: 115.

Ellsworth, Phoebe; Carlsmith, J Merrill. 1973. Eye contact and gaze aversion in an aggressive encounter. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 28(2): 280-292.

Foddy, Margaret 1978. Patterns of Gaze in Cooperative and Competitive Negotiation
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Hall, Jeffrey A. and Chong Xing. The Verbal and Nonverbal Correlates of the Five Flirting Styles. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 2015. 39:41–68. DOI 10.1007/s10919-014-0199-8
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Kellerman. 1989. Looking and loving: The effects of mutual gaze on feelings of romantic love. Journal of Research in Personality. 23(2): 145-161.

Kendon, A. Some Functions of Gaze Direction in Social Interaction. Acta Psychologica. 1967. 32: 1-25.

Kleinke, C. L. 1980. Interaction between gaze and legitimacy of request on compliance in a field setting. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior 5(1): 3-12.

Leeb. 2004. Here’s Looking at You, Kid! A Longitudinal Study of Perceived Gender Differences in Mutual Gaze Behavior in Young Infants Source: Sex Roles. 50(1-2): 1-14.

Langer, Julia and Rodebaugh, Thomas. Social Anxiety and Gaze Avoidance: Averting Gaze but not Anxiety. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 2013, Vol.37(6): 1110-1120.

McAndrew. 1986. Arousal seeking and the maintenance of mutual gaze in same and mixed sex dyads Source: Journal of nonverbal behavior. 10(3):168-172.

Mulac, A., Studley, L., Wiemann, J., & Bradac, J. 1987. Male/female gaze in same-sex
and mixed-sex dyads. Human Communication Research. 13: 323-343.

Natale, Michael. 1976. A Markovian model of adult gaze behavior. Journal of Psycholinguistic Research. 5(1): 53-63.

Phelps, F., Doherty-Sneddon, G., & Warnock Educational Psychology., 27, 91-107. (2006). Functional benefits of children’s gaze aversion during questioning. British Journal Developmental Psychology. 24: 577-588.

Rosenfeld, H., Breck, B., Smith, S., & Kehoe, S. 1984. Intimacy-mediators of the proximity-gaze compensation effect: Movement, conversational role, acquaintance, and gender. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 8: 235-249.

Williams. 1993. Effects of Mutual Gaze and Touch on Attraction, Mood, and Cardiovascular Reactivity Source: Journal of Research in Personality. 27(2): 170-183.

Clenching and gripping, Masked emotions, Pacifying body language

Body Language of Interlaced Fingers

by Chris • October 23, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Interlaced Fingers

Cue: Interlaced Fingers

Synonym(s): Entwined Fingers, Interlocking Fingers.

Description: When the fingers are interlocked or interlaced together. They are sometimes rubbed together in order to provide a pacifying effect.

In One Sentence: Interlaced fingers are an indication of frustration, hostility, self-restraint and other negative thoughts.

How To Use it: Interlaced fingers can be used to help steady nervous hands. By locking them together, it will provide security and comfort. This sign goes mostly unnoticed by others so it is unlikely that they will read your frustration, instead confusing it with self-control.

If possible, however, one should try to keep the fingers unlocked to demonstrate confidence.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “My fingers are interlaced together because I’m holding frustration, hostility and other negative thoughts. I need to entwine my fingers so I keep them under careful restrained control.”

Variant: See Hand Clasping.

Cue In Action: a) The defendant waited patiently on stand as he was cross-examined. His fingers interlaced neatly on his lap. On closer inspection, one could see his fingers moving up and down and his knuckles tightly pressed together.

b) The junior associate made sure he was obedient while the senior ranking member said his piece. He interlocked his hands on his lap and sat quietly so as not to disturb the presentation. Once the floor was opened up to the rest of the associates, the junior associate unlocked his fingers and began to gesticulate as he showed the various shortcomings in the plan.

Meaning and/or Motivation: This gesture is commonly thought as a contained and controlled posture, but this is not so. This gesture reveals frustration, hostility and that a person is harbouring negative thoughts.

When the fingers massage the palm or the fingers are interlaced then gently rub up and down as the fingers stroke the inside of the other, it indicates a person who is in doubt, has low confidence, or is experiencing stress. As tension escalates, the gesture will move from palm stroking into more rigorous interlaced finger stroking making the two a progression of intensity. Thus while palm stroking is due to mild doubt or slight confidence issues, interlaced fingers that rub up and down is to do a higher level of anxiety.

As conversations intensify watch for increases in soothing body language revealing the underlying anxiety. The gesture feels comfortable to do because it closes up the body from the outside world preventing the hands from speaking (gesturing).

If the thumbs dart up while the fingers are interlaced it can turn a timid interlaced fingers gesture into a positive cue. Thumbs-out is a representation of ego, dominance, confidence, comfort, assertiveness and sometimes even aggressiveness.

At times the fingers may become interlaced appearing as if in prayer, which might even be the case. Pressure can be so great that the fingers can even blanch as blood flow is impeded.

Cue Cluster: Watch for adjoining cues to amplify the level of stress, anxiety or discomfort. For example, compressed lips, neck scratching and fidgeting might signal a desire to interject. Thumbs up gestures while sitting back might signal dominance through a relaxed stance. There can be many motivations behind interlaced fingers and the associated cues will help the body language reader decide the true meaning.

Body Language Category: Clenching and gripping, Masked emotions, Pacifying body language.

Resources:

Atkinson A, Dittrich W, Gemmell A, Young A. Emotion perception from dynamic and static body expressions in point-light and full-light displays. Perception 2004;33:717–46.

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