Body Language of Asymmetry
Cue: Asymmetry
Synonym(s): Uneven Body Language, Lack Of Symmetry.
Description: When body language occurs without symmetry from the left to the right side of the body. This can include awkward smiles, uneven shoulder raises, gestures that are uneven across each side such as one palm up with the other in a pocket, and facial expressions that are not replicated on each side of the face.
In One Sentence: Asymmetry in the body tells others that one is not fully committed to the nonverbal signal and its underlying meaning.
How To Use it: Use a half shrug, or one palm up, half smile, and so forth, in order to show others that you aren’t really committed either way – a sort of nonverbal “whatever.”
Be careful to avoid the cue when trying to appear honest and trustworthy. In other words, to signal that you really don’t know, shrug both shoulders high and in unison.
Context: General.
Verbal Translation: “I can’t totally commit to the body language because I don’t fully agree, so my body is only partially going through the motions.”
Variant: See Uneven Smile Or Lopsided Smile, Uneven Shoulder Shrugs, Artificial Smile or Fake Smile.
Cue In Action: The teacher asked the students who took the chalk. She looked around and asked again. A small group of students did full shoulder shrugs, a few did nothing, but averted their eyes, and one student turned one hand palm up and kept the other palm on his lap. She had a lead worth pursuing.
Meaning and/or Motivation: When body language is not even across both sides of the body, it is a clue that someone is being dishonest due to lack of congruence. Asymmetry can show when emotions are faked or feigned. It is as if the body can not commit totally to lie and so only does half the gesture. In other words, the mind puts the brakes on the motion and can’t bear doing it fully and emphatically.
Thus, shoulder shrugs might come up only on the left or right, a smile might be uneven, the palm of one hand might turn upwards showing honesty, but the other revealing dishonestly by being left on the lap.
Cue Cluster: Watch for eyes averted, head lowered, ventral denial, leaning away, toes pointed toward the exit, touching the face, wiping the palms on the thighs and so forth.
Body Language Category: Lying or deceptive body language.
Resources:
Navarro, Joe. 2008. What Every BODY is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent’s Guide to Speed-Reading People. William Morrow Paperbacks.