Body Language of Chest Thumping
Cue: Chest Thumping
Synonym(s): Thumping The Chest.
Description: A smacking of the chest with the closed fist either lightly during low emotion or quickly and forcefully during high emotion.
In One Sentence: Chest thumping is a primitive gesture done to show animal-like dominance.
How To Use it: Use the chest thump to draw attention to the self after winning a dominance competition. It is applicable especially in sports, but it can be used when competing intellectually as well. During an argument between lovers, a single chest thump can show that you are sincere about your assertions. Chest thump can be used to show high passion. Caution should be used as the gesture is quite primitive and can backfire by appearing too animal-like.
Context: General.
Verbal Translation: a) “I’m smacking my chest because I want to emphasis something I’m saying that’s important to me.” b) “I just scored a goal or did something important, that was me that did that, I’m important, I’m the boss.” c) “I’m thumping my chest like a gorilla in a show of confidence and dominance.”
Variant: See Batoning Gesture. The fist may also pounding a table or the hand might chop violently.
Cue In Action: a) He wanted to make his point heard so when he asserted that he really needed to go fishing, he smacked his fist against his chest (each time he referenced himself) and said “I, me, I, need to get some time to myself or I’m going to explode.” b) While talking about his the recent passing of his wife, he pounded his chest with his fist as if emphasizing what he lost and how it felt to him. c) They neared blows. Clothing was removed and chests were thumped. The drunken fools acted like gorillas.
Meaning and/or Motivation: A primitive throwback to chimpanzee behaviour. Thumping the chest is a high authority and high aggression display meant to intimidate others and draw attention to the prowess of the person delivering it so as to collect adulation and attention from others as the context warrants.
Other times, chest thumping is done lightly to emphasis something that is important and dear to the heart.
Cue Cluster: Chest thumping is associated with other dominant cues such as expansive movements, arms out and away from the body, high gesticulation, arms akimbo, angry or happy facial expression, loud voice, gravity defying behaviour such as jumping up and down (in celebration) and chest puffing or broad side displays.
Body Language Category: Arrogance or arrogant body language, Aggressive body language, Anger, Authoritative body language, Confident, Dominant body language, Enthusiasm (nonverbal), Frustration or frustrated body language, High confidence body language, Hostile body language, Power play, Threat displays.
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