Body Language of Wave or Waving

Body Language of Wave or Waving

No picCue: Wave or Waving.

Synonym(s): N/A

Description: The hand is raised and moved back and forth palm facing out.

In One Sentence: Waving is a long distance greeting gesture.

How To Use it: Use the wave to signal “hello” or “goodbye” over a long distance or when vocalizing words is impractical.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I’m flashing my palms over a long distance as a greeting gesture to prove that I carry no weapons and mean no harm.”

Variant: See the various forms of Handshakes.

Cue In Action: a) When approaching the drive on a country walk, his neighbour and he exchanged a wave to say hello. b) While mowing the lawn, Nancy waved to Bill who was claiming his mail from the box.

Meaning and/or Motivation: Waving the hand back and forth is a greeting gesture done over long distance. Compare the wave to a handshake, hug or kiss-hello for example. Waving is appropriate when saying goodbye or hello. Those that live in the country habitually wave rather than shake hands as they are not as accustomed to allowing people into their personal space, as those who reside in the city.

The wave, as a long distance greeting, probably has roots in showing that we aren’t carrying a spear, sword, or bow and arrow. Having the hands deep in a pocket or carried behind the back can be a sign of aggression or passive threat, and our evolutionary history tells us that someone who is hiding something is someone that we shouldn’t trust. While they probably carry no weapon, the hands behind the back produces images other than the hiding a bouquet of flowers.

Showing open palms, facing up, or the “palm flash” is essentially what would have happened thousands of years ago when two foreign tribes met.

Even today we might guess that a stranger approaching us on the street was up to no good especially if they hid their hands at their backs or tucked inside a jacket.

Cue Cluster: A wave has meaning onto itself with no need for supportive cues.

Body Language Category: Greeting gesture, Honest body language, Open body language, Palm power, Rapport or rapport building, Recognition gestures.

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