Category: Arousal

*No Photo, Arousal, Autonomic signal, Confused body language, Eye Language, Fearful body language, Lying or deceptive body language, Nervous Body Language, Stressful body language

Body Language of Eye Blink Rate (Rapid)

by Chris • October 21, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Eye Blink Rate (Rapid)

Cue: Eye Blink Rate (Rapid)

Synonym(s): Rapid Eye, Blink Rate, Eyes Multiblink

Description: An increase in the rate of blinking.

In One Sentence: Rapid eye blinking is a sign of high stress.

How To Use it: Rapid eye blinking is not useful as a signal as it carries mostly negative connotations. However, the actual act should not be avoided should you require quick action as blinking prepares the eyes for taking in important visual information.

Avoid rapid blinking when you think you will be judged on your honesty as many people attribute a high blink rate to stress, and stress, to lying.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I’m getting ready for action as I have detected some level of stress that requires me to do something or think of something that does not easily come to mind, my eyes are blinking fast to keep them moist and alert.”

Variant: See Eye Flutter or Batting Eyes for a related cue as well as other Eye Language (category). Eyes that blink too slowly (See Eye Blink Rate Less) are usually referred to as Staring or The Evil Eye.

Cue In Action: When asked if she would marry him, her eyes began to blink rapidly – she was stressed and didn’t know how to answer the question since they had only been dating for 3 months.

Meaning and/or Motivation: A high blink rate is often the result of excitement, arousal and stress.

Blinking is the body’s way of preparing us for action as we keep our eyes moist and alert. The normal blink rate is between six and eight times per minute but it can increase by four or five times while under pressure.

Pronounced eye blinking can also happen during sexual arousal and attraction.

A rapid series of eye blinks can also indicate an inner struggle or distress, nervousness and concern.

A high eye blink rate is also associated with lying but it can also be a signal that they are worried about being perceived as liar – so really a high blink rate is only a sign of arousal. One must find the source of the arousal to uncover lying. Eyes that multi-blink where there are a quick succession of rapid eye movement usually signifies high stress and that a person is on the verge of tears. Other times a high eye blink rate means the eyes are dry or that something is stuck in the eye.

Cue Cluster: Watch for a freeze type response, the deer in the headlights where the head freezes in place, the arms and legs seize up, the torso remains still and the face becomes blank or flushes with emotion as a person decides on a course of action.

Body Language Category: Arousal, Autonomic signal, Confused, Eye Language, Fearful body language, Lying or deceptive body language, Nervous body language, Stressful body language.

Resources:

Brefczynski-Lewis, Julie A ; Berrebi, Michael E ; Mcneely, Marie E ; Prostko, Amy L ; Puce, Aina. In the Blink of an Eye: Neural Responses Elicited to Viewing the Eye Blinks of Another Individual. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 2011 5.

Brooks, C. I., Church, M. A., & Fraser, L. 1986. Effects of duration of eye contact on judgments of personality characteristics. Journal of Social Psychology. 126: 71–78

Barbato, Giuseppe ; De Padova, Vittoria ; Paolillo, Antonella Raffaella ; Arpaia, Laura ; Russo, Eleonora ; Ficca, Gianluca. Increased spontaneous eye blink rate following prolonged wakefulness. Physiology & Behavior. 2007. 90(1): 151-154.

Condon, William, and W. Ogston (1967). “A Segmentation of Behavior.” In Journal of Psychiatric Research (Vol. 5), pp. 221-35.

Dawson, Michael E. ; Hazlett, Erin A. ; Filion, Diane L. ; Nuechterlein, Keith H. ; Schell, Anne M. Mineka, Susan (editor). Attention and Schizophrenia: Impaired Modulation of the Startle Reflex. Journal of Abnormal Psychology. 1993. 102(4): 633-641.

Drew, G. C. (1951). Variations in reflex blink-rate during visual motor tasks. Quaterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 3, 73–88.

Davis 1978. Camera Eye-Contact by the Candidates in the Presidential Debates of 1976 Source: The journalism quarterly. 55 (3): 431 -437.

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.

Kanfer, F. (1960). “Verbal Rate, Eyeblink, and Content in Structured Psychiatric Interviews.” In Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology (Vol. 61, No. 3), pp. 341-47.

Gregersen, Tammy S. Nonverbal Cues: Clues to the Detection of Foreign Language Anxiety. Foreign Language Annals. 2005. 38(3): 388-400
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/what-anxious-learners-can-tell-us-about-anxious-body-language-how-to-read-nonverbal-behavior/

Gordon, A. K. and A. G. Miller. 2000. Perspective differences in the construal of lies: is deception in the eye of the beholder? Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 26 (1): 46-55.

Gilliam, Harold V. B.; Van Den Berg, Sjef. 1980. Different Levels of Eye Contact: Effects on Black and White College Students. Urban Education. 15 (1): 83-92.

Goldman. 1980. Effect of Eye Contact and Distance on the Verbal Reinforcement of Attitude. The Journal of social psychology 111(1): 73 -78.

Greene 1979. Title: Need-Fulfillment and Consistency Theory: Relationships Between Self-Esteem and Eye Contact. Source: Western journal of speech communication. 43(2): 123 -133.

Galin, D. and Ornstein, R., 1974. Individual Differences in Cognitive Style – Reflective Eye Movements; Neuropsychologia, 12: 376-397.

Goldstein, R., Bauer, L. O., & Stern, J. A. (1992). Effect of task difficulty and interstimulus interval on blink parameters. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 13, 111–118.

Holland, M. K., & Tarlow, G. (1972). Blinking and mental load. Psychological Reports, 31, 119–127.

Holland, M. K., & Tarlow, G. (1975). Blinking and thinking. Psychological Reports, 41, 403–406. READ

Huang, Zhinjin ; Stanford, Matthew S. ; Barratt, Ernest S.. Blink rate related to impulsiveness and task demands during performance of event-related potential tasks.
Personality and Individual Differences. 1994. 16(4): 645-648.

Hocking. 1985. Eye contact contrast effects in the employment interview. Communication research reports 2(1): 5-10.

Kinsbourne, M., 1972. Eye and Head Turning Indicates Cerebral Lateralization; Science, 179: 539-541.

Kocel, K., et al.,1972. Lateral Eye Movement and Cognitive Mode; Psychon Sci. 27: 223-224.

Knackstedt, G., & Kleinke, C. L. (1991). Eye contact, gender, and personality judgments. Journal of Social Psychology, 131: 303-304.

Konopacki 1987. Eye Movement Betrays a Prospect’s Inner Feelings Source: Marketing news 21(10): 4.

Karson, Craig N. ; Berman, Karen Faith ; Donnelly, Edward F. ; Mendelson, Wallace B. ; Kleinman, Joel E. ; Wyatt, Richard Jed. Speaking, thinking, and blinking Psychiatry Research. 1981. 5(3): 243-246.

Leal, Sharon ; Vrij, Aldert. Blinking During and After Lying. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 2008. 32(4): 187-194.

Mobbs, N.A. 1968. Eye-contact in Relation to Social Introversion-Extraversion. British Journal of Social Clinical Psychology 7: 305-306.

Mann, Samantha ; Ewens, Sarah ; Shaw, Dominic ; Vrij, Aldert ; Leal, Sharon ; Hillman, Jackie. Lying Eyes: Why Liars Seek Deliberate Eye Contact. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law. 2013. 20(3): 452-461.

Mann, Samantha ; Ewens, Sarah ; Shaw, Dominic ; Vrij, Aldert ; Leal, Sharon ; Hillman, Jackie. Eye contact while lying during an interview. Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society. 1976. 7(1): 87-89.

Mann, Samantha ; Ewens, Sarah ; Shaw, Dominic ; Vrij, Aldert ; Leal, Sharon ; Hillman, Jackie. Children’s Knowledge of Deceptive Gaze Cues and Its Relation to Their Actual Lying Behavior. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. 2009. 103(2): 117-134.

Mann, Samantha ; Ewens, Sarah ; Shaw, Dominic ; Vrij, Aldert ; Leal, Sharon ; Hillman, Jackie. The Lying Chicken and the Gaze Avoidant Egg: Eye Contact, Deception, and Causal Order. Southern Communication Journal. 2006. 71(4): 401-411.

Mann, Samantha ; Ewens, Sarah ; Shaw, Dominic ; Vrij, Aldert ; Leal, Sharon ; Hillman, Jackie. Tell-tale eyes: children’s attribution of gaze aversion as a lying cue.(Author abstract). Developmental Psychology. 2008. 44(6): 1655(13).

Mann, Samantha ; Ewens, Sarah ; Shaw, Dominic ; Vrij, Aldert ; Leal, Sharon ; Hillman, Jackie. ‘Look into my eyes’: can an instruction to maintain eye contact facilitate lie detection? Psychology Crime & Law. 2010. 16(4): 327-348.

Mann, Samantha ; Ewens, Sarah ; Shaw, Dominic ; Vrij, Aldert ; Leal, Sharon ; Hillman, Jackie. Legal Interviewers Use Children’s Affect and Eye Contact Cues to Assess Credibility of Their Testimony. Early Child Development and Care. 2010. 180(3): 397-404.

Navarro, Joe. 2008. What Every BODY is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent’s Guide to Speed-Reading People. William Morrow Paperbacks.

Porter, Stephen ; Brinke, Leanne. The truth about lies: What works in detecting high-stakes deception? Legal and Criminological Psychology. 2010. 15(1): 57-75.

Rutter, D.C; D. C. Pennington, M. E. Dewey and J. Swain. 1984. Eye-contact as a chance product of individual looking: Implications for the intimacy model of Argyle and Dean. Source: Journal of nonverbal behavior. 8(4): 250-258.

Richard Tessler and Lisa Sushelsky. 1978. Effects of eye contact and social status on the perception of a job applicant in an employment interviewing situation. Journal of Vocational Behavior 13(3): 338-347.

Sitton, Sarah C; Griffin, Susan T. 1981. Detection of deception from clients’ eye contact patterns. Journal of Counseling Psychology. 28(3): 269-271.

Siegle, Greg J ; Ichikawa, Naho ; Steinhauer, Stuart. Blink before and after you think: blinks occur prior to and following cognitive load indexed by pupillary responses.
Psychophysiology. 2008. 45(5): 679-87.

Sugiyama, Toshiko ; Watanabe, Ikue ; Tada, Hideoki. Effects of position and task demands on endogenous eyeblink.(Learning & Memory). Perceptual and Motor Skills. 2013. 116(2): 406(9).

Tada, H ; Yamada, F ; Hariu, T. Changes of eye-blink activities during hypnotic state. Perceptual and motor skills. 1990. 71(3 Pt 1): 832-4.

Tada, H ; Yamada, F ; Hariu, T. Analysis of blink rate patterns in normal subjects. Movement Disorders. 1997. 12(6): 1028-1034.

Arousal, Autonomic signal, Embarrassment (nonverbal), Emotional body language, Nervous Body Language, Physiological signals, Shy nonverbal, Stressful body language

Body Language of Ear Blushing

by Chris • October 20, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Ear Blushing

Cue: Ear Blushing

Synonym(s): Ear Flushing

Description: Reddening of the ears.

In One Sentence: Ear reddening is a sign that someone is experiencing nervousness, stress, embarrassment, excitement, or is being physically active.

How To Use it: Ear reddening is not a cue that is usefully used and happens autonomically.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I’m getting worked up and blood is rushing to the periphery of my body in effort to produce a cooling effect.”

Variant: See Blanching.

Cue In Action: a) It was Stacey’s turn to present next, her heart began to race and her ears turned a bright shade of red, she was nervous. b) The marathon caused the runner to flush in the face, ears, neck and chest.

Meaning and/or Motivation: Blushing usually appears in the chest and cheeks, but it also occurs in the ears. Blushing signifies stress, excitement, embarrassment and nervousness.

Other times people are prone to blushing with relatively low stress levels as a physiological condition. Blushing can also be the result of high activity levels where blood is pumped all over the body and outer skin so it can give off heat and cool the body off.

Blushing is linked to the release of adrenaline and cortisol which courses through the body. The hormone also diverts blood flow from the digestive system and shunts it to major muscle groups giving them a burst of energy. As a side effect, our blood vessels that deliver blood to our faces dilate, meaning they relax or open, allowing more blood to reach the surface of our ears causing them to turn red.

Cue Cluster: We usually see other nervous body language with blushing such as trembling hands, head lowering, shoulder shrugging, body turned away, eye contact avoidance, shaking the head, overall freezing, and lowered voice volume.

Body Language Category: Arousal, Autonomic signal, Emotional body language, Nervous body language, Embarrassment (nonverbal), Shy nonverbal, Stressful body language, Physiological signals.

Resources:

Allen, J.A., Armstrong, J.E. and Roddie, I.C. The regional distribution of emotional
sweating in man. J. Physiol. 235, 749–759 (1973).

Altman, R.S. and Schwartz, R.A. Emotionally induced hyperhidrosis. Cutis 69, 336–338
(2002).

Bögels, Susan M. ; Alberts, Maurice ; de Jong, Peter J.. Self-consciousness, self-focused attention, blushing propensity and fear of blushing. Personality and Individual Differences. 1996. 21(4): 573-581.

Beidel, D. C., Turner, S. M., & Dancu, C. V. (1985). Physiological, cognitive and behavioral aspects of social anxiety. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 23, 109–117.

Chaker, S., Hofmann, S. G., & Hoyer, J. (2010). Can a one-weekend group therapy
reduce fear of blushing? Results of an open trial. Anxiety, Stress & Coping, 23(3),
303–318.

Chalmers, T.M. and Keele, C.A. The nervous and chemical control of sweating. Br. J. Dermatol. 64, 43–54 (1952).

Dijk, C., Voncken, M. J., & de Jong, P. J. (2009). I blush, therefore I will be judged
negatively: influence of false blush feedback on anticipated others’ judgments
and facial coloration in high and low blushing-fearfuls. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 47(7), 541–547.

Drummond, P. D., & Lance, J. W. (1987). Facial flushing and sweating mediated by the sympathetic nervous system. Brain, 110(Pt. 3), 793–803.

Drummond, Peter D and Tahnee Bailey. Eye Contact Evokes Blushing Independently of Negative Affect. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 2013. 37:207-216. DOI 10.1007/s10919-013-0155-z
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/flushed-flattered-nonverbal-truth-blushing/

Drummond, P. D. (1994). The effect of anger and pleasure on facial blood flow.
Australian Journal of Psychology, 46, 95–99.

Drummond, P. D. (1999). Facial flushing during provocation in women. Psychophysiology, 36(3), 325–332.

Drummond, P. D. (2001). The effect of true and false feedback on blushing in women.
Personality and Individual Differences, 30(8), 1329–1343.

Drummond, P. D., & Lance, J. W. (1987). Facial flushing and sweating mediated by
the sympathetic nervous system. Brain, 110(Pt. 3), 793–803.

Drummond, P. D., & Quah, S. H. (2001). The effect of expressing anger on cardiovascular reactivity and facial blood flow in Chinese and Caucasians. Psychophysiology, 38, 190–196.

Drummond, Peterd. ; Su, Daphne. The relationship between blushing propensity, social anxiety and facial blood flow during embarrassment. Cognition & Emotion. 2012. 26(3): 561-567.

Drummond, Peter D. and Lazaroo, Daniel. The effect of facial blood flow on ratings of blushing and negative affect during an embarrassing task: Preliminary findings. Journal of Anxiety Disorders. 2012. 26(2): 305-310.

Drummond, Peter D. ; Back, Kate ; Harrison, Jennifer ; Dogg Helgadottir, Fjola ; Lange, Brooke ; Lee, Chris ; Leavy, Kate ; Novatscou, Caroline ; Orner, Azalia ; Pham, Han ; Prance, Jacquie ; Radford, Danielle ; Wheatley, Lauren. Blushing during social interactions in people with a fear of blushing. Behaviour Research and Therapy. 2007. 45(7): 1601-1608.

de Jong, Peter J. ; Peters, Madelon L. Do blushing phobics overestimate the undesirable communicative effects of their blushing? Behaviour Research and Therapy, 2005. 43(6): 747-758.

Dijk, Corine ; De Jong, Peter J. Blushing-fearful individuals overestimate the costs and probability of their blushing. Behaviour research and therapy. 2012. 50(2): 158-62.

Gregson, Kim D ; Tu, Kelly M ; Erath, Stephen A. Sweating under pressure: skin conductance level reactivity moderates the association between peer victimization and externalizing behavior. Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines. 2014 55(1): 22-30.

Gross, Katharina M ; Schote, Andrea B ; Schneider, Katja Kerstin ; Schulz, André. Elevated social stress levels and depressive symptoms in primary hyperhidrosis
Meyer, Jobst. PloS one. 2014 9(3): e92412

Licht, Peter B. ; Pilegaard, Hans K. ; Ladegaard, Lars. Sympathicotomy for Isolated Facial Blushing: A Randomized Clinical Trial. The Annals of Thoracic Surgery. 2012. 94(2): 401-405.

Machado-Moreira, C.A. and Taylor, N.A. Psychological sweating from glabrous and
nonglabrous skin surfaces under thermoneutral conditions. Psychophysiology 49, 369–374 (2012).

Machado-Moreira, C.A. and Taylor, N.A. Sudomotor responses from glabrous and non-glabrous skin during cognitive and painful stimulations following passive heating. Acta Physiol. (Oxf) 204, 571–581 (2012).

Navarro, Joe. 2008. What Every BODY is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent’s Guide to Speed-Reading People. William Morrow Paperbacks.

Pelissolo, Antoine ; Moukheiber, Albert ; Lobjoie, Corine ; Valla, Jean ; Lambrey, Simon. Is there a place for fear of blushing in social anxiety spectrum? Depression and Anxiety. 2012. 29(1): 62-70.

Ruchinskas RA, Narayan RK, Meagher RJ, Furukawa S (2002) The relationship of psychopathology and hyperhidrosis. Br. J. Dermatol. 147(4): 733–735.

Ruchinskas R (2007) Hyperhidrosis and anxiety: chicken or egg? Dermatology (Basel) 214(3): 195–196.

Smidfelt, K. ; Drott, C.. Late results of endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy for hyperhidrosis and facial blushing. British Journal of Surgery. 2011. 98(12): 1719-1724

Shearn, D., Bergman, E., Hill, K., Abel, A., & Hinds, L. (1990). Facial coloration and
temperature responses in blushing. Psychophysiology, 27(6), 687–693.

Arousal, Emotional body language, Happiness body language, Physiological signals

Body Language Of Crying

by Chris • October 20, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language Of Crying

Cue: Crying

Synonym(s): Damp Eyes, Teary Eyes, Weepy Eyes, Eyes Glistening.

Description: Eyes that weep due to emotional pain.

In One Sentence: Eyes that tear demonstrate high emotion including joy and suffering.

How To Use it: Use crying to show others that you are either really happy or really hurt. Eyes are an honest signal showing others that you are experiencing intense emotions. Demonstrating pain, can help you bond with other people or gain sympathy if experience emotional of physical pain. Crying has been shown to reduce the level of punishment as it creates feelings of sympathy. Thus, when an authority figure is about to dish out their sentence, crying is nearly certain to be of benefit. Women are likely to benefit most from crying and a first reaction to being wronged is this very condition. Crying is therefore quite common from women facing judge and jury.

Crying when being hit, or being scolded, or when facing authority, often improves the outcome of a situation because it elicits sympathy from the more dominant person thereby lessening punishment. Men are not advised to use crying when facing others as this is usually read as weakness and loss of emotional control. Men are usually permitted to cry only when mourning death.

Context: General

Verbal Translation: “I’m overwhelmed with so much emotion it’s welling up and pouring out of my eyes.”

Variant: Eyes can sometimes be overjoyed due to passion, and love. Likewise, anguish, distress, and bereavement produce so much extra moisture that it makes the eyes glisten.

Cue In Action: When she found out the news, she cried with joy, her baby girl was going to be married.

Meaning and/or Motivation: Damp eyes can have many nonverbal meanings. They can indicate tiredness or suppressed weeping, anxiety or sadness. Crying symbolizes an overflowing of emotions such as sadness from emotional hurt, from pain due to physical hurt, or from extreme joy. However, crying is a universal signal of sadness.

Cue Cluster: Crying appears in a cluster that highly depends on the context. When joy is the cause, crying is accompanied by relaxed and open body language. When crying is due to sadness, closed and tight language appears in cluster.

Body Language Category: Arousal, Emotional body language, Happiness, Physiological signals.

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.

Brück, Carolin ; Kreifelts, Benjamin ; Wildgruber, Dirk. Emotional voices in context: A neurobiological model of multimodal affective information processing. Physics of Life Reviews. 2011 8(4): 383-403.

Blurton Jones, N. G. (1967). “An Ethological Study of Some Aspects of Social Behaviour of Children in Nursery School.” In Desmond Morris (Ed.), Primate Ethology (Chicago: Aldine), pp. 347-68.

Clark, Margaret S.; Rebecca L. Dyer; John A. Bargh; and Oriana R. Aragón. Dimorphous Expressions of Positive Emotion: Displays of Both Care and Aggression in Response to Cute Stimuli. Psychological Science. 2014.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/cry-joy/

Chevalier-Skolnikoff, Suzanne (1973). “Facial Expression of Emotion in Nonhuman Primates.” In Paul Ekman, ed., Darwin and Facial Expression (New York: Academic Press), pp. 11-89.

Deacon, Terrence W. (1997). The Symbolic Species: The Co-Evolution of Language and the Brain (New York: W.W. Norton).

Darwin, Charles (1872). The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, third edition (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998).

Eibl-Eibesfeldt, Irenaus (1973). “The Expressive Behaviour of the Deaf-and-Blind-Born.” In Mario von Cranach and Ian Vine (Eds.), Social Communication and Movement (European Monographs in Social Psychology 4, New York: Academic Press), pp. 163-94.

Eisenberg, Nancy ; Lennon, Randy Zeaman, David (editor). Sex differences in empathy and related capacities. Psychological Bulletin. 1983 94(1): 100-131.

Eisenberg, Nancy ; Fabes, Richard A. ; Carlo, Gustavo ; Speer, Anna Lee ; Switzer, Galen ; Karbon, Mariss ; Troyer, Debra. The Relations of Empathy-Related Emotions and Maternal Practices to Children′s Comforting Behavior. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. 1993. 55(2): 131-150.

Hendriks, Michellec. P. ; Vingerhoets, Adj. J. M.. Social messages of crying faces: Their influence on anticipated person perception, emotions and behavioural responses
Cognition & Emotion. 2006. 20(6): 878-886.

Hackett, Louisa ; Day, Andrew ; Mohr, Philip. Expectancy violation and perceptions of rape victim credibility. Legal and Criminological Psychology. 2008. 13(2):323-334.

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/

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/

Lackie, Bruce. Nonverbal communication in clinical social work practice. Clinical Social Work Journal. 1977. 5(1): 43-52.

Lin, Hung-Chu ; McFatter, Robert. Empathy and distress: Two distinct but related emotions in response to infant crying. Infant Behavior and Development. 2012. 35(4): 887-897.

Leerkes, Esther M. ; Parade, Stephanie H. ; Burney, Regan V. Origins of Mothers’ and Fathers’ Beliefs about Infant Crying. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 2010. 31(6): 467-474.

McGraw, Myrtle B. (1943). The Neuromuscular Maturation of the Human Infant (New York: Columbia University Press).

Nakayama, Hiroko. Development of infant crying behavior: A longitudinal case study
Infant Behavior and Development. 2010. 33(4): 463-471.

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.

Petriek, Goranka ; Vrci-Keglevi, Mladenka ; Lazi, Djurdjica ; Murgi, Lucija. How to deal with a crying patient? A study from a primary care setting in Croatia, using the critical incident technique. European Journal of General Practice. 2011. 17(3): 153-159.

Rottenberg, Jonathan ; Bylsma, Lauren M. ; Wolvin, Vanessa ; Vingerhoets, Ad J.J.M.
Tears of sorrow, tears of joy: An individual differences approach to crying in Dutch females. Personality and Individual Differences. 2008. 45(5): 367-372.

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/

Ten Brinke, Leanne ; Porter, Stephen. Cry me a river: identifying the behavioral consequences of extremely high-stakes interpersonal deception. Law and human behavior. 2012. 36(6): 469-77.

Teixeira Fiquer, Juliana; Paulo Sérgio Boggio and Clarice Gorenstein. Talking Bodies: Nonverbal Behavior in the Assessment of Depression Severity. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2013. 150: 1114-1119.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/using-nonverbal-behaviour-to-assess-depression-severity/

Tilburg, Miranda A. L. ; Unterberg, Marielle L. ; Vingerhoets, Ad J. J. M. Crying during adolescence: The role of gender, menarche, and empathy. British Journal of Developmental Psychology. 2002. 20(1): 77-87.

Wiesenfeld, Alan R. ; Whitman, Patricia B. ; Malatesta, Carol Z. Hogan, Robert (editor)
Individual differences among adult women in sensitivity to infants: Evidence in support of an empathy concept. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1984. 46(1): 118-124.

Zeskind, Philip Sanford ; Marshall, Timothy R. The relation between variations in pitch and maternal perceptions of infant crying. Child Development. 1988 59(1): 193(4).

Arousal, Lying or deceptive body language, Nervous Body Language, Stressful body language

Body Language of The Collar Pull

by Chris • October 20, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of The Collar Pull

Cue: Collar Pull

Synonym(s): Venting, Ventilator (the), Pulling At The Collar.

Description: The collar is pulled away from the neck as if ventilating. Other times, the tie may be adjusted or loosened.

In One Sentence: Pulling on the collar is a signal that a person is experiencing discomfort due to high body temperature or nervousness.

How To Use it: One should generally avoid this gesture as it shows that one is experiencing discomfort. However, if one wishes to show others to back off, and that one is tense, then it can be useful.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I’m getting a little bit stressed and hot under the collar so I’m pulling my collar away from my neck to let some of the heat escape.”

Variant: Sleeves are sometimes pulled away from the body or ties may be loosened or removed. See Neck Scratching or Neck Massaging, Symbolic Stripping or Removing Clothing.

Cue In Action: As the pressure from the negotiation increased, Steve removed his tie and began tugging on his collar to let some hot air escape.

Meaning and/or Motivation: The collar pull is sometimes associated with liars, but it is more reliably associated with an overall increase in temperature and blood flow to the neck which may or may not be due to an increase in stress. When the collar pull cue is caused by stress, it is an attempt to reduce the pain caused by irritated nerves located in the neck which are being compressed by a tight shirt. When stress increases, our face and necks flush with blood and we pull our collar away as an unconscious indication of this process.

Other times, the collar pull is a way to release heat created by our bodies while under pressure and discomfort from a neck that has become moist due to sweating. Sometimes, however, this too is due to an increase in stress that causes more irritation as sweat creates additional friction. Other times the collar pull has no meaning and is due to an uncomfortable shirt collar rubbing against the skin.

Cue Cluster: The collar pull is often found with tie removal or tie adjustment, pulling at the sleeves, blushing or flushing of the face, perspiration, touching or scratching of the face and cheeks, front and back of the neck and ears. Often the hands will pacify with auto-touching.

Body Language Category: Arousal, Lying or deceptive body language or dishonesty Nervous, Stressful body language, Nervous energy.

Resources:

Allen, J.A., Armstrong, J.E. and Roddie, I.C. The regional distribution of emotional
sweating in man. J. Physiol. 235, 749–759 (1973).

Altman, R.S. and Schwartz, R.A. Emotionally induced hyperhidrosis. Cutis 69, 336–338
(2002).

Beidel, D. C., Turner, S. M., & Dancu, C. V. (1985). Physiological, cognitive and behavioral aspects of social anxiety. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 23, 109–117.

Chalmers, T.M. and Keele, C.A. The nervous and chemical control of sweating. Br. J. Dermatol. 64, 43–54 (1952).

Drummond PD and Lance JW (1987) Facial flushing and sweating mediated by the sympathetic nervous system. Brain 110 (Pt 3): 793–803.

Drummond, P. D., & Quah, S. H. (2001). The effect of expressing anger on cardiovascular reactivity and facial blood flow in Chinese and Caucasians. Psychophysiology, 38, 190–196.

Drummond, P. D. (1994). The effect of anger and pleasure on facial blood flow.
Australian Journal of Psychology, 46, 95–99.

Drummond, P. D. (1999). Facial flushing during provocation in women. Psychophysiology, 36(3), 325–332.

Drummond, P. D. (2001). The effect of true and false feedback on blushing in women.
Personality and Individual Differences, 30(8), 1329–1343.

Drummond, P. D., & Lance, J. W. (1987). Facial flushing and sweating mediated by the sympathetic nervous system. Brain, 110(Pt. 3), 793–803.

Drummond, Peterd. ; Su, Daphne. The relationship between blushing propensity, social anxiety and facial blood flow during embarrassment. Cognition & Emotion. 2012. 26(3): 561-567.

Eisenach, J.H., Atkinson, J.L. and Fealey, R.D. Hyperhidrosis: evolving therapies for a well-established phenomenon. Mayo Clin. Proc. 80, 657–666 (2005).

Krogstad, A. L. ; Mork, C. ; Piechnik, S. K. Daily pattern of sweating and response to stress and exercise in patients with palmar hyperhidrosis. British Journal of Dermatology. 2006. 154(6): 1118-1122.

Machado-Moreira, C.A. and Taylor, N.A. Psychological sweating from glabrous and
nonglabrous skin surfaces under thermoneutral conditions. Psychophysiology 49, 369–374 (2012).

Navarro, Joe. 2008. What Every BODY is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent’s Guide to Speed-Reading People. William Morrow Paperbacks.

Ogawa T (1975) Thermal influence on palmar sweating and mental influence on generalized sweating in man. Jpn. J. Physiol. 25(4): 525–536.

Ruchinskas RA, Narayan RK, Meagher RJ, Furukawa S (2002) The relationship of psychopathology and hyperhidrosis. Br. J. Dermatol. 147(4): 733–735.

Ruchinskas R (2007) Hyperhidrosis and anxiety: chicken or egg? Dermatology (Basel) 214(3): 195–196.

Schmidt‐rose, T. ; Lehmbeck, F. ; Bürger, A. ; Windisch, B. ; Keyhani, R. ; Max, H. Efficient sweat reduction of three different antiperspirant application forms during stress‐induced sweating. International Journal of Cosmetic Science. 2013 35(6): 622-631.

Sato, K. The physiology, pharmacology and biochemistry of the eccrine sweat gland. Rev. Physiol. Biochem. Pharmacol. 79, 51–131 (1977).

Wilke K, Martin A, Terstegen L, Biel SS (2007) A short history of sweat gland biology. Int J Cosmet Sci 29(3): 169–179.

Wilson, Thad E. Sweating the details: what really drives eccrine output during exercise-heat stress.(Report). Journal of Physiology. 2013. 591: 2777(1)

*No Photo, Arousal, Negative body language, Nervous Body Language, Stressful body language

Body Language of The Cold Dead Wet Fish Handshake

by Chris • October 20, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of The Cold Dead Wet Fish Handshake

Cue: Cold Dead Wet Fish Handshake

Synonym(s): Clammy Handshake

Description: A particularly disgusting cold and damp handshake.

In One Sentence: The cold dead wet fish handshake signals stress and nervousness, and thus, forms a bad impression overall.

How To Use it: N/A.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: a) “I’m so stressed that I’m in a cold sweat and that shows in my hand.” b) “I have a perspiration problem making my hands sweat for no reason.” c) “I’m nervous and excited.” d) “I’ve been holding a cold drink all night that has been condensing on my hand.”

Variant: See Country Handshake (The), Cold Dead Wet Fish Handshake, Double Gripper Politician Handshake or Double Hander (The), Short Grabber/Finger Grabber Handshake, Oddball Handshake, Palm Up, Palm Down and Palm Even Handshakes, Stiff Arm And Thrust Forward Handshake, Death Grip Handshake, Wrench Forward Handshake, Undershaker Handshake, Wrist Hold Handshake, Wrist Hold Handshake and Upper Arm Grip Handshake, Limp Fish Handshake, Teacup Handshake, Arm Twister Handshake (The), Firm handshake, Fist Bumping.

Cue In Action: Bill and Jill shook hands, but a disgusted look came across Bill’s face. He noted that her hand was cold and damp and figured that she must have been pretty scared about having to present.

Meaning and/or Motivation: A cold, yet moist hand is likely due to high stress, nervousness or fear. So when people shake hands with a damp hand we attach negative feelings to them.

A cold, damp hand can be due to holding a cold drink or keeping the hands in the pockets, or having recently washed the hands. In these instances, little hidden meaning is evident.

Cue Cluster: The cold dead wet fish handshake is associated with flushing or blanching of the face, touching the face or scratching the neck, smoothing clothing such as palms over thighs to try to dry the sweat, hands in pockets to try to keep them warm, which may actually make matters worse, or be the cause of cold wet hands, as well as other pacifying and discomfort cues.

Body Language Category: Arousal, Negative body language, Nervous body language, Stressful body language.

Resources:

Allen, J.A., Armstrong, J.E. and Roddie, I.C. The regional distribution of emotional sweating in man. J. Physiol. 235, 749–759 (1973).

Altman, R.S. and Schwartz, R.A. Emotionally induced hyperhidrosis. Cutis 69, 336–338. (2002).

Aström, J ; Thorell, L H ; Holmlund, U ; D’Elia, G. Handshaking, personality, and psychopathology in psychiatric patients, a reliability and correlational study. Perceptual and motor skills 1993, Vol.77(3 Pt 2): 1171-86.

Chalmers, T.M. and Keele, C.A. The nervous and chemical control of sweating. Br. J. Dermatol. 64, 43–54 (1952).

Chaplin William F.; Phillips Jeffrey B; Brown Jonathan D.; Clanton Nancy R.; Stein Jennifer L.; 2000. Handshaking, gender, personality, and first impressions Journal of personality and social psychology. 79(1): 110-117.

Cooper, Ella A.; John Garlick; Eric Featherstone; Valerie Voon; Tania Singer; Hugo D. Critchley and Neil A. Harrison. You Turn Me Cold: Evidence for Temperature Contagion. PLoS ONE 9(12): e116126. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0116126. http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/mirror-cold-nonverbals-influence-real-body-temperate-others/

Dolcos, Sanda ; Sung, Keen ; Argo, Jennifer J ; Flor-Henry, Sophie ; Dolcos, Florin. The power of a handshake: neural correlates of evaluative judgments in observed social interactions. Journal of cognitive neuroscience. 2012 24(12): 2292-305.

Frumin, Idan; Ofer Perl; Yaara Endevelt-Shapira; Ami Eisen; Neetai Eshel; Iris Heller; Maya Shemesh; Aharon Ravia; Lee Sela; Anat Arzi and Noam Sobel. A Social Chemosignaling Function for Human Handshaking. eLife 2015. 4:e05154
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.05154.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/shake-hands-share-human-scent-curious-case-hand-sniffing-body-language/

Fisher, J; Rytting, M and Heslin, R. 1976. Hands touching hands: affective and evaluative effects on interpersonal touch, Sociometry 39: 416–421.

Fiske, S.T., Cuddy, A.J., & Glick, P. (2007). Universal Dimensions Of Social Cognition: Warmth And Competence. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 11, 7-83.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/experiencing-physical-warmth-promotes-interpersonal-warmth/

Gueguen, Nicolas. Handshaking and Compliance With a Request – A Door-to-door Setting. Social Behavior and Personality. 2013. 41(10): 1585-1588.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/handshakes-lead-compliance-study/

Greenbaum, Paul ; Rosenfeld, Howard. Varieties of touching in greetings: Sequential structure and sex-related differences. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 1980. 5(1): 13-25.

Hiemstra, Kathleen M. Shake My Hand: Making the Right First Impression in Business With Nonverbal Communications.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included). Business Communication Quarterly. 1999. 62(4): 71.

Jeffrey D. Fisher; Marvin Rytting; Richard Heslin. 1976. Hands Touching Hands: Affective and Evaluative Effects of an Interpersonal Touch. Sociometry, 39(4): 416-421.

Lipsitz, Rebecca (2000). “A Gripping Start.” In Scientific American (September), p. 32.

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

Ogawa T (1975) Thermal influence on palmar sweating and mental influence on generalized sweating in man. Jpn. J. Physiol. 25(4): 525–536.

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

Ruchinskas RA, Narayan RK, Meagher RJ, Furukawa S (2002) The relationship of psychopathology and hyperhidrosis. Br. J. Dermatol. 147(4): 733–735.

Ruchinskas R (2007) Hyperhidrosis and anxiety: chicken or egg? Dermatology (Basel) 214(3): 195–196.

Sanda Dolcos; Keen Sung; Jennifer J. Argo; Sophie Flor-Henry and Florin Dolcos. The Power of a Handshake: Neural Correlates of Evaluative Judgments in Observed Social Interactions. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience. 24; 12: 2292–2305.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/handshake-open-body-language-powerful-nonverbal-effect-brain/

Stewart, Greg L. ; Dustin, Susan L. ; Barrick, Murray R. ; Darnold, Todd C. Zedeck, Sheldon (editor). Exploring the Handshake in Employment Interviews. Journal of Applied Psychology. 2008 93(5): 1139-1146.

Spezialetti, Brian D. Do’s and don’ts for winning the job interview. (laboratory technicians). Medical Laboratory Observer. 1995. 27(7): 51-53.

Wesson, David A. The handshake as non-verbal communication in business. (marketing technique). Marketing Intelligence & Planning. 1992. 10(9): 61(6).

Williams, L.E., & Bargh, J.A. (2008). Experiencing Physical Warmth Promotes Interpersonal Warmth. Science, 322, 606-607.

Zhong, Chen-Bo and Geoffrey J. Leonardelli. Cold and Lonely Does Social Exclusion Literally Feel Cold? Association for Psychological Science. 2008. 19(9): 838-842.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/social-exclusion-literally-feels-cold-study/

*No Photo, Arousal, Autonomic signal, Embarrassment (nonverbal), Emotional body language, Nervous Body Language, Shy nonverbal, Stressful body language

The Body Language Of Blushing

by Chris • October 18, 2014 • 0 Comments

The Body Language Of Blushing

Cue: Blushing

Synonym(s): Turning Red, Red Face.

Description: A reddening of the cheeks.

In One Sentence: Blushing is a signal that the body is experiencing emotional distress or is overheating due to exercise.

How To Use it: Blushing is an autonomic process that can not be consciously controlled. However, the use of artificial blush by women can make them appear flush and so more sexually appealing as it signifies that one is excited and youthful. Colouring the cheeks also produces a more healthy appearance. If one is overly flush, make-up can help dull the colouring to appear more normal. A healthy red hew is a sign of youthfulness and can be used to create positive impressions.

Context: General, Stress.

Verbal Translation: “I’m stressed and blood is being pumped all over my body to get ready to do something.” “I’m exercising and blood is rushing to the surface of my face in order to help my body cool off.”

Variant: See Ear Blushing, Blanching.

Cue In Action: It was Stacey’s turn to present next, her heart began to race and her face turned a bright shade of red. She was nervous.”

Meaning and/or Motivation: Blushing is linked to the release of adrenaline and cortisol which courses through the body when people get excited, feel pressure, are nervous, embarrassed or stressed. The hormone also diverts blood flow from the digestive system and shunts it to major muscle groups giving them a burst of energy.

As a side effect, our blood vessels that deliver blood to our faces dilate, meaning they relax or open, allowing more blood to reach the surface causing them to turn red. Blushing usually appears in the cheeks and often the upper chest.

Some people are prone to blushing with relatively low stress levels as a physiological condition. Blushing can also be the result of high activity levels where blood is pumped all over the body including the outer skin as a method for our body to cool itself by dissipating excess heat.

Body Language Category: Arousal, Autonomic signal, Embarrassment (nonverbal), Emotional body language, Nervous body language, Shy nonverbal, Stressful body language.

Resources:

Beidel, D. C., Turner, S. M., & Dancu, C. V. (1985). Physiological, cognitive and behavioral aspects of social anxiety. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 23, 109–117.

Chaker, S., Hofmann, S. G., & Hoyer, J. (2010). Can a one-weekend group therapy reduce fear of blushing? Results of an open trial. Anxiety, Stress & Coping, 23(3),
303–318.

Drummond, P. D. (1994). The effect of anger and pleasure on facial blood flow. Australian Journal of Psychology, 46, 95–99.

Drummond, P. D. (1999). Facial flushing during provocation in women. Psychophysiology, 36(3), 325–332.

Drummond, P. D. (2001). The effect of true and false feedback on blushing in women. Personality and Individual Differences, 30(8), 1329–1343.