Category: Closed body language

Anger body language, Clenching and gripping, Closed body language, Closed facial gestures, Emotional body language, Frustration or frustrated body language, Honest body language, Leaked or involuntary body language, Masked body language, Negative body language

Body Language of Compressed Lips or Stiff Upper Lip

by Chris • October 20, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Compressed Lips or Stiff Upper Lip

Cue: Compressed Lips

Synonym(s): Tight Lips, Lip Compression, Disappearing Lips, Stiff Upper Lip, Inward Lip Roll, Lip Pursing, Lip Puckering, Pursed Lips, Puckering, Prune Lips.

Description: Done by pressing the lips together to the point where they begin to disappear.

In One Sentence: Lip compression is a negative thought indicator.

How To Use it: Compress the lips when you want others to know that you disapprove of them or their ideas but do not wish to speak out and say so verbally. Compressing the lips also shows others that you are anxious or stressed. By demonstrating this “honest cue” one can show others that you wish for them to change their tactic to better suit your stance.

Context: General

Verbal Translation: “I’m having a hard time with this and so I’m going to suck my lip in and consume it while I deal with negative thought or while I am in deep concentration.” “I’m biting back my words.” “I’m holding something back with my mouth by pressing my lips together so no negative thoughts escape which may get me into trouble.”

Variant: The jaw is often tensed coupled with compressed lips showing additional negative thoughts. Note that Compressed Lips (lips flattened) is related, but not the same as a Lip Pucker (lips pushed out).

Cue In Action: a) She really wanted to speak out about the eighteen year old would-be-wife but she maintained a stiff upper lip and kept quiet. b) He was really contemplating a thought, and wanted to speak-up, you could tell from his compressed lips, but instead he kept steady and quiet. c) She rarely held full, relaxed lips, she carried many negative thoughts around with her throughout the day.

Meaning and/or Motivation: A universal trait done to signify stress, anxiety, anger, frustration and an overall negative thought indicator. The lips are tightened to contain and stifle emotion or signal deep concentration and internal turmoil. It is opposite to full expressive lips that show contentment. The subconscious mind is essentially telling the body to close down and not let anything out – to bottle it up and withhold information or feelings.

Tight compressed lips happen honestly and immediately so reflect true stress sentiments revealing a troubled mind.

Alternatively, a tight lip indicates thought process when someone is indecisive. This can be particularly useful in business. Picture someone reading a document or contract aloud. Lip pursing will happen in real time as judgment arises. Other times, lip pursing is done to show outright disagreement. Usually the eyebrows will frown in unison with pursed lips. Lip pursing is a very reliable indicator of different thought processing, and it would be foolish to ignore it. Watch the lips for these quick flashes will tell you a lot about what is going on inside someone’s head. Tight lips can also form due to sexual arousal and sexual tension, but this comes across more as pursing with accompanying sexual clues.

Cue Cluster: Compressed lips are accompanied by other restraint postures such as hand to the back of the neck, hand clenching, eye contact avoidance, head turned away and ventral denial and jaw clenching.

Body Language Category: Anger, Clenching and gripping, Closed body language, Closed facial gestures, Emotional body language, Honest body language, Frustration or frustrated body language, Leaked or involuntary body language, Masked body language, Negative body language.

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.

Berkowitz, L., & Harmon-Jones, E. (2004). Toward an understanding of the determinants of anger. Emotion, 4, 107-130.

Calvo, Manuel ; Fernández-Martín, Andrés. Can the eyes reveal a person’s emotions? Biasing role of the mouth expression. Motivation and Emotion. 2013. 37(1): 202-211.

Carvajal, Fernando ; Rubio, Sandra ; Serrano, Juan ; Ríos-Lago, Marcos ; Alvarez-Linera, Juan ; Pacheco, Lara ; Martín, Pilar. Is a neutral expression also a neutral stimulus? A study with functional magnetic resonance. Experimental Brain Research, 2013. 228(4): 467-479.

Curtis V, Aunger R, Rabie T (2004) Evidence that disgust evolved to protect from risk of disease. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B 271: S131–S133. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2003.0144. PubMed: 15252963.

Carroll JM, Russell JA (1996) Do facial expressions signal specific emotions? Judging emotion from the face in context. J Pers Soc Psychol 70: 205–218. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.70.2.205. PubMed: 8636880.

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.

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

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

Ekman, P. & O’Sullivan, M. (1991). Who can catch a liar? American Psychologist. 46, 913-920.

Feldman, Robert S. ; Devin-Sheehan, Linda ; Allen, Vernon L. Nonverbal Cues as Indicators of Verbal Dissembling. American Educational Research Journal. 1978. 15(2): 217-231.

Guéguen, Nicolas. Does Red Lipstick Really Attract Men? An Evaluation in a Bar. International Journal of Psychological Studies. 2012. 4(2)

Giuseppe Blasi; Ahmad R. Hariri; Guilna Alce; Paolo Taurisano; Fabio Sambataro; Saumitra Das; Alessandro Bertolino; Daniel R. Weinberger and Venkata S. Mattay. Preferential Amygdala Reactivity to the Negative Assessment of Neutral Faces. 2009. 6(9): 847-853.

Gagnon, Mathieu ; Gosselin, Pierre ; Hudon-ven der Buhs, Isabelle ; Larocque, Karine ; Milliard, Karine. Children’s Recognition and Discrimination of Fear and Disgust Facial Expressions. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 2010. 34(1): 27-42.

Goodall, Jane (1986). The Chimpanzees of Gombe: Patterns of Behavior (Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard University).

Kunz, Miriam ; Peter, Jessica ; Huster, Sonja ; Lautenbacher, Stefan Gray, Marcus (Editor). Pain and Disgust: The Facial Signaling of Two Aversive Bodily Experiences (Comparing Facial Expressions of Pain and Disgust). 2013. 8(12): p.e83277

Kraft, Tara L ; Pressman, Sarah D. Grin and Bear It. Psychological Science. 2012. 23(11): 1372-1378.

Liu, Chao ; Ge, Yue ; Luo, Wen-bo ; Luo, Yue-jia. Show your teeth or not: The role of the mouth and eyes in smiles and its cross-cultural variations. Behavioral and Brain Sciences. 2010. 33(6): 450-452.

Matsumoto, David ; Hwang, Hyisung C. Desteno, David (editor). Judgments of Subtle Facial Expressions of Emotion. Emotion. 2014. 14(2): 349-357.

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

Pell, Philip J. ; Richards, Anne. Cross-emotion facial expression aftereffects. Vision Research. 2011. 51(17): 1889-1896.

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.
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Shah, Rebecca ; Lewis, Michael. Locating the neutral expression in the facial-emotion space. Visual Cognition. 2003. 10(5): 549-566.

Schnall, S., Haidt, J., Clore, G. L., & Jordan, A. H. (2008). Disgust as embodied moral judgment. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 34, 1096–1109. doi:10.1177/0146167208317771.

Tipples, Jason. Wide eyes and an open mouth enhance facial threat. Cognition & Emotion. 2007. 21(3): 535-557.

Vanderhasselt, Marie – Anne ; Kühn, Simone ; De Raedt, Rudi. Put on your poker face’: neural systems supporting the anticipation for expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. 2013 8(8): 903-910.

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Woud, Marcella L. ; Becker, Eni S. ; Lange, Wolf – Gero ; Rinck, Mike. Effects of approach-avoidance training on implicit and explicit evaluations of neutral, angry, and smiling face stimuli.(Relationships & Communications). Psychological Reports. 2013. 113(1): 1211(18).

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http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/read-kids-dislike-food-facial-expressions-accurate-detecting-dislike-not-like-children/

Barriers, Closed body language, Defensive body language, Distancing or moving away, Seating arrangements

Body Language of Competitive Head-To-Head Seating Arrangement

by Chris • October 20, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Competitive Head-To-Head Seating Arrangement

Cue: Competitive Head-To-Head Seating Arrangement

Synonym(s): Head-To-Head Sitting Position, Sitting Face-To-Face, Sitting Square, Head-On Sitting Position.

Description: A seating arrangement where people sit facing each other directly from across a table.

In One Sentence: The competitive head-to-head seating arrangement signals that one is prepared to square off in battle.

How To Use it: Use this seating arrangement when one wishes to set one apart from another. When you are sure your ideas will oppose another, then sitting on the other side of the table will help show others nonverbally that one is not in agreement. Lawyers are advised to square off in this fashion as it shows that they are against the opposite lawyer while being linked to their clients. In other words, their affiliation is nonverbally obvious.

Bosses, can set up employees in head-to-head arrangements in order to spark debate between them. This can help them come up with competing and often novel solutions to problems.

Head-to-head is common in dating, but it is a double edged sword. Since dates in the West are usually conducted as “job interviews” where one faces off against their opponent, this sitting arrangement works well. It permits the two individuals to share relevant information, answer questions, and each person is able to study the facial expressions of their counterpart. However, this produces a sterile, and, as mentioned, a combative environment. To fix this, simply move to the same side of the table.

Context: a) General b) Business.

Verbal Translation: “We generally disagree with one another and need to keep separate and face off in a competitive position, head-to-head.”

Variant: Chairs can face head-to-head across square, rectangular or circular tables, but the arrangement means the same. See other seating arrangements for variants such as Casual Corner Seating Arrangement and Cooperative Side-By-Side Seating Arrangement.

Cue In Action: a) During the preliminary divorce proceedings Jill and Dave sat across from one another coupled with their proper lawyers in the cooperative side-by-side arrangement. b) Mary always took up the opposite seat to Dave and had a habit of always undermining his opinion.

Meaning and/or Motivation: Competitive head-to-head position sets up combative situations. This closed seating positions convey formality, distance and authority, defensiveness and even divisiveness. Open orientations with chair on the same side of the table convey interest and comfort.

Even when competition isn’t directly encouraged, research finds that the closed position still becomes an issue because the table provides a clear boundary between each party.

Sitting at odds of one another might seem like a great idea during a date because it offers full view, but if true intimacy is desired, then sitting on the same side of the table is advised. When couples do this on a first date, they invite a question and answer, ‘interview style’ interaction where each party tends to face off and challenge one another instead of creating affiliation and cooperation.

Cue Cluster: Parties can either be leaning in to show aggression or leaning backward in a passive posture. Various degrees of aggressiveness might also be present such as finger pointing, loud voices, batoning or averted eyes, head lowered and quiet voice.

Body Language Category: Barriers, Seating arrangements, Closed body language, Defensive, Distancing or moving away.

Resources:

Argyle, M., & Dean, I. Eye contact, distance and affiliation. Sociometry, 1965, 28, 289-304.

Boucher, Michael L. Holzberg, Jules D. (editor). Effect of seating distance on interpersonal attraction in an interview situation. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 1972 38(1): 15-19.

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Danielle Jackson, Erika Engstrom and Tara Emmers-Sommer. 2007. Think Leader, Think Male and Female: Sex vs. Seating Arrangement as Leadership Cues. Sex Roles. 57 (9/10): 713-723.

Felipe, N. Interpersonal distance and small group interaction. Cornell Journal of Social Relations, 1966, 1, 59-64.

Felipe, N. Connotations of seating arrangements. Cornell Journal of Social Relations, 1967, 2, 37-44.

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Gardin, Hershel ; Kaplan, Kalman J. ; Firestone, Ira J. ; Cowan, Gloria A. Lanzetta, John T. (editor). Proxemic effects on cooperation, attitude, and approach-avoidance in a Prisoner’s Dilemma game. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1973. 27(1): 13-18.

Greenberg, J. 1976. The role of seating position in group interaction: a review, with applications for group trainers. Group & Organization Management 1 (3): 310-327.

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Kenner, Andrew N. ; Katsimaglis, George. Gender differences in proxemics: taxi-seat choice. Psychological Reports. 1993 72(2): 625(2).

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Norum, G.A., Russo, N.J., and Sommer, R. 1967. Seating patterns and group tasks. Source: Psychology in the schools. 4(3): 276-280.

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Anger body language, Barriers, Blading, Body pointing, Closed body language, Disengagement body language, Dislike (nonverbal), Distancing or moving away, Escape movements, Negative body language, Orienting reflex or orienting response, Protective reflexes

Body Language of The Cold Shoulder

by Chris • October 20, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of The Cold Shoulder

Cue: Cold Shoulder

Synonym(s): N/A

Description: Turning away from someone is the cold shoulder.

In One Sentence: Turning away from another person signifies that one is diverging away from them and/or their ideas.

How To Use it: Turn the cold shoulder when you want to tell others that you disagree with them. The cold shoulder can be used in relationships to show that you are not willing to follow the same path. To use the cold shoulder make sure that it is done quickly and in immediate conjunction with whatever idea sparked the disapproval.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I don’t like what you saying or doing and so I’m going to turn my body away in disgust.”

Variant: See Blading Body Language, Body Angling or Ventral Displays.

Cue In Action: When Jane found out that the other girls were invited to a sleep over and she wasn’t, she quickly turned her body away and sulked.

Meaning and/or Motivation: The cold shoulder indicates aloofness, indifference and dismissal. It creates a barrier and separation between two people. People will turn the cold shoulder when they have disagreement with others and want to block them off from communication.

Its historical origins are believed to be a reference to the serving of an inferior cut of meat to undesirable guests. The cold shoulder of mutton versus more fanciful meal of roast and fixings.

Cue Cluster: The cold shoulder can be amplified with a downturned mouth, a quick glance with a look of disdain and create feelings of scorn and derision.

Body Language Category: Anger, Barriers, Body pointing, Blading, Closed body language, Disengagement, Dislike (nonverbal), Distancing or moving away, Escape movements, Negative body language, Orienting reflex or orienting response, Protective reflexes.

Resources:

Allison, T., Puce, A., & McCarthy, G. (2000). Social perception from visual cues: role of the STS region. Trends in Cognitive Neurosciences, 4, 267–278.

Broth, Mathias and Lorenza Mondada. Walking Away: The Embodied Achievement of Activity Closings in Mobile Interaction. Journal of Pragmatics. 2013. 47: 41-58.
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Belhiah, Hassan. Tutoring as an embodied activity: How speech, gaze and body orientation are coordinated to conduct ESL tutorial business. Journal of Pragmatics. 2009. 41(4): 829-841.

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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/

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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.
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Kaminski, Juliane ; Call, Josep ; Tomasello, Michael. Body orientation and face orientation: two factors controlling apes’ begging behavior from humans
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Puce, Allison, T and McCarthy, G. (2000). Social perception from visual cues: role of the STS region. Trends in Cognitive Neurosciences, 4, 267–278.

Robinson, Jeffrey David. Getting Down to Business Talk, Gaze, and Body Orientation During Openings of Doctor-Patient Consultations. Human Communication Research. 1998. 25(1): 97-123.

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Barriers, Body cross, Closed body language, Masked body language, Negative body language

Body Language Of Coffee Cup Barrier Or Handbag Barrier

by Chris • October 20, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language Of Coffee Cup Barrier Or Handbag Barrier

Cue: Coffee Cup Barrier or Handbag Barrier

Synonym(s): Barriers, Drink Barrier, Blocking, Shields, Handbag Barrier, Placing Objects In Front, Hiding Behind Objects, Clutching A Jacket Over The Chest, Books Over The Chest, Hugging Books, Hugging A Jacket.

Description: While sitting or standing, a drink is held across the front of the body as if the arms were crossed.

In One Sentence: Blocking the body off with a barrier such as a cup of coffee is a way to partially block off the body from outside interference.

How To Use it: While is it generally advised to keep the body open to others, one can send a message of caution to others by holding a drink horizontally in front of the body to create a barrier. This will help you feel more comfortable by maintain separation.

In a dating context, the barrier can be used by women to show men that they are not willing to develop high intimacy. When a drink is not available, one can grasp the other wrist or play with a wrist band, watch, or for men, a cufflink.

These cues should be avoided when one wishes to appear confident, however.

Context: a) General b) Dating c) Business

Verbal Translation: “I’m using my drink or other object in a masked arm cross to give me protective feelings because I feel uneasy and exposed.”

Variant: Any object such as a purse, book, binder or papers, or jacket can be held against the chest to act as a protective devise. The cufflink or a wristwatch can also be played with to create another masked arm cross. See Masked Arm Cross.

Cue In Action: a) As Dave and Jim sat at dinner, they each held their glass on the opposite side and rested their arm across the table to maintain separation. b) While socializing with an attractive woman, he held his beer at chest level across the front of his body. c) When it came time to decide on the deal, she took a sip of her coffee and placed it back on the table. This time it was on the opposite side and she held her forearm across the table. He new she wasn’t going to come to a favourable decision.

Meaning and/or Motivation: Holding an object across the body is a way to cross the arms without actually crossing them. It is a way that people can appear to be open, but still find the security of cutting off the body from perceived attack. Holding a drink across the body as barrier is a closed body position, which is either unintentional and done out of habit, or is actually a signal indicating a negative thought.

Many times people will find drinks at social gatherings when first arriving. An alcoholic drink not only gives them more social confidence but also gives their hands something to do and more importantly it helps form a barrier across their chest, keeping people at a distance.

If the cue is done routinely, then it usually only indicates a mild need for security and protection afforded by a barrier. If it happens suddenly such as during a negotiation, it often indicates that a person has cooled to an idea and it will likely be met with rejection.

Cue Cluster: Watch for other negative or insecure body language such as touching the face, leaning away, feet pointed away, cowering, blushing, turning the torso away and so forth to decide just how much a person wishes to protect themselves.

Body Language Category: Barriers, Body cross, Masked body language, Negative body language, Closed body language, Security blankets.

Resources:

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Body size reduction, Closed body language, Emotional body language, Low confidence body language, Negative body language, Orienting reflex or orienting response, Pensive displays, Protective reflexes, Stressful body language

Body Language of Cocooning

by Chris • October 20, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Cocooning

Cue: Cocooning

Synonym(s): Rolling Into A Ball, Curling Up, Slumping, Putting On Headphones, Texting In Public, Reading A Book In Public.

Description: There are various degrees of cocooning including putting on headphones, putting up the hands to the side of the face, collapsing the head onto the thighs in a seated position.

In One Sentence: Cocooning is to collapse in one ones-self and indicates the desire to protect and recoil from outside harm.

How To Use it: Use this gesture to show others that you are unwell and that you want to gain their sympathy. When you are depressed, coiling up can help you feel safe and protected from the outside world. Onlookers will immediately spot your discomfort and offer sympathy, care, special assistance, or time alone to reflect.

When in busy locations, a set of headphones or reading material can help drown out the outside world permitting one internal reflection. This too is a form of cocooning. When these are not available, allowing the eyes to glaze over can also allow one to escape and reflect.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: a) “Leave me be, I have my headphones on because I just want to be left alone.” b) “I’m thinking about something, I’m not stressed, but I need a moment to ponder something c) “I’m really upset and feeling bad. I’m grieving and I’m really at a loss for words, I may or may not want some comforting.”

Variant: See Shoulder Shrugs or Shoulder Rise, Body Lowering, Fetal Position (The).

Cue In Action: a) While shopping for groceries, Brenda put her headphones on so she wouldn’t have to talk to anyone. b) When asked if she wanted the chicken or fish, she put her hands on the side of her face and thought to herself. c) When told that her father was sick and was certain to pass way, she collapsed; stricken with grief.

Meaning and/or Motivation: Cocooning indicates that concentration is required, a person is experiencing stress or that a person is emotionally withdrawn and requires escape. Other times, a person cocoons as a way to establish privacy in a public setting when they need time to thing and recover from excess stimulation.

Cocooning is a term used to describe body language that indicates a desire not to be bothered. There are various degrees which include a mild form such as putting on headphones to tell others that social interaction is undesired, putting up the hands to the side of the face while studying (mild cocooning), and an extreme form where the head collapses onto the thighs in a seated position which can indicate grieving.

Cue Cluster: Cocooning is usually accompanied by slumped shoulders, hands to face, eyes, or ear, hand to head in a helmet or protective type gesture. The body almost always slumps forward in a fetal position except in mild cocooning. A blank face is usually coupled with cocooning, but under extreme stress we see a grief expression where the brows come together. At times, there might be tears or sobbing.

Body Language Category: Body size reduction, Closed body language, Emotional body language, Low confidence body language, Negative body language, Protective reflexes, Orienting reflex or orienting response, Pensive displays, Stressful body language.

Resources:

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Closed body language, Defensive body language, Dislike (nonverbal), Escape movements, Negative body language, Submissive body language

What Does Body Language of Chin Tuck Mean?

by Chris • October 20, 2014 • 0 Comments

What Does Body Language of Chin Tuck Mean?

Cue: Chin Tuck

Synonym(s): N/A

Description: When the chin is pulled down toward the sternum.

In One Sentence: Tucking the chin shows that one is taken aback.

How To Use it: Use the chin tuck to show that you are not in agreement with what was said. Tucking in the chin can also signal submission especially if combined with lowering the head. When you want to raise an objection without verbally stating it, quickly tucking the chin in shows others that you have been ‘punched’ in the chin by their thoughts. Performing this gesture, therefore, may cause them to backtrack on their suggestion, or put them on their heels trying to justify what they have said. Regardless, it can make them act more conservatively.

Context: a) General b) Dating

Verbal Translation: a) “I don’t like what I just heard so I’m tucking my chin down in disdain.” b) “To appear smaller, I’m tucking my chin and lowering my eyes so you don’t hurt me.”

Variant: See Disgust Facial Expression and Contempt Facial Expression, Head Lowered in Judgement, Chin Jut and Chin Lift.

Cue In Action: a) Bill tucked his chin in as he had a look of disdain on his face. b) She pulled her chin in to appear more childlike and submissive.

Meaning and/or Motivation: Pulling the chin in spells anger and disdain or when used in courtship submission, innocent and childlike.

As the profile of the chin is reduced, it eliminates the exposure it suffers during an attack. The chin is particularly vulnerable to injury and a quick blow can send someone unconscious. Therefore, a tucked chin indicates that a person does not wish to engage in conflict. When someone wants to confront an attacker, they will perform the opposite cue by jutting the chin out as a challenge.

Cue Cluster: The chin tuck is accompanied by a sneering nose and looking downward or eyes averted, head turned away, shoulders slumped cowering. When it is used in courtship it is accompanied by a coy smile and eyes cast upward.

Body Language Category: Closed body language, Defensive, Dislike (nonverbal), Escape movements, Negative body language, Submissive body language.

Resources:

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Tracy, Jessica L. and Richard W. Robins. The Nonverbal Expression of Pride: Evidence for Cross-Cultural Recognition. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 2008. 94(3): 516–530. DOI: 10.1037/0022-3514.94.3.516
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Welker, Keith M.; Stefan M.M.; Goetz, Shyneth Galicia; Jordan Liphardt and Justin M. Carré. An Examination of the Associations Between Facial Structure, Aggressive Behavior, and Performance in the 2010 World Cup Association Football Players. Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology (forthcoming in print, online July).
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/facial-width-predicts-strength-soccer-field

Weisbuch, Max ; Slepian, Michael L ; Eccleston, Collette P ; Ambady, Nalini. Nonverbal Expressions of Status and System Legitimacy. Psychological Science. 2013. 24(11): 2315-2321.

Wogalter, Michaels. ; Hosie, Juditha. Effects of Cranial and Facial Hair on Perceptions of Age and Person. The Journal of Social Psychology. 1991 131(4): 589-591.

Walsh, Joseph ; Eccleston, Christopher ; Keogh, Edmund. Pain communication through body posture: The development and validation of a stimulus set. Pain. 2014. 155(11): 2282-2290.

Welker, Keith M. ; Oberleitner, David E. ; Cain, Samantha ; Carré, Justin M. Upright and left out: Posture moderates the effects of social exclusion on mood and threats to basic needs. European Journal of Social Psychology. 2013 43(5): 355-361.

Boredom body language, Closed body language, Defensive body language, Emotional body language, Masked emotions, Stressful body language

Body Language of Blank Face or Deadpan Face

by Chris • October 18, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Blank Face or Deadpan Face

Cue: Blank Face or Deadpan Face

Synonym(s): Poker Face (the), Pan Face, Stone Face, Block Face.

Description: A neutral, relaxed face, showing no expression. The face and jaw is relaxed and the eyes are generally vacant.

In One Sentence: A blank face is a signal that a person is vacant and is internalizing emotions or thoughts.

How To Use it: Use the deadpan face in poker when bluffing (or otherwise) such that people can not read your emotions. The blank face is also helpful when trying to appear in control of a situation. Emotional outbursts have been shown to be counterproductive in business settings. A face that lacks expression, especially when under high stress, shows others that you can keep things under control.

Context: High Stress.

Verbal Translation: “I really don’t want to be read or give any emotions away so I’m just going to wipe any hint of life from my face.”

Variant: During emotional downtime a person can also support a vacant expression as they relax inside their own mind for some time – even while in public.

Cue In Action: His opponent was searching and studying his face, he wasn’t sure if he had a good hand or was just bluffing. All he saw staring back at him was a Deadpan face.

Meaning and/or Motivation: This expression is used to either conceal emotion (on purpose) or be an actual reflection of a lack of emotion such as watching television, during deep thought or boredom.

Cue Cluster: When someone doesn’t want to be read, they will usually freeze solid and reduce arm and hand movements, their head will be still and unchanging. They don’t want to give others any clues at to their inner thoughts.

Body Language Category: Boredom, Closed body language, Defensive, Emotional body language, Masked emotions, Stressful body language.

Resources:

Burgress R. and C. Baldassarre. 2006. Ultimate guide to poker tells: devastate opponents by reading body language, table talk, chip moves, and much more. Chicago, Triumph Books.

Baumeister, Jenny-Charlotte; Raffaella Ida Rumiati and Francesco Foroni. When the Mask Falls: The Role of Facial Motor Resonance in Memory for Emotional Language. Acta Psychologica. 2015. 155: 29–36. http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/stiff-poker-face-interrupts-emotional-memories/

Browning, E. ; Huynh, C. ; Peissig, J. Show Me Your Poker Face: Are Poker Players Better at Recognizing Emotional Expressions? Journal of Vision. 2013. 13(9): 599-599.

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Ekas, Naomi V. ; Haltigan, John D. ; Messinger, Daniel S. The Dynamic Still-Face Effect: Do Infants Decrease Bidding over Time when Parents Are Not Responsive?
Developmental Psychology. 2013. 49(6): 1027-1035.

Heisel, Marnin ; Mongrain, Myriam. Facial Expressions and Ambivalence: Looking for Conflict in All the Right Faces. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 2004. 28(1): 35-52.

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King, Laura A. Ambivalence over emotional expression and reading emotions in situations and faces. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1998 74(3): 753(10)

LaBarbera, J. D., C. E. Izard, P. Vietze, and S. A. Parisi (1976). “Four- and Six-Month-Old Infants’ Visual Responses to Joy, Anger, and Neutral Expressions.” In Child Development (Vol. 47), pp. 535-38.

Mignault, Alain and Chaudhuri, Avi. The Many Faces of a Neutral Face: Head Tilt and Perception of Dominance and Emotion. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 2003 27(2): 111-132.

Matsumoto, David ; Hwang, Hyisung C. Desteno, David (editor). Judgments of Subtle Facial Expressions of Emotion. Emotion. 2014. 14(2): 349-357.

Pinkham, Amy E. ; Brensinger, Colleen ; Kohler, Christian ; Gur, Raquel E. ; Gur, Ruben C. Actively paranoid patients with schizophrenia over attribute anger to neutral faces. Schizophrenia Research. 2011 125(2): 174-178.

Rothman, Naomi B. Steering Sheep: How Expressed Emotional Ambivalence Elicits Dominance in Interdependent Decision Making Contexts. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. 2011. 116: 66-82.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/ambivalent-facial-expression-form-dominance-study

Schlicht, Erik J.; Shinsuke Shimojo; Colin F. Camerer; Peter Battaglia and Ken Nakayama. Human Wagering Behavior Depends on Opponents’ Faces. PLOS one. July 2010. 5(7): e11663. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0011663.g001
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/which-faces-bluff-best-in-poker/

Shah, Rebecca ; Lewis, Michael. Locating the neutral expression in the facial-emotion space. Visual Cognition. 2003. 10(5): 549-566.

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.

*No Photo, Anger body language, Body cross, Clenching and gripping, Closed body language, Defensive body language, Dislike (nonverbal), Hostile body language, Indicators of disinterest (IOD), Protective reflexes, Stubborn body language

Body Language Reading of Arm Crossed With Thumbs Up

by Chris • October 17, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language Reading of Arm Crossed With Thumbs Up

Cue: Arms Crossed With Thumbs Up

Synonym(s): Thumbs Up Arm Cross.

Description: The arms fold neatly over the chest with the thumbs point upward.

In One Sentence: Arms crossed with thumbs up show others that a person is confident but also reserved and defensive.

How To Use it: Use the thumbs up posture to show that you are confident and couple this with a defensive arm cross to show that you are uncertain. The thumbs can be flexed upward on occasion, as you find points of agreement. Thumbs up is a positive signal and should be shown in unison with positive speech.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I am cool and in control but still feel defensive, so I’m combining thumbs up, which is positive, and arm crossing, showing I still need a barrier for protection.”

Variant: See Arm Crossing, Arms Crossed With Gripped Arm or Reinforced Arm Cross, Arm Cross With Clenched Fists.

Cue In Action: The boss introduced the new associate to the room. He said “hi” to everyone then crossed his arms with his thumbs up. When asked a question he gesticulated with thumbs up showing that he was confident and in control, but when not speaking tucked his arms together indicating that he felt overexposed.

Meaning and/or Motivation: Crossed arms with thumbs up indicate that a person thinks they have a superior thought process. It is usually expressed by the up-and-coming, cool and in control type.

The meaning and motivation of arm crossing is varied, complex and universal (see variants).

Arms, as they relate to non-verbal meaning, are like shields. They can block and shank ideas from entering just as well as a shield can protect against swords and arrows. Using the arms across the body in a fold is like cutting off access to our core where our heart and lungs are present. The arm crossing usually shows defensiveness and protectiveness, but can also show aggression and anger depending on its variant. Arm crossing simultaneously hold our feelings inside and prevent other people’s feelings from entering. Alternatively, arms crossed indicates that a person is cold. To determine if someone is cold just watch for hands tucked under the armpits, shivering, with legs tightly pressed together.

Cue Cluster: Arm crossing is usually coupled with head up, down or turned away, shoulders oriented away or toward, legs crossed and various negative facial expressions. When arm crossing is combined with a tight-lipped smile or clenched teeth is signifies that a verbal or physical confrontation is immanent.

Body Language Category: Defensive, Hostile body language, Anger, Closed, Dislike (nonverbal), Indicators of disinterest (IOD), Protective reflexes, Stubborn or stubbornness, Body cross, Clenching and gripping.

Resources:

Andric, Michael ; Solodkin, Ana ; Buccino, Giovanni ; Goldin-Meadow, Susan ; Rizzolatti, Giacomo ; Small, Steven L. Brain function overlaps when people observe emblems, speech, and grasping. Neuropsychologia, 2013, Vol.51(8), pp.1619-1629

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http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/how-extending-the-middle-finger-affects-perception/

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http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/use-body-language-cues-create-trust

Fo¨rster, J. (2004). How body feedback influences consumer’s evaluation of products. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 14, 415–425.

Friedman, R. S., & Fo¨rster, J. (2000). The effects of approach and avoidance motor actions on the elements of creative insight. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79, 477–492.

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Goldin-Meadow, S.(2003). Hearing gesture: How our hands help us think. Cam-bridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.

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Tiziano Furlanetto; Alberto Gallace; Caterina Ansuini and Cristina Becchio. Effects of Arm Crossing on Spatial Perspective-Taking. PLoS ONE 9(4): e95748. 2014. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0095748
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Anger body language, Body cross, Clenching and gripping, Closed body language, Defensive body language, Dislike (nonverbal), Hostile body language, Indicators of disinterest (IOD), Protective reflexes, Stubborn body language

Body Language Reading of Arms Crossed With Gripped Arm or Reinforced Arm Cross

by Chris • October 17, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language Reading of Arms Crossed With Gripped Arm or Reinforced Arm Cross

Cue: Arms Crossed With Gripped Arm or Reinforced Arm Cross

Synonym(s): Arm Gripping Arm Cross, Reinforced Arm Crossing, Hand Clenched Arm Cross.

Description: The arms fold over the chest and the hands grip the arms tightly, sometimes so strongly, that the knuckles can turn white.

In One Sentence: The reinforced arm cross signals high disagreement, defensiveness, and protectiveness with a desire to maintain space from the outside world of people and ideas.

How To Use it: Use this signal to end a sales pitch or situation by showing just how resistant you are to the ideas presented.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I’m preparing myself to hear bad news which is why I’m both shielding my body from the outcome, and gripping myself in a tight hug of self restraint.”

Variant: See Arm Crossing, Arm Cross With Clenched Fists, Arms Crossed With Thumbs Up.

Cue In Action: Upon hearing bad news, Mary folded her arms across her chest in defense, but when she found out there was an accident involving her husband, she gripped her arms tightly.

Meaning and/or Motivation: We see the reinforced arm cross when someone is expecting bad news. The body closes itself off and the arms grip in a tight self-hug for comfort. This is a sign of fortifying the arm cross to really shut things out. This variant of arm crossing is a form of self-hugging combined with restraint.

The meaning and motivation of arm crossing is varied, complex and universal (see the variants).

Arms, as they relate to non-verbal meaning, are like shields. They can block and shank ideas from entering just as well as a shield can protect against swords and arrows. Using the arms across the body in a fold is like cutting off access to our core where our heart and lungs are present. The arm crossing usually shows defensiveness and protectiveness, but can also show aggression and anger depending on its variant. Arm crossing simultaneously holds our feelings inside and prevents other people’s feelings from entering. Alternatively, arms crossed indicate that a person is cold. To determine if someone is cold just watch for hands tucked under the armpits, shivering, with legs tightly pressed together.

Cue Cluster: Arm crossing is usually coupled with head up, down or turned away, shoulders oriented away or toward, legs crossed and various negative facial expressions. When arm crossing is combined with a tight-lipped smile or clenched teeth it signifies that a verbal or physical confrontation is immanent.

Resources:

Friedman, Ron and Andrew J. Elliot. The Effect Of Arm Crossing On Persistence And Performance. European Journal of Social Psychology. 2008; 38, 449–461 (2008). http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/arm-crossing-effect-on-persistence-and-performance/

Fo¨rster, J. (2004). How body feedback influences consumer’s evaluation of products. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 14, 415–425.

Friedman, R. S., & Fo¨rster, J. (2000). The effects of approach and avoidance motor actions on the elements of creative insight. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79, 477–492.

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/