Category: Confident body language

Authoritative body language, Confident body language, Dominant body language, Enthusiasm (nonverbal), Excited body language, Expansive movements, Gravity defying body language, High confidence body language, Leadership body language, Open body language, Palm power, Rapport or rapport building, Remotivating gesture

Body Language of Finger Spreading

by Chris • October 21, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Finger Spreading

Cue: Finger Spreading

Synonym(s): Finger Spreader (The)

Description: The hands are held out and fingers splayed apart facing palm to the audience.

In One Sentence: Spreading the fingers is a way to capture the attention of other people like a large embrace.

How To Use it: Spread the fingers out when trying to connect with a wide audience. Use the posture to show others that you are confident and willing to embrace them fully and have the dominance to put yourself out on full display. This posture is best used during presentations to a large audience.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I’m spreading my fingers and extending my arms to try to touch and feel each one of you, connect with you, and massage my ideas into your minds.”

Variant: See Baton Gesture, Finger Pointing.

Cue In Action: The presenter spreads his fingers and extends his arms as he tries to explain his concept. His desire to connect demonstrates authority, confidence, dominance and enthusiasm.

Meaning and/or Motivation: This is an attempt to make contact with the entire audience.

Cue Cluster: N/A

Body Language Category: Authoritative body language, Confident body language, Dominant body language, Enthusiasm (nonverbal), Expansive movements, Excited, Gravity defying body language, High confidence body language, Leadership body language, Open body language, Palm power, Rapport or rapport building, Remotivating.

Resources:

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Arrogance or arrogant body language, Authoritative body language, Blocking or Shielding, Body cross, Confident body language, Crotch display, Dominant body language, Expansive movements, Open body language

Body Language of Figure Four Seating Position (The) or The Ankle-Knee Cross

by Chris • October 21, 2014 • 1 Comment

Body Language of Figure Four Seating Position (The) or The Ankle-Knee Cross

Cue: Figure Four Seating Position (The) or The Ankle-Knee Cross

Synonym(s): Ankle-Knee Cross (The)

Description: This body position occurs as one leg is bent, oriented horizontally and pulled over the opposite knee, to form the number four. The leg produces a figure four when viewed from above.

In One Sentence: The figure four leg cross is a dominant and authoritative posture meant to showcase the groin area.

How To Use it: Use the figure four leg cross to show that you are not afraid of being exposed to others but not crass enough for a full uncrossed leg posture. It is generally ill-advised for women to hold this posture as it is masculine in nature, however, in some circles, it can be seen as acceptable but only if pants are worn. It is most certainly is not advisable for women to hold the posture with skirts or dresses of any kind.

The posture finds a welcome place in business and dating where men are working to assert their dominance over others. The figure four is even acceptable amongst friends and is a more tolerated dominance display than is legs uncrossed.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I’m feeling good about myself. I’m dominant, authoritative, and not afraid to put my genitals on display – but not totally be spreading my legs apart – I still need a bit of a shield.”

Variant: See Figure Four Leg Clamp or Figure Four Leg Lock.

Cue In Action: People knew the guy was arrogant and smug. He’d sit there with his arms up against the back of his head ‘hooding’, with his legs cross ankle over knee leaning backward in his chair. Even when the boss was around, he wouldn’t drop the posture.

Meaning and/or Motivation: It is more or less an open posture and should be taken as a mild version of the crotch display since the legs are open. This posture is milder because it doesn’t fully expose the crotch since one leg partially blocks the genitals from view.

Women aren’t normally seen in this posture, but since wearing pants have become more popular recently, it does tend to happen more often than it has in the recent past. When performed by women, it is as an attempt to be one of the boys. The figure four tells us that a person is relaxed and youthful, (mature gentlemen are seen with a full leg cross, or European Leg Cross where the legs end up parallel to one another) and dominant.

Cue Cluster: The figure four leg cross can be accompanied by the hooding posture or the leg clamp by placing the hand on the ankle or shin to show even more stubbornness.

Body Language Category: Arrogance or arrogant body language, Authoritative body language, Body cross, Blocking or Shielding, Confident body language, Dominant body language, Expansive movements, Open body language, Crotch display.

Resources:

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Riskind, J. H. (1984). They stoop to conquer: Guiding and selfregulatory functions of physical posture after success and failure. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 47, 479–493.

Riskind, J. H., & Gotay, C. C. (1982). Physical posture: Could it have regulatory or feedback effects on motivation and emotion? Motivation and Emotion, 6, 273–298.

Roberts, Tomi-Ann and Yousef Arefi-Afshar. Not All Who Stand Tall Are Proud: Gender Differences in the Proprioceptive Effects of Upright Posture. Cognition and Emtion. 2007. 21(4):714-727.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/do-women-benefit-from-power-posing-study-suggests-not/

Stepper, S., & Strack, F. (1993). Proprioceptive determinants of emotional and nonemotional feelings. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64, 211–220.

Strelan, P., Weick, M., & Vasiljevic, M. (2013). Power and revenge. British Journal of Social Psychology, 53, 521–540.

Sartori, Luisa ; Becchio, Cristina ; Castiello, Umberto. Cues to Intention: The Role of Movement Information. Cognition. 2011. 119(2): 242-252.

Sturman, Edward D. Invluntary Subordination and Its Relation to Personality, Mood,
and Submissive Behavior. Psychological Assessment. 2011. 23(1): 262-276 DOI: 10.1037/a0021499
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/nonverbal-submission-men-women-depression-critical-examination-use-disuse-submission/

Stanton, Steven J. and Robin S. Edelstein. The Physiology of Women’s Power Motive: Implicit Power Motivation is Positively Associated With Estradiol Levels in Women. Journal of Research in Personality. 2009. 43: 1109-1113.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/the-estrogen-factor-the-search-for-nonverbal-power-in-women/

Stanton, Steven J. The Essential Implications of Gender in Human Behavioral Endocrinology Studies. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience. 2011. 5(9): 1-3. doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2011.00009
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/a-critical-commentary-on-amy-cuddys-power-posing/

Schwartz, B., Tesser, A., & Powell, E. (1982). Dominance cues in nonverbal behavior. Social Psychology Quarterly, 45, 114–120.

Stepper, S., & Strack, F. (1993). Proprioceptive determinants of emotional and nonemotional feelings. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64, 211–220.

Tamir, M., Robinson, M. D., Clore, G. L., Martin, L. L., & Whitaker, D. J. (2004). Are we puppets on a string? The contextual meaning of unconscious expressive cues. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 30, 237–249.

Tracy, J. L., & Robins, R. W. (2004). Show your pride: Evidence for a discrete emotion expression. Psychological Science, 15, 194–197.

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

Authoritative body language, Confident body language, Elective nonverbal traits, Eye Language

Eye Glasses Body Language

by Chris • October 21, 2014 • 0 Comments

Eye Glasses Body Language

Cue: Eye Glasses Language

Synonym(s): Glasses Body Language.

Description: When eye glasses are worn people perceive them based on pre-conceived notions.

In One Sentence: Wearing eye glasses signals intelligence generally, however, depending on eye glass style can signal other traits including high fashion, nerdiness, sex appeal and so forth.

How To Use it: Use eye glasses when it’s important to be taken seriously. Teachers, students trying to impress teachers, and any other person trying to appear smart, can benefit by the stereotype that eyeglass wearing entails.

Eye glasses make welcome additions on job interviews for desk jobs, but might be seen as a hindrance where free thinking is less valuable. In the wrong circles, for example, nerdiness can result in shame and embarrassment.

One might therefore choose eye glasses on occasions when they are most appropriate based on the context.

Research has shown that thicker eye frames tend to boost intelligence perceptions the most. Thinner and fashionable glasses can, however, boost attractiveness.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I’m wearing glasses because I need them (or don’t) and you think they make me look intelligent.”

Variant: See Peering Over Glasses and Sunglasses Body Language.

Cue In Action: a) To appear more studious, he put on his glasses as he presented to the audience. b) To appear more intelligent and studious and less of a seductress, Jodi Arias wore glasses during her murder trial.

Meaning and/or Motivation: Eyeglasses carry many stereotypic nonverbal messages, most of which are positive. Researchers have found that subject’s rate wearers of glasses are more intelligent, knowledgeable and studious. In fact, glasses are attributed with an increase in IQ.

Interestingly, however, is that eyeglasses can also decrease ratings of social quotients. This is especially the case when people’s other nonverbal communication doesn’t back up their perceived intelligence. Thus, glasses alone, with nothing to back them up, results in a negative image and impression – “nerdiness.”

The heavier the frame, the more people reported intelligent descriptors to the wearer. Thin frames make people appear less authoritative but more accessible. Frames that are decorative are associated with artistic or creative types.

In contrast, when women wear glasses with provocative attire they conjure images of naughty librarians. Thus, glasses can carry multiple meanings. However when such external cues are absent, women also benefit from the intelligence stereotype as well as being perceived as self-assured and outgoing.

Cue Cluster: Eye glass language can be accompanied by many cues and they will help define its meaning.

Body Language Category: Authoritative body language, Confident body language, Elective nonverbal traits, Eye Language.

Resources:

Baron-Cohen, S., Wheelwright, S., & Jolliffe, T. (1997). Is there a ‘‘language of the eyes’’? Evidence from normal adults, and adults with autism or Asperger syndrome. Visual Cognition, 4, 311–331.

Botz-bornstein, Thorsten.. Veils and sunglasses. Journal of Aesthetics & Culture. 2013. Vol.5(0).

Borkenau, P. (1991). Evidence of a correlation between wearing glasses and personality. Personality and Individual Differences, 12, 1125-1128. doi:10.1016/0191-8869(91)90074-L

Cheng-Hung Lo; Chao-Yang Yang; Po-Tsang Lin; Kuo-Jung Hsieh: Ying-Chieh Liu and Wen-Ko Chiou. Are Human Faces More Attractive With Glasses?, Journal of the Chinese Institute of Industrial Engineers. 2012. 29(2): 125-135, DOI:10.1080/10170669.2012.662917
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/body-language-glasses-faces-attractive-glasses-glasses-say

Edwards, K. (1987). Effects of sex and glasses on attitudes toward intelligence and attractiveness. Psychological Reports, 60, 590.

Harris, M. B., Harris, R. J., & Bochner, S. (1982). Fat, four-eyed, and female: Stereotypes of obesity, glasses, and gender. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 12, 503-516. doi:10.1111/j.1559-1816.1982. tb00882.x

Harris, M.B. (1991). Sex differences in stereotypes of spectacles. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 21, 1659–1680. doi 10.1111/j.1559-1816.1991.tb00497.x

Hasart, J. K.,&Hutchinson, K. L. (1993). The effects of eyeglasses on perceptions of interpersonal-attraction. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 8, 521–528.

Hellström, A., & Tekle, J. (1994). Person perception through facial photographs: Effects of glasses, hair, and beard on judgments of occupation and personal qualities. European Journal of Social Psychology, 24, 693–705. doi 10.1002/ejsp.2420240606

Haith, M. M., Bergman, T., & Moore, M. J. (1979). Eye contact and face scanning in early infancy. Science, 198, 853–855.

Hockley, William ; Hemsworth, David ; Consoli, Angela. Shades of the mirror effect: Recognition of faces with and without sunglasses. Memory & Cognition. 1999. 27(1): 128-138.

Keiierman, Joan M. and James D. Laird. The Effect of Appearance on Self Perception. Journal of Personality. 1982; 50: 3.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/eye-glasses-body-language-brief-summary/

Lundberg, J. K., & Sheehan, E. P. (1994). The effects of glasses and weight on perceptions of attractiveness and intelligence. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 9, 753–760.

Leder, Helmut ; Forster, Michael ; Gerger, Gernot. The Glasses Stereotype Revisited: Effects of Eyeglasses on Perception, Recognition, and Impression of Faces. Swiss Journal of Psychology. 2011. 70(4): 211-222.

McKelvie, S. J. (1995). Emotional expression in upside-down faces: Evidence for configurational and componential processing. The British Journal of Social Psychology, 34, 325–334.

Marzoli, Daniele ; Custodero, Mariagrazia ; Pagliara, Alessandra ; Tommasi, Luca. Sun-induced frowning fosters aggressive feelings. Cognition & Emotion. 2013. 27(8): 1513-1521.

Rhodes, G., Brake, S., & Atkinson, A. P. (1993). What’s lost in inverted faces? Cognition, 47, 25–57.

Roberson, Debi ; Kikutani, Mariko ; Doge, Paula ; Whitaker, Lydia ; Majid, Asifa. Shades of Emotion: What the Addition of Sunglasses or Masks to Faces Reveals about the Development of Facial Expression Processing. Cognition. 2012. 125(2): 195-206.

Senju, A., & Johnson, M. H. (2009). The eye contact effect: Mechanisms and development. Trends in Cognitive Science, 13, 127–134.

Schwarzer, G. (2000). Development of face processing: The effect of face inversion. Child Development, 71, 391–401.

Terry, R. L. (1993). How wearing eyeglasses affects facial recognition. Current Psychology, 12, 151–162. doi 10.1007/ BF02686820

Tanaka, J. W., & Farah, M. J. (1993). Parts and wholes in face. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 46, 969–993.

Tanaka, J. W., Kay, J. B., Grinnell, E., Stansfield, B., & Szechter, L. (1998). Face recognition in young children: When the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Visual Cognition, 5, 479–496.

Terry,R. L.,&Hall, C. A. (1989). Affective responses to eyeglasses: Evidence of a sex difference. Journal of American Optometrist Association, 60, 609–611.

Terry, R. L., & Kroger, D.L. (1976). Effects of eye correctives on ratings of attractiveness. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 42, 562. doi 10.2466/PMS.42.2.562

*No Photo, Attentive body language, Confident body language, Disengagement body language, Eye Language, Indicator of interest (IoI), Indicators of disinterest (IOD), Threat displays

Body Language of Eye Blinking (Less)

by Chris • October 21, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Eye Blinking (Less)

Cue: Eye Blinking (Less)

Synonym(s): N/A

Description: When the eyes blink less than normal.

In One Sentence: When eyes blink less often than normal, it signals boredom, hostility (staring), or indifference.”

How To Use it: When trying to relax, allow the focus of the eyes to relax.

Conversely, when trying to intimidate another person, persistent, non-blinking eye contact can signal aggression. Use less blinking to show that another person has become an object to you. To be turned into an object is the ultimate insult. Use “staring contests” to test your ability to dominate other people. You may find that more submissive people tend to hold less unblinking eye contact or, in other words, are the first to look away or blink.

In a dating context, less eye contact is called “gazing.” It is a much softer, more relaxed version of eye contact. This should be used to create bonding and intimacy.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I’m bored, falling asleep, feeling hostile, or indifferent to you so my eyes lack any character of engagement.”

Variant: See Eye Blinking (Rapid), Staring or The Evil Eye.

Cue In Action: His wife began retelling an office gossip story for the third time, his eyes glazed over and he took on a zombie state.

Meaning and/or Motivation: When eyes blink less rapidly or seem to not blink at all, it is due to a zoning out (boredom) or due to anger or hostility, as in staring. Reduced eye blinking can also signify indifference and in some circumstances even confidence. We see this in stare-down competitions where the last person to blink is the victor in the dominance competition.

It has been shown that people with confidence tend to establish more eye contact and hold it longer than normal. Eyes that blink less can also show interest and intensity, but also piercing and assault. When the eyes blink less the eye can blur due to dryness so eyes that blink less are eyes that aren’t interested in seeing due to a lack of emotion.

Cue Cluster: When eyes depict boredom they tend to defocus as well as blink less frequently. The eyes will seem to look through people and there will be no agreement indicators such as head nods and “mhmms” and “yeses.” When eyes blink less due to anger, they will be piercing and follow a target intensely with the eyelids squinting rather than relax with open facial expressions. When eye contact is due to confidence we expect the head to nod, that conversation will be flowing, and that the head will be tilted to the side.

Body Language Category: Attentive, Boredom, Confident body language, Disengagement, Eye Language, Indicators of disinterest (IOD), Indicator of interest (IoI), Threat displays.

Resources:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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/

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Arrogance or arrogant body language, Authoritative body language, Closed body language, Comfort body language, Confident body language, Dominant body language, Nonthreatening body language

Body Language of The European Leg Cross

by Chris • October 21, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of The European Leg Cross

Cue: European Leg Cross

Synonym(s): Knee-Knee Leg Cross.

Description: A sitting position where the leg is crossed neatly over the other in a longitudinal fashion.

In One Sentence: The European leg cross is a sign that a person is in control of themselves and wishes for others to see him or her as sophisticated and proper.

How To Use it: Men should use the European leg cross when they wish to show others that they are well mannered. It falls in direct contrast to spreading the legs which is overt and dominant. Keeping the legs together shows others that you wish to be careful about being offensive. Therefore, use the leg cross during business context, in academic circles, and amongst friends and relatives. The leg cross shows others that you do not wish to be offensive or vie for power and dominance.

Women are best advised to use this sitting posture most of the time, especially when wearing dresses or skirts as it produces an element of chasteness. This posture falls in direct contrast to having the legs wide open. In recent times, women have been permitted to carry more masculine postures including legs spread, however, women of sexual maturity should cross their legs one over the other to appear more feminine, in control, and to create and protect their social sexual value by keeping it out of the public view.

Weddings, which is becoming one rare time when women dress up, is proving to be particularly troublesome for women as it related to the leg cross posture. Not being accustomed to crossing the legs and being in feminine attire including dresses and skirts, often leads to undergarment flashing. Women should be mindful of their attire with respect to their posture and how they will be perceived by others. While not all women seek to be treated lady-like, if they do, they should use lady-like comportment.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “By crossing my legs neatly together I’m showing everyone that I’m proper, controlled and cerebral.”

Variant: See Leg Crossing and Leg Crossing Direction, Loving Circle Leg Cross.

Cue In Action: At the meeting of scholars, the professor neatly crossed his legs while addressing a large crowd.

Meaning and/or Motivation: The European leg cross is the most common seating position in European, Asian and British cultures. It signifies dignity, intelligence, and desire to be proper. This is the case for both men and women. It contrasts directly with legs spread or the Figure-Four Leg Cross which is more dominant and overt since it puts the crotch on display.

Women will often be seen in the European leg cross as the absence of a penis makes it more comfortable, but men who wish to show superiority will also sit in this fashion to be more proper. Women in skirts are almost forced to sit in the European leg cross to prevent others from seeing up their skirts but will also reveal additional thigh creating a degree of sexual appeal. Men residing in the West commonly sit in the figure four postures where the ankle rests on the opposite knee. This is a more dominant and authoritative due to the crotch display.

Cue Cluster: The European leg cross is often coupled with leaning back and being slightly more detached, rather than wanting and leaning forward. This is usually controlled gesticulation, a calm demeanor, stern and less animated facial expressions.

Body Language Category: Arrogance or arrogant body language, Authoritative body language, Comfort body language, Confident, Dominant body language, Nonthreatening body language, Closed body language.

Resources:

Adams, E.S., Mesterton-Gibbons, M., 1995. The cost of threat displays and the stability of deceptive communication. J. Theor. Biol. 175, 405–421.

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Briñol, P., Petty, R. E., & Wagner, B. (2009). Body posture effects on self-evaluation: A self-validation approach. European Journal of Social Psychology, 39, 1053–1064.

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Carney, D. R., Hall, J. A., & LeBeau, L. S. (2005). Beliefs about the nonverbal expression of social power. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 29, 105–123.

Cesario, J., & McDonald, M. M. (2013). Bodies in context: Power poses as a computation of action possibility. Social Cognition, 31, 260–274.

de Bruijn G. From masturbation to orgasm with a partner: how some women bridge the gap–and why others don’t. J Sex Marital Ther. 1982. 8(2):151-67.

Graves, James R. ; Robinson, John D. Osipow, Samuel H. (editor). Proxemic behavior as a function of inconsistent verbal and nonverbal messages. Journal of Counseling Psychology. 1976. 23(4): 333-338.

Ellis, L. (1994). The high and the mighty among man and beast: How universal is the relationship between height (or body size) and social status? In L. Ellis (Ed.). Social stratification and socioeconomic inequality (Vol. 2, pp. 93–111). Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers.

http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/benefits-power-posing-high-stakes-performance/

Hill, Clara E. ; Stephany, Alicia Harmon, Lenore W. (editor). Relation of Nonverbal Behavior to Client Reactions. Journal of Counseling Psychology. 1990. 37(1): 22-26.

Hewes, Gordon (1957). “The Anthropology of Posture.” In Scientific American (Vol. 196), pp. 122-32.

Kimbrell, G. Relationship of the upright agonistic posture in the foot shock situation to dominance-submission in male C57BL/6 mice. Psychonomic Science. 1969. 16(3): 167-168.

Kinsey, A. C., Pomeroy, W. B., Martin, C. E., and Gebhard, P. H. (1953). Sexual Behavior in the Human Female, Saunders, Philadelphia.

Laird, J. D., & Lacasse, K. (2014). Bodily influences on emotional feelings: Accumulating evidence and extensions of William James’s theory of emotion. Emotion Review, 6, 27–34.

Lee, E. H., & Schnall, S. (2014). The influence of social power on weight perception. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 143, 1719–1725.

Mehrabian, A., Friar, J., 1969. Encoding of attitude by a seated communicator via posture and position cues. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 33: 330–336.

Mehrabian, Albert Deese, James (editor). Significance of posture and position in the communication of attitude and status relationships. Psychological Bulletin. 1969. 71(5): 359-372

Michael Reiβ. Leg-crossing: Incidence and inheritance. Neuropsychologia. 1994. 32(6): 747-750.

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http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/large-life-nonverbal-dominance-affects-perception-size/

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Middleton, W. C., &Moffett, D. C. (1940). The relation of height and weight measurements to intelligence and to dominance-submission among a group of college freshmen. Research Quarterly of the American Association for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, 11, 53–59.

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Matsumura, Shuichi ; Hayden, Thomas J. When should signals of submission be given?–A game theory model. Journal of Theoretical Biology. 2006. 240(3): 425-433.

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Reiss M. Leg-crossing: incidence and inheritance. Neuropsychologia. 1994. 32(6):747-50.

Riskind, J. H. (1984). They stoop to conquer: Guiding and selfregulatory functions of physical posture after success and failure. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 47, 479–493.

Riskind, J. H., & Gotay, C. C. (1982). Physical posture: Could it have regulatory or feedback effects on motivation and emotion? Motivation and Emotion, 6, 273–298.

Stepper, S., & Strack, F. (1993). Proprioceptive determinants of emotional and nonemotional feelings. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64, 211–220.

Strelan, P., Weick, M., & Vasiljevic, M. (2013). Power and revenge. British Journal of Social Psychology, 53, 521–540.

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Authoritative body language, Confident body language, Dominant body language, Expansive movements, Gravity defying body language, High confidence body language, Leadership body language, Up nonverbals

Body Language of Erect Posture or Good Posture

by Chris • October 21, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Erect Posture or Good Posture

Cue: Erect Posture or Good Posture.

Synonym(s): Postural Tonus, Good Posture, High Stand Display.

Description: Good posture happens when the joints are not bent, the spine is aligned and not twisted and the person is able to optimally balance the mass of the body over its framework without stress.

In One Sentence: Good posture signifies health, confidence, pride, dominance and a body that is in control of itself.

How To Use it: Use good posture to tell others that life is treating you well and that you have conquered past hardships without letting it weigh you down. Good posture should be a default body position as it works to your advantage in nearly every situation. However, in some cases, you may wish to use bad posture such as when trying to convince others to provide you with sympathy. In this case, being slumped over is likely to best provide that kind of support.

Therefore, use good posture when trying to appear authoritative such as when trying to rise in the ranks in employment, in view of a dating partner to show virility, and amongst friends to show them you are in good spirits.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “Because life has treated me well I hold an erect posture full of confidence and pride.”

Variant: See Cocooning, Shoulder Shrugs or Shoulder Rise, Asymmetry, Bad Posture.

Cue In Action: Mark carried his body with pride. His shoulders were back and chest held high. You just knew looking at him that he would never let life dictate how he felt about himself and he would overcome any obstacle in his way on his way to success.

Meaning and/or Motivation: A gravity defying body posture where the head is raised, legs locked and back stiffened in order to appear taller with high vigor.

It signifies a desire to appear more dominant, authoritative, and in control.

Posture is a term derived from the Latin verb “ponere” meaning “to put in place” and refers to the way the body is held including the arms, legs and spine. Posture refers not only to the erectness of our bodies, but also to our body orientation, direction of lean, and the degree to which our bodies are open and inviting.

Posture tells us a lot about a person and their history and feelings about themselves and how they feel about others. For example, shoulders hunched carries negative sentiments whereas shoulders back mean confidence. Posture can give way to feelings of like or dislike, interest or disinterest as well as many other sentiments.

Postural tonus is a term referring to the relative rigidity and erectness of the body and its overall posture. A “slopper” holds his shoulders rounded and head hanging downward proving to be depressed, drowsy or ill. Whereas “the scout” carries himself fully erect with shoulders back and head held high depicting confidence and good spirit. Having an erect posture is a sign of high confidence, strength and vigor. People with erect postures are seen as leaders, content and positive. Erect posture contrasts a slouched or limp posture.

Cue Cluster: Other positive cues are associated with an erect posture such as strong eye contact, good gesticulation, open body language such as arms uncrossed and legs open, as well as relaxed facial expressions.

Body Language Category: Authoritative body language, Confident body language, Dominant body language, Expansive movements, Gravity defying body language, High confidence body language, Leadership body language, Up nonverbals.

Resources:

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*No Photo, Aggressive body language, Arrogance or arrogant body language, Authoritative body language, Confident body language, Dominant body language, Enthusiasm (nonverbal), High confidence hand displays, Intimate touching, Leadership body language, Palm power, Power play, Social touching

Body Language of Double Gripper Politician Handshake

by Chris • October 20, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Double Gripper Politician Handshake

Cue: Double Gripper Politician Handshake

Synonym(s): Double Hander Handshake, Two Handed Handshake.

Description: A regular handshake except both hands are used to sandwich the other person’s hand.

In One Sentence: The double gripper handshake tells others that you wish to form an intimate business relationship.

How To Use it: Use the double gripper handshake to build and maintain a strong business or political relationship. The handshake is best used between two high ranking officials, or between one high ranking official and a person he wishes to form a partnership with. When done correctly, the handshake can create warm feelings in the lower ranking person.

Context: Business, General.

Verbal Translation: “I like you a lot, let me wrap your hands up with mine in a hand embrace and show you how much I think we should do business together.”

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: a) When the politician met the business man, he used the double gripper politician handshake to show him how much support he was prepared to offer his business venture if he was elected. b) The junior associate shook hands with the boss, whom he felt close with, but the feeling, he discovered, was not mutual. When the junior worker enveloped the hands of the boss in a double handshake, his boss pulled away and grimaced. The junior member felt they had developed a connection through their golf outing.

Meaning and/or Motivation: It is an intimate handshake but in the wrong company can be taken as insincere and create negative feelings. The person doing the double hander is the top-dog and is acting superior to the single hander so this handshake should be reserved for people who are of equal or lower status.

Cue Cluster: Someone who is willing to perform the double gripper politician handshake is likely one that is boisterous and outgoing, they may use touch a lot to dominate others, they might come in closer than usual, and invite people into their personal space, they might strive for attention through dramatics stories, loud laughter, and plenty of gesticulation.

Body Language Category: Arrogance or arrogant body language, Aggressive body language, Authoritative body language, Confident body language, Dominant body language, Enthusiasm (nonverbal), High confidence hand displays, Intimate touching, Leadership body language, Palm power, Power play, Social touching.

Resources:

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.

Bohm. 1997. Effects of interpersonal touch, degree of justification, and sex of participant on compliance with a request. The Journal of social psychology. 137: 460-469.

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.

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.

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Aggressive body language, Amplifier, Anger body language, Attentive body language, Authoritative body language, Confident body language, Courtship display, Dominant body language, High confidence body language, Indicator of interest (IoI), Leadership body language, Liking, Rapport or rapport building

Body Language of Direct Eye Contact

by Chris • October 20, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Direct Eye Contact

Cue: Direct Eye Contact

Synonym(s): Eye Contact

Description: Eyes that meet someone else’s (versus looking away or at the mouth, chin, or body).

In One Sentence: Direct eye contact signals to others that one is intently listening and focused on the person whose eyes they have met.

How To Use it: Use direct eye contact to signal that you are dominant and can withstand reciprocal eye contact without wavering. Alternatively, use eye contact in dating to signal sexual interest. While with friends, eye contact can also send a warm glow when it is not done in a piercing fashion. Various cultures use direct eye contact in different ways – therefore, it would pay to be conscious of these social norms when traveling.

Context: a) General, b) Dating.

Verbal Translation: “I’m interested in you and I want you to know that so my eyes are meeting yours.”

Variant: Eyes are an important source of information; see other eye cues for more details. See Friendly Social Gaze, Staring or The Evil Eye, Gaze Omission, Gazing Adoringly, Intimate Gaze (The) or Triangular Gaze Pattern.

Cue In Action: When speaking, the lovers made frequent eye contact.

Meaning and/or Motivation: An indication of active honest listening. Practiced liars feign eye contact to study whether or not a lie is being rejected or accepted. In a dating context, direct eye contact is a sign of interest. The meaning of direct eye contact is hugely varied and one should look at the associated cues to determine the true intent of direct eye contact.

Eye contact can be piercing and studied, an attack, or alluring and coy such as gazing. See variants for more specific meaning of eye contact.

Cue Cluster: Varied depending on context.

Body Language Category: Amplifier, Arousal, Attentive, Aggressive body language, Anger, Authoritative body language, Courtship display, Confident, Dominant body language, High confidence body language, Indicator of interest (IoI), Leadership body language, Liking, Rapport or rapport building.

Resources:

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

Aviva Musicus, Aner Tal, and Brian Wansink. Eyes in the Aisles: Why is Cap’n Crunch Looking Down at My Child? Environment & Behavior. 2014. Forthcoming.
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Bowers, Andrew L. ; Crawcour, Stephen C. ; Saltuklaroglu, Tim ; Kalinowski, Joseph
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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.
Beekman, S. The relation of gazing and smiling behaviors to status and sex in interacting pairs of children. Unpublished master’s thesis, University of Chicago, 1970.

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Confident body language, Courtship display, Crotch display, Dominant body language, Expansive movements, High confidence body language, Indicator Of Sexual Interest (IOsI), Open body language

Body Language Of The Cowboy Pose Stance

by Chris • October 20, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language Of The Cowboy Pose Stance

Cue: The Cowboy Pose Stance

Synonym(s): Male Crotch Display (The), The Standing Crotch Display, Thumbs In Belt Loops, Framing The Genitals.

Description: This posture happens by placing the thumbs in the waistband/belt/belt loops with the remaining fingers pointed downwards towards the crotch.

In One Sentence: Placing the hands in the loops of the belt is a dominance display serving to draw attention to the groin area.

How To Use it: Use this posture to show that you are in control and are self-assured. While the cue is generally permissible for men, it should be used cautiously by women. While men derive much of their power from their genitals, it can appear overly crass when done by women. However, in recent times, the gesture has been more acceptable for women of the West.

If women should wish to adopt a ‘near-posture’ they should consider aiming their fingers backwards such that they point to their buttocks, thus drawing attention backwards. When done facing children, it will have the affect of appearing dominant, but inquisitive.

Men can boost their dominance further by propping up their leg on the cross-brace of a chair. This puts their genitals on full display.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I’m dominant and in charge and to prove that I’m going to lock my thumbs in my belt loops with the rest of my fingers pointed toward my genitals – notice them!” “There are issues here”, “Things are not right”, “I’m standing my ground” or “I’m a virile male so check me out!”

Variant: See Arms Akimbo, Leg Spreading.

Cue In Action: While standing at the bar he put his fingers into his belt loops and faced away from the bar. He was sending a broadcast signal to the room hoping to attract some sexual attention.

Meaning and/or Motivation: The cowboy pose was popularized by old western movies. Cowboys would use a combination of this posture and the hands on hips (or arms akimbo) to show how macho they were. Because it draws attention to the crotch, it is infrequently used by women.

When women are seen holding the posture they will hold their hands on their hips and point their fingers to their buttocks rather than to their genitals. Pointing therefore, puts emphasis on our best assets while we state our case. Fingers pointed backwards as women do, is perceived as more of an inquisitive posture than an authoritarian one. It also draws less attention to the genital area which is not normally associated with a source of power and dominance.

A second version of the crotch display is to keep the legs spread open where the hand may be found on the inside of the thigh in a “ready position” or propped up on a knee (The Captain Morgan). These signals are less of a sexual invitation than they are signal of their dominance over others in the room, which in and of itself, makes them appear more attractive to women.

Cue Cluster: The cowboy pose is accompanied by head held high, rigid posture, a stern or confident face, reduced gesticulation, legs spread at or wider than shoulder width and other confident indicators.

Body Language Category: Courtship displays, Confident, Crotch display, Dominant body language, Expansive movements, High confidence body language, Indicators of sexual interest (IOsI), Open body language.

Resources:

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*No Photo, Aggressive body language, Anger body language, Arrogance or arrogant body language, Authoritative body language, Confident body language, Dominant body language, Enthusiasm (nonverbal), Frustration or frustrated body language, High confidence body language, Hostile body language, Power play, Threat displays

Body Language of Chest Thumping

by Chris • October 20, 2014 • 0 Comments

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.

Resources:

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