Category: Courtship display

Body Language Of Echoing

Body Language Of Echoing

No picCue: Echoing

Synonym(s): Related to Mirroring

Description: Echoing is like mirroring where similar body postures are replicated, but not right away. Instead they are copied some time later. Echoing can be so prominent that it appears fluent. Bodies seem to jive as if in an elaborate dance.

In One Sentence: Echoing is a nonverbal tactic or behaviour that happens naturally to show agreement in which a person copies or nearly copies the gestures and postures of another person, not immediately, but with a few seconds or minutes of separation.

How To Use it: Echoing is a great way to create nonverbal liking through subconscious means. By adopting the postures and gestures of others a few seconds after they have initiated them, it will create similar feelings. If done correctly, echoing produces strong liking and builds relationships quickly.

Echoing works equally well in business as it does in dating and friendships. To use echoing make sure that postures are not mimicked exactly in a copy-cat fashion, but instead happen similarly. Should someone catch on to your game, they may become suspicious. Therefore echoing should be done with some degree of caution.

The best kind of echoing happens when it is done naturally and this is the case when two people really seem to jive and get along with one another. Echoing is a nonverbal form of agreement.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “We’re almost on the same page, as we are copying each other but not immediately like mirroring. Since our bodies are flowing in a similar pattern our minds are flowing in a similar pattern – therefore we agree with each other and have strong rapport.”

Variant: See Mirroring.

Cue In Action: Some ways bodies echo:
[A] Shifting weight from one foot to the other foot or keeping the weight on the same foot as the person you are talking with.
[B] Leaning the same way on a bar top or up against a wall or other structure.
[C] Crossing the legs in the same direction or opposite direction when facing each other.
[D] Both keeping the legs uncrossed.
[E] Gesturing with the hands similarly.
[F] Drinking in unison or holding drinks with the same hand.
[G] Placing both hands, or just one hand, on the hips.
[H] Leaning in, or leaning out.

Meaning and/or Motivation: Echoing indicates that rapport is being built between two people and that agreement is taking place. In echoing, postures and gestures are not concurrent with what is going on with others, but instead happen after some time has elapsed.

Echoing the gestures and postures of another person, often happens within thirty seconds to a minute after another person. However, it can sometimes even happen with several minutes of separation. When gestures and postures happen simultaneously, on the other hand, we call this mirroring.

When echoing is present rapport is felt between two people. We say that these people are on the same “wavelength.”

Cue Cluster: N/A

Body Language Category: Attentive, Buy signals, Courtship displays, Comfort body language, Honest body language, Indicator of interest (IoI), Indicators of sexual interest (IOsI), Liking, Nonthreatening body language, Rapport or rapport building, Relaxed body language.

Resources:

Bavelas, J. B., Black, A., Chovil, N., Lemery, C. R., & Mullett, J. (1988). Form and function in motor mimicry: Topographic evidence that the primary function is communicative. Human Communication Research, 14, 275- 299.

Bavelas, J. B., Black, A., Lemery, C. R., & Mullett, J. (1986). “I show how you feel”: Motor mimicry as a communicative act. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50, 322-329.

Chartrand, T. L.,& Bargh, J. A. (1999). The chameleon effect: The perception behavior link and social interaction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76, 893-910.

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/

Cooper, L. 1976. Mirroring: One vehicle to organizational clarity. International Journal Of Social Psychiatry 22 (4): 288-295.

di Pellegrino, G.; L. Fadiga; L. Fogassi; V. Gallese, and G. Rizzolatti. Understanding Motor Events: A Neurophysiological Study. Experimental Brain Research. 1992. 91:176-180
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/mirror-neurons-make-emotions-body-language-contagious/

Dezecache, Guillaume; Laurence Conty; Michele Chadwick; Leonor Philip; Robert Soussignan; Dan Sperber and Julie Grezes. Evidence for Unintentional Emotional Contagion Beyond Dyads. PLoS ONE. 2013. 8(6): e67371. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0067371
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/emotion-collective-crowd-emotions-really-contagious

Guéguen, Nicolas; Martin, Angelique and Sebastien Meineri. Mimicry and Helping Behavior: An Evaluation of Mimicry on Explicit Helping Request. The Journal of Social Psychology. 2011. 51(1), 1–4
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/mimicking-way-compliance-mirroring-body-language-another-leads-helping-behaviour/

Grammer, Karl ; Kruck, Kirsten ; Magnusson, Magnus. The Courtship Dance: Patterns of Nonverbal Synchronization in Opposite-Sex Encounters. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 1998, Vol.22(1), pp.3-29.

Hofree G, Ruvolo P, Bartlett MS, Winkielman P. Bridging the Mechanical and the Human Mind: Spontaneous Mimicry of a Physically Present Android. PLoS ONE. 2014. 9(7): e99934. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0099934.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/humans-cant-help-mirror-robots-nonverbal-expressions/

Harrigan, Jinni ; Oxman, Thomas ; Rosenthal, Robert. Rapport expressed through nonverbal behavior. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 1985. 9(2): 95-110.

Leander, N. Pontus; Tanya L. Chartrand and John A. Bargh. You Give Me the Chills Embodied Reactions to Inappropriate Amounts of Behavioral Mimicry. Psychological Science. 2012. 23(7): 772-779. Published online before print May 18, 2012, doi: 10.1177/0956797611434535.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/stop-mirroring-youre-giving-chills/

Kulesza, Wojciech; Zofia Szypowska; Warsaw, Poland; Matthew S. Jarman and
Dariusz Dolinski. Attractive Chameleons Sell: The Mimicry-Attractiveness Link. Psychology and Marketing. 2014. 31(7): 549–561. DOI: 10.1002/mar.20716
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LaFrance, Marianne. and W. Ickes. 1981. Posture mirroring and interactional involvement: sex and sex typing effects. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior 5: 139-154.

LaFrance, M. (1979). Nonverbal synchrony and rapport: Analysis by the cross-lag panel technique. Social Psychology Quarterly, 42, 66-70.

LaFrance, M. (1982). Posture mirroring and rapport. In M. Davis (Ed.), Interaction
rhythms: Periodicity in communicative behavior (pp. 279-298).New York: Human Sciences Press.

LaFrance, M., & Broadbent, M. (1976). Group rapport: Posture sharing as a nonverbal indicator. Group and Organization Studies, 1, 328-333.

LaFrance, M. (1979). Nonverbal synchrony and rapport: Analysis by the cross-lag panel technique. Social Psychology Quarterly, 42, 66-70.

Manusov, Valerie. Mimicry or synchrony: The effects of intentionality attributions for nonverbal mirroring behavior. Communication Quarterly. 1992 40(1): 69-83.

Rychlowska, Magdalena; Elena Canadas; Adrienne Wood; Eva G. Krumhuber; Agneta Fischer and Paula M. Niedenthal. Blocking Mimicry Makes True and False Smiles Look the Same. PLoS ONE. 2014. 9(3): e90876. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0090876.
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Smith-Genthôs, K. Rachelle; Darcy A. Reich; Jessica L. Lakin; Mario P. Casa de Calvo. The Tongue-Tied Chameleon: The Role of Nonconscious Mimicry in the Behavioral Confirmation Process. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 2015. 56: 179-182.
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Sanchez-burks, Jeffrey ; Bartel, Caroline A. ; Blount, Sally Kozlowski, Steve W. J. (editor). Performance in Intercultural Interactions at Work: Cross-Cultural Differences in Response to Behavioral Mirroring. Journal of Applied Psychology. 2009 94(1). 216-223.

Sharpley, Christopher F ; Halat, Jennifer ; Rabinowicz, Tammy ; Weiland, Birgit ; Stafford, Jane. Standard posture, postural mirroring and client-perceived rapport. Counselling Psychology Quarterly. 2001. 14(4): 267-280.

Trout, Deborah ; Rosenfeld, Howard. The effect of postural lean and body congruence on the judgment of psychotherapeutic rapport. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 1980. 4(3): 176-190.

Van Swol, Lyn M. The effects of nonverbal mirroring on perceived persuasiveness, agreement with an imitator, and reciprocity in a group discussion.(Author Abstract). Communication Research. 2003 30(4): 461(20).

Woodside, A.G.,& Davenport, J.W. (1974). Effects of salesman similarity and expertise on consumer purchasing behavior. Journal of Marketing Research, 11, 198-202.

Body Language of Dressing Sexy

Body Language of Dressing Sexy

BodyLanguageProjectCom - Dressing Sexy 1Cue: Dressing Sexy

Synonym(s): Sexy Dress, Provocative Dress, Short Skirts, Tight Jeans, Revealing Dress, Cleavage Display, Overt Dress, Slutty Dress.

Description: A primarily female cue where women dress provocatively with short skirts, tight jeans or shirts, low-cut blouse and/or, high heels. Men may also dress sexy, with similar underlying meaning, but it is not as salient.

In One Sentence: Dressing sexy is universally perceived by others as a signal of health, virility, and a want to be desired.

How To Use it: The use of sexy dress is one which should be used cautiously. Sexy dress can be used by either men or women to gain sexual attention from others. Dressing sexy for men and women, however, differs. Women have more liberty in their sexy dress, but men and women both share common features. When dressing sexy, aim to emphasis the features that best showcase your strongest features. Men should show their masculinity with displays of abs, chest, biceps broad shoulders or buttocks. This can be done with a tight shirt or even shirtless as well as with a well fitted suit. Women can dress sexy by showing their legs, breasts and buttocks. A tight fitting top, low cut blouse, short skirt, heels and so forth are ways which women can draw eyes to their bodies.

Note that the use of sexy dress is entirely option, and can often create issues with objectification. To draw attention to parts of the sexual body is to reduce one’s self to parts. As long as one is aware of how one is perceived, then dressing sexy can be used to accomplish desired goals. No matter how one dresses, it is very important to understand that one is nearly always in charge of how one is perceived. If one does not wish to be objectified then one should hide visual sexuality and instead emphasis other more abstract qualities including intelligence, kindness and personality. As nonverbal signals are strong, and people being what they are, they will always reduce people to their lowest common denominator.

Research shows that dressing sexy is highly frowned upon in business settings as it often reduces perceptions of competence. However, dressing sexy might lead to better treatment and higher tips in low ranking service jobs.

Sexy dress is known to produce benevolent sexism where men and women are willing to perform services in order to be near a sexy counterpart.

Finally, dressing sexy can also create issues with same-sex competitors who will be quick to dismiss your sexiness as they seek to diminish your sexual power over them and their significant others.

Context: a) Dating b) Business c) General (alternative explanation)

Verbal Translation: a) “I’m sexually receptive and am searching for sexual invitation.” b) “I’m sexual in nature and looking for favours and chivalry from men in the workplace and for men, due to my high attractiveness, to do the work for me or treat me favourably.” c) “I feel comfortable in sexy clothing as it suits my style and personality even though I don’t consciously want additional sexual attention otherwise.”

Variant: See Unkept or Dowdiness.

Cue In Action: a) She was in a great mood, full of energy. As she searched through her clothing, she tried to match her mood to her attire. Overlooking dumpy sweatpants and lose sweatshirt, she chose instead a short fitting skirt and heels with a low cut blouse. She was nearing ovulation, but her sexual cycle never crossed her mind, she was just following her emotions. b) She tried to dress professionally, but her look tended to arouse attraction from other men. This frequently got her trouble with the boss as it distracted the clients as well as the other employees. The women became quite catty and talked behind her back. The men, on the other hand, either did extra favours for her, didn’t take her skill-set seriously, or did their best to remain professional despite her dress.

Meaning and/or Motivation: Dressing sexy is not a sexual invitation by itself, but it does give us clues to the intensions and attitudes present. In most cases, overt cleavage, short skirts and heavy make-up tell us that women are available and sexually receptive.

Women who dress sexily all the time appear might make sexy attire a non-cue, but one must still wonder why they are motivated to dress overtly on a more frequent and often inappropriate context. Often times the overtly dressed baseline tells us that women seek male favours and male chivalry. This often goes hand-in-hand with flirty behaviour and casual sexual suggestions.

If, on the other hand, we notice extra dressiness, or extra frills or “ornamentation” we know that a woman is probably feeling sexually receptive. Conversely if we see a lack of dressiness, we know that a woman is particularly down and unreceptive. The research supports this. Women, at around the time of ovulation, will display more sexually. They will break out their high heels, tend to dance more, talk more suggestively, and even walk differently near ovulation.

While women might not be aware of the reason for dressing provocatively. Most women are aware of the signals they give off to men, and therefore shouldn’t be surprised to receive additional attention when they show more skin. From a prowling male perspective therefore, it would pay back in dividends to make note of which women dress provocatively and deviate from their baseline and which women wear more frills and glitz. Tight jeans, elaborate decoration and short skirts, not only signal sexuality, but also interest in sex.

Other times, when women travel in groups, they may be influenced by the decisions of others and therefore dress to fit in, despite their underlying mood. We see this often when groups of women travel to a bar together and dress provocatively to fit into their clique. In these instances, it is important to watch for cues in cluster to determine if women are in fact sexually receptive as indicated by their attire.

Cue Cluster: Dressing sexy, when it is matched to a woman’s sexual cycle will be accompanied by other sexual cues such as grooming, hair tossing, legs uncrossed and re-crossed, neck and wrist exposure, desire for proximity to men, leaning inward, licking the lips, batting the eyes, the parade, exaggeration of the hips by pushing them out, pushing the chest out be keeping the back arched, and so forth.

Body Language Category: Adornments, Amplifier, Arousal, Courtship displays, Indicators of sexual interest (IOsI).

Resources:

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Anat Rafaeli; Jane Dutton; Celia V Harquail; Stephanie Mackie-Lewis. Navigating by attire: The use of dress by female administrative employees. Academy of management journal. 1997. 40 (1): 9-45.

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Barber, Nigel. Women’s dress fashions as a function of reproductive strategy. Sex Roles: A Journal of Research. 1999. 40(5-6): 459(1).

Bettis, Pamela J. ; Adams, Natalie Guice. Short Skirts and Breast Juts: Cheerleading, Eroticism and Schools. Sex Education: Sexuality, Society and Learning. 2006. 6(2): 121-133.

Beiner, Theresa M. Sexy dressing revisited: does target dress play a part in sexual harassment cases? Duke Journal of Gender Law & Policy. 2007 14(1): 125(28).

Buckley, Hilda Mayer ; Roach, Mary Ellen. Clothing as a Nonverbal Communicator of Social and Political Attitudes. Home Economics Research Journal. 1974 3(2): 94-102.

Back, Mitja D. ; Schmukle, Stefan C. ; Egloff, Boris King, Laura (editor). Why Are Narcissists so Charming at First Sight? Decoding the Narcissism–Popularity Link at Zero Acquaintance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 2010. 98(1): 132-145.

Cari D. Goetz; Judith A. Easton; David M.G. Lewis; David M. Buss. Sexual Exploitability: Observable Cues And Their Link To Sexual Attraction. Evolution and Human Behavior. 2012; 33: 417-426.
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Chowdhary, U. 1988. Instructor’s attire as a biasing factor in students’ ratings of an instructor. Clothing & Textiles Research Journal 6 (2): 17-22.

Cahoon, DD; Edmonds, EM 1989. Male-Female Estimates Of Opposite-Sex 1st Impressions Concerning Females Clothing Styles Bulletin of the psychonomic society. 27(3): 280-281.

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Durante, Kristina M ; Li, Norman P ; Haselton, Martie G. Changes in women’s choice of dress across the ovulatory cycle: naturalistic and laboratory task-based evidence. Personality & social psychology bulletin. 2008 34(11): 1451-60.

Edmonds, Ed M.; Cahoon, Delwin D.; Hudson, Elizabeth 1992. Male-female estimates of feminine assertiveness related to females’ clothing styles. Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society. 30(2): 43-144.

Farris, Coreen ; Viken, Richard J. ; Treat, Teresa A. Perceived association between diagnostic and non-diagnostic cues of women’s sexual interest: General Recognition Theory predictors of risk for sexual coercion. Journal of Mathematical Psychology. 2010. 54(1): 137-149.

Forsythe, S. M. 1990. Effect of applicant’s clothing on interviewer’s decision to hire.
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Forsythe, S., M. F. Drake, and C. E. Cox. 1985. Influence of applicant’s dress on interviewer’s selection decisions. Journal of Applied Psychology 70 (2): 374-378.

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Guéguen, Nicholas. High Heels Increase Women’s Attractiveness. Archives of Sexual Behavior. 2014. DOI 10.1007/s10508-014-0422-z
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Guéguen, Nicolas. Color and Women Attractiveness: When Red Clothed Women Are Perceived to Have More Intense Sexual Intent. The Journal of Social Psychology, 2012; 152(3): 261–265.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/men-prefer-women-who-dress-in-red-and-wear-red-lipstick-how-to-earn-more-tips-or-favours-from-men/

Guéguen, Nicolas. The Effect Of Women’s Suggestive Clothing On Men’s Behavior And Judgment: A Field Study. Psychological Reports. 2011. 109; 2: 635-638.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/sexy-clothing-source-power-women/

Guéguen, Nicolas. Color and Women Hitchhikers’ Attractiveness: Gentlemen Drivers Prefer Red. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 2012; 37 (1): 76-78.

Glick, Peter; Sadie Larsen, Cathryn Johnson, and Heather Branstiter. Evaluations Of Sexy Women In Low – And High-Status Jobs. Psychology of Women Quarterly. 2005. 29: 389–395.
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Grammer, Karl, LeeAnn Renninger and Bettina Fischer. Disco Clothing, Female Sexual Motivation, and Relationship Status: Is She Dressed to Impress? The Journal of Sex Research. 2004. 41(1): 66-74.
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Garot, Robert ; Katz, Jack. Provocative Looks: Gang Appearance and Dress Codes in an Inner-City Alternative School. Ethnography, 2003, Vol.4(3), pp.421-454

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Guéguen, Nicholas. High Heels Increase Women’s Attractiveness. Archives of Sexual Behavior. 2014. DOI 10.1007/s10508-014-0422-z
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Body Language of Downcast Eyes or Eyes Down

Body Language of Downcast Eyes or Eyes Down

BodyLanguageProjectCom - Downcast Eyes or Eyes Down 1Cue: Downcast Eyes or Eyes Down.

Synonym(s): Downward Gaze, Eye Dip, Eyes Down.

Description: Eyes that are averted by looking down rather than by looking left or right.

In One Sentence: Eyes cast downward signals that one is submissive or embarrassed.

How To Use it: Women are advised to use eyes cast downward in a dating context to show men that they are interested. This is one of the best ways to show that a woman is prepared to accept the dominance of a man. While this is not the only way women can show interest, it is the most universal.

Likewise, small children should use eyes down in order to gain the sympathy and care of adults. When children cast their eyes down, it makes them seem helpless which cues the desire to protect. The same effect is useful for teenagers and even adults who are looking for special privileges which they wish to receive from others.

Reducing eye contact has been shown to help reduce the level of punishment as it shows that one is shameful and submissive and thus, no longer a threat. Thus, use eyes down to placate more dominant individuals.

To avoid being called upon, such as in class, cast they eyes down to show lack of confidence.

Context: a) Dating, b) Business c) General

Verbal Translation: a) “I’m shy and I’m submit to you because I’m attracted to you.” b) “You’re the boss and I’m looking down because you are dominant and I feel threatened by you and respect you.” c) “I’m embarrassed and shamed so I’m acting like a child and submitting to your authority.”

Variant: See Eye Aversion, Gaze Avoidance and Wandering Eyes, Eye Squinting or Narrowing Eyes, Downcast Eyes or Eyes Down.

Cue In Action: a) She was casually looking around the room when her eyes met with a cute guy, she panicked and didn’t know what to do so she averted her eyes by looking down and smiled coyly as she knew she was caught with “her hand in the cookie jar.”

b) The intern kept her gaze low and listened attentively at her new boss to keep the peace and remain low on her radar.

c) When the boss came in with an angry expression, he knew this was headed in the wrong direction. He averted his eyes downward and readied to be scolded.

Meaning and/or Motivation: Indicates submission, coyness, lack of certainty, defeat, guilt, shame or embarrassment depending on the context. Down cast eyes is an indication of submission and serves to placate other more dominant people. Downcast Eyes or Eyes Down can also signify interest especially in a dating context.

Usually the person who looks away first is the more submissive or passive so long as it is done by looking down rather than left or right. The eyes averted downward evoke a protective response from others so we do it in hopes of lessening punishment. When women do it in dating, it signals interest because unlike eyes that move left and right – scanning, eyes down punctuations the eye contact to a specific person.

Alternatively, eyes down can mean someone is concentrating or evaluating information and needs to focus on a problem.

Cue Cluster: a) If she spots someone she is interested in she will quickly avert her eyes downward to show that she isn’t a threat and to show submission, and then she will take a second look. This second glance is directed only toward a man of interest and is not cast around the room. It will be short and she will rotate her head twenty-five to forty degrees to the side then look away (usually downward) within about three seconds. Women usually continue this behavior until they meet their target’s eyes. b) Eyes down in a business context when concentrating is coupled with putting up blinders such as hand to the sides of the face, hand to chin, a blank face, head bobbled from side to side weighing information and so forth. c) When downcast eyes wish to avoid confrontation they will be accompanied by a shrinking body such as shoulders down, head sunk in, palms up, torso down or away and head bowed.

Body Language Category: Appease, Courtship displays, Embarrassment (nonverbal), Escape movements, Indicators of sexual interest (IOsI), Pensive displays, Protective reflexes, Readiness to submit postures, Shy nonverbal, Submissive body language.

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.

Aguinis, Herman ; Simonsen, Melissam. ; Pierce, Charlesa. Effects of Nonverbal Behavior on Perceptions of Power Bases. The Journal of Social Psychology. 1998. 138(4): 455-469.

Aguinis, Herman ; Henle, Christinea. Effects of Nonverbal Behavior on Perceptions of a Female Employee’s Power Bases. The Journal of Social Psychology. 2001 141(4): 537-549.

Bowers, Andrew L. ; Crawcour, Stephen C. ; Saltuklaroglu, Tim ; Kalinowski, Joseph
Gaze aversion to stuttered speech: a pilot study investigating differential visual attention to stuttered and fluent speech. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders. 2010. 45(2): 133-144.

Beausoleil, Ngaio J. ; Stafford, Kevin J. ; Mellor, David J. Burghardt, Gordon M. (editor). Does Direct Human Eye Contact Function as a Warning Cue for Domestic Sheep (Ovis aries)? Journal of Comparative Psychology. 2006. 120(3): 269-279.

Baltazar M; Hazem N; Vilarem E; Beaucousin V; Picq JL, and Conty L. Eye Contact Elicits Bodily Self-Awareness in Human Adults. Cognition. 2014. 133 (1): 120-7 PMID: 25014360
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/eye-contact-makes-us-uncomfortable-curious-case-stare-rape/

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.

Baxter, James C., and Richard M. Rozelle (1975). “Nonverbal Expression as a Function of Crowding During a Simulated Police-Citizen Encounter.” In Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (Vol. 32, No. 1), pp. 40-54.

Chen, Yi-Chia ; Yeh, Su-Ling. Look into my eyes and I will see you: Unconscious processing of human gaze. Consciousness and Cognition. 2012 21(4): 1703-1710.

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

Davis, Flora (1971). Inside Intuition: What We Know About Nonverbal Communication (San Francisco: McGraw-Hill).

Ellsworth, Phoebe; Carlsmith, J Merrill. 1973. Eye contact and gaze aversion in an aggressive encounter. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 28(2): 280-292.

Friesen, C.K., & Kingstone, A. (1998). The eyes have it: Reflexive orienting is triggered by nonpredictive gaze. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 5, 490–493.

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Givens D. The nonverbal basis of attraction: Flirtation, courtship, and seduction. Psychiatry. 1978. 41: 346.

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

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

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

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

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

Horley K, Williams LM, Gonsalvez C, Gordon E (2003) Social phobics do not see eye to eye: a visual scanpath study of emotional expression processing. J Anxiety Disord 17:33–44

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

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

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

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

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

Kampe, K.K.W. ; Frith, C.D. ; Dolan, R.J. ; Frith, U. Direct eye contact with attractive faces activates brain areas associated with ‘reward’ and ‘reward expectation’ Neuroimage. 2001. 13(6): 425-425.

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

Moore, Monica. Courtship Signaling and Adolescents: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. Journal of Sex Research. 1995. 32(4): 319-328.
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Strick, Madelijn ; Holland, Rob W. ; Van Knippenberg, Ad. Seductive Eyes: Attractiveness and Direct Gaze Increase Desire for Associated Objects
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Sitton, Sarah C; Griffin, Susan T. 1981. Detection of deception from clients’ eye contact patterns. Journal of Counseling Psychology. 28(3): 269-271.

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Body Language of Direct Eye Contact

Body Language of Direct Eye Contact

BodyLanguageProjectCom - Direct Eye ContactCue: 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:

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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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Aguinis, Herman ; Simonsen, Melissam. ; Pierce, Charlesa. Effects of Nonverbal Behavior on Perceptions of Power Bases. The Journal of Social Psychology. 1998. 138(4): 455-469.

Aguinis, Herman ; Henle, Christinea. Effects of Nonverbal Behavior on Perceptions of a Female Employee’s Power Bases. The Journal of Social Psychology. 2001 141(4): 537-549.

Bowers, Andrew L. ; Crawcour, Stephen C. ; Saltuklaroglu, Tim ; Kalinowski, Joseph
Gaze aversion to stuttered speech: a pilot study investigating differential visual attention to stuttered and fluent speech. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders. 2010. 45(2): 133-144.

Baxter, James C., and Richard M. Rozelle (1975). “Nonverbal Expression as a Function of Crowding During a Simulated Police-Citizen Encounter.” In Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (Vol. 32, No. 1), pp. 40-54.

Beausoleil, Ngaio J. ; Stafford, Kevin J. ; Mellor, David J. Burghardt, Gordon M. (editor). Does Direct Human Eye Contact Function as a Warning Cue for Domestic Sheep (Ovis aries)? Journal of Comparative Psychology. 2006. 120(3): 269-279.

Baltazar M; Hazem N; Vilarem E; Beaucousin V; Picq JL, and Conty L. Eye Contact Elicits Bodily Self-Awareness in Human Adults. Cognition. 2014. 133 (1): 120-7 PMID: 25014360
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/eye-contact-makes-us-uncomfortable-curious-case-stare-rape/

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

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

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

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Vrij, A., & Semin, G. R. (1996). Lie experts’ beliefs about nonverbal indicators of deception. Journal of Nonverbal Behaviour, 20, 65–81. doi: 10.1007/BF02248715

Wu, D.W-L.; Walter Bischof and Alan Kingstone. Natural Gaze Signaling in a Social Context. Evolution and Human Behavior. 2014. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2014.01.005
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/dont-look-at-me-im-chewing-dont-worry-i-wont-eye-language-and-the-white-of-your-eyes/

Wirth, James H ; Sacco, Donald F ; Hugenberg, Kurt ; Williams, Kipling D. Eye gaze as relational evaluation: averted eye gaze leads to feelings of ostracism and relational devaluation. Personality & social psychology bulletin. 2010 36(7): 869-82.

Wang, Yin ; Newport, Roger ; Hamilton, Antonia F De C. Eye contact enhances mimicry of intransitive hand movements. Biology letters. 2011. 7(1): 7-10.

Wirth, James H ; Sacco, Donald F ; Hugenberg, Kurt ; Williams, Kipling D. Eye gaze as relational evaluation: averted eye gaze leads to feelings of ostracism and relational devaluation. Personality & social psychology bulletin. 2010 36(7): 869-82.

Walsh, D. G., & Hewitt, J. (1985). Giving Men The Come-On: Effect Of Eye Contact And Smiling In A Bar Environment. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 61, 873-874.

Body Language of Dancing

Body Language of Dancing

BodyLanguageProjectCom - Dancing 2Cue: Dancing

Synonym(s): N/A

Description: A rhythmic movement of the body in concert with music.

In One Sentence: Dancing is a universal expression of happiness and joy, though it can also convey other emotions.

How To Use it: Use dancing to show others your good spirits and good health. Dancing does not have to be limited to the dance floor. Wiggling the hips to a tune while working, can show others that you are successful at life and are in command of your existence. Dancing is said to be the universal display of sexuality and virility. Men whom can dance, are seen as highly attractive as it cues athleticism and coordination which are two very desirable characteristics. Many of the movements in dance are much like movements during sex, so can elude to a man or woman’s sexy potency. Use dance to show off your personality.

Context: General

Verbal Translation: “I’m happy and having a good time so my body is moving to the beat.”

Variant: N/A.

Cue In Action: They picked up where they had left off, dancing to the beat.

Meaning and/or Motivation: A nonverbal expression of movement to music that is universally expressed. Dancing is a display of physical and sexual potential or an expression of art. Many different types of dancing exist throughout the world.

Cue Cluster: Dance is varied and the context will warrant various additional cues.

Body Language Category: Courtship displays, Emotional body language, Enthusiasm (nonverbal), Dominant body language.

Resources:

Atkinson AP, Dittrich WH, Gemmell AJ, Young AW (2004) Emotion perception from dynamic and static body expressions in point-light and full-light displays. Perception 33: 717–746. doi: 10.1068/p5096.

Bavelas, J. B., Black, A., Chovil, N., Lemery, C. R., & Mullett, J. (1988). Form and function in motor mimicry: Topographic evidence that the primary function is communicative. Human Communication Research, 14, 275- 299.

Bavelas, J. B., Black, A., Lemery, C. R., & Mullett, J. (1986). “I show how you feel”: Motor mimicry as a communicative act. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50, 322-329.

Boone RT, Cunningham JG (1998) Children’s decoding of emotion in expressive body movement: the development of cue attunement. Dev Psychol. 34: 1007–1016. doi: 10.1037//0012-1649.34.5.1007.

Brownlow S, Dixon AR, Egbert CA, Radcliffe RD (1997) Perception of movement and dancer characteristics from point-light displays of dance. Psychol Rec 47: 411–421.

Camurri A, Lagerlo¨f I, Volpe G (2003) Recognizing emotion from dance movement: Comparison of spectator recognition and automated techniques. Int J Hum Comput Stud 59: 213–225. doi: 10.1016/S1071-5819(03)00050-8.

Davis, Martha. Movement characteristics of hospitalized psychiatric patients. American Journal of Dance Therapy. 1981. 4(1): 52-71.

de Meijer M (1989) The contribution of general features of body movement to the attribution of emotions. J Nonverbal Behav 13: 247–268. doi: 10.1007/BF00990296.

Dittrich WH, Troscianko T, Lea SEG, Morgan D (1996) Perception of emotion from dynamic point-light displays represented in dance. Perception 25: 727–738. doi: 10.1068/p250727.

Fink, Bernhard; Nadine Hugill and Benjamin P. Lange. Women’s Body Movements Are a Potential Cue to Ovulation. Personality and Individual Differences. 2012. 53: 759-763.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/women-use-sexier-body-language-indicate-ovulation-fertility-women-dance-walk-sexier/

Geoffrey Miller, Joshua M. Tybur, Brent D. Jordan. Ovulatory Cycle Effects On Tip Earnings By Lap Dancers: Economic Evidence For Human Estrus? Evolution and Human Behavior, 2007; 28: 375–381.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/lap-dancers-earn-more-during-peak-ovulation-how-the-pill-affects-your-sex-drive/

Godøy R (2010) Gestural affordances of musical sound. In: Godøy R, Leman M, editors. Musical gestures: Sound, movement, and meaning. New York, NY: Routledge. 103–125.

Grammer, Karl ; Kruck, Kirsten ; Magnusson, Magnus. The Courtship Dance: Patterns of Nonverbal Synchronization in Opposite-Sex Encounters. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 1998, Vol.22(1), pp.3-29.

Harrigan, Jinni ; Oxman, Thomas ; Rosenthal, Robert. Rapport expressed through nonverbal behavior. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 1985. 9(2): 95-110.

LaFrance, M. (1979). Nonverbal synchrony and rapport: Analysis by the cross-lag panel technique. Social Psychology Quarterly, 42, 66-70.

LaFrance, M. (1982). Posture mirroring and rapport. In M. Davis (Ed.), Interaction rhythms: Periodicity in communicative behavior (pp. 279-298).New York: Human Sciences Press.

LaFrance, M., & Broadbent, M. (1976). Group rapport: Posture sharing as a nonverbal indicator. Group and Organization Studies, 1, 328-333.

Lagerlo¨f I, Djerf M (2000) Communicating emotions: Expressiveness in modern dance. Int J Psychol 35: 225–225.

Manusov, Valerie. Mimicry or synchrony: The effects of intentionality attributions for nonverbal mirroring behavior. Communication Quarterly. 1992 40(1): 69-83.

Montepare, J. M., Goldstien, S. B., & Clausen, A. (1987). The identification of emotions from gait information. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 11, 33–42.

Moore, Monica. Courtship Signaling and Adolescents: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. Journal of Sex Research. 1995. 32(4): 319-328.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/girls-just-want-to-have-fun-the-origins-of-courtship-cues-in-girls-and-women/

Miller, G., Tybur, J. M., & Jordan, B. D. Ovulatory cycle effects on tip earning by lap dancers: Economic evidence for human estrus. Evolution and Human Behavior. 2007. 28: 375-381. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2007.06.002.

Neave, Nick; Kristofor McCarty; Jeanette Freynik; Nicholas Caplan; Johannes Hönekopp; Bernhard Fink. Male Dance Moves That Catch A Woman’s Eye. Biology Letters. 2011; 7(2): 221-224.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/the-science-of-sexy-male-dance/

Nao, Misako Sawada and Motonobu Ishii. Development of the Movements Impressions Emotions Model: Evaluation of Movements and Impressions Related to the Perception of Emotions in Dance. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 2013. 37:107-121.
DOI 10.1007/s10919-013-0148-y
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/convey-emotion-nonverbally-dance-study/

Risner D (2009) What we know about boys who dance: The limitations of contemporary masculinity & dance education. In: Shay A, Fisher J, editors. When men dance: Choreographing masculinities across borders. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Ricard, Nathalie C. ; Beaudry, Simon G. ; Pelletier, Luc G. Lovers With Happy Feet: The Interdependence of Relationship and Activity Factors for Individuals Dancing With a Romantic Partner.(Report). Journal of Applied Social Psychology. 2012. 42(4): 939(25).

Sawada, M., Suda, K., & Ishii, M. (2003a). Expression of emotions in dance: Relation between arm movement characteristics and emotion. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 97, 697–708.

Sawada, M., Suda, K., & Ishii, M. (2003b). Relationship between leg movement quality and emotional expression in dance. Poster session presented at the annual meeting of the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science, London, England.

Van Meel J, Verburgh H, de Meijer M (1993) Children’s interpretation of dance expressions. Empirical Studies of the Arts 11: 117–133. doi: 10.2190/V69NVB0T-A9Q3-TJ04.

Van Dyck, Edith ; Vansteenkiste, Pieter ; Lenoir, Matthieu ; Lesaffre, Micheline ; Leman, Marc Canal-bruland, Rouwen. Recognizing Induced Emotions of Happiness and Sadness from Dance Movement. PLoS ONE. 2014 9(2): e89773.

Van Dyck E, Maes P-J, Hargreaves J, Lesaffre M, Leman M (2013). Expressing induced emotions through free dance movement. J Nonverbal Behav 37: 175–190. doi: 10.1007/s10919-013-0153-1.

Whittock, Trevor. The role of metaphor in dance. The British Journal of Aesthetics. 1992. 32(3): 242(8).

Body Language Of The Cowboy Pose Stance

Body Language Of The Cowboy Pose Stance

BodyLanguageProjectCom - Cowboy Pose Stance 2Cue: 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:

Allen, Jill; Sarah J. Gervais and Jessi L. Smith. Sit Big to Eat Big: The Interaction of Body Posture and Body Concern on Restrained Eating. Psychology of Women Quarterly 2013. 37(3): 325-336. DOI: 10.1177/0361684313476477pwq.sagepub.com
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/sit-big-to-eat-big-how-constrictive-postures-reduce-food-consumption/

Arnette, S. L., & Pettijohn, T. F., II. (2012). The effects of posture on self-perceived leadership. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 3, 8–13.

Bohns, Vanessa K. and Scott S. Wiltermuth. It Hurts When I Do This (Or You Do That): Posture And Pain tolerance. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 2012. 48: 341-345.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/dominant-and-submissive-postures-affects-more-than-public-perception-it-also-affects-felt-pain-and-physical-strength/

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.

Bartholomewn, Morgan E.; Sheri L. Johnson. Nonverbal Dominance Behavior Among Individuals at Risk for Mania. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2014. 159: 133-138.

Cashdan, Elizabeth. Smiles, Speech, and Body Posture: How Women and Men Display Sociometric Status and Power. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 1998. 22(4): 209-228.

Carney, Dana R.; Amy J.C. Cuddy; Andy J. Yap. Power Posing: Brief Nonverbal Displays Affect Neuroendocrine Levels and Risk Tolerance. Psychological Science, 2010; 21 (10): 1363-1368.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/benefits-power-posing-high-stakes-performance/

Cuddy, Amy J.C., Caroline A. Wilmuth, and Dana R. Carney. The Benefit of Power Posing Before a High-Stakes Social Evaluation. Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 13-027, September 2012.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/benefits-power-posing-high-stakes-performance/

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

Cuddy, A. J. C., Wilmuth, C., Yap, A. J., & Carney, D. R. (in press). Preparatory power posing affects nonverbal presence and job interview performance. Journal of Applied Psychology.

de Lemus, Soledad; Russell Spears and and Miguel Moya. The Power of a Smile to Move You: Complementary Submissiveness in Women’s Posture as a Function of Gender Salience and Facial Expression. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 2012. 38(11): 1480-1494.

Fischer, Julia; Peter Fischer; Birte Englich; Nilüfer Aydin and Dieter Frey. Empower My Decisions: The Effects of Power Gestures on Confirmatory Information Processing. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 2011. 47: 1146-1154.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/downside-power-posing-body-language-looking-power-posing-action-study/?preview=true

Gorkan Ahmetoglu, Viren Swami. Do Women Prefer “Nice Guys?” The Effect Of Male Dominance Behavior On Women’s Ratings. Social Behavior And Personality, 2012; 40(4), 667-672.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/how-to-significantly-increase-male-attractiveness-with-simple-body-language-nice-guys-finish-last-once-again/

Huang, L., Galinsky, A. D., Gruenfeld, D. H., & Guillory, L. E. (2011). Powerful postures versus powerful roles: Which is the proximate correlate of thought and behavior? Psychological Science, 22, 95–102.

Lee Ann Renninger, T. Joel Wade, Karl Grammer. Getting that female glance: Patterns and consequences of male nonverbal behavior in courtship contexts. Evolution and Human Behavior. 2004; 25: 416–431.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/part-i-how-to-read-male-sexual-body-language-a-study-for-women-and-the-men-who-wish-to-cheat-the-system/

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.

Michalak, J., Mischnat, J., & Teismann, T. (2014). Sitting posture makes a difference: Embodiment effects on depressive memory bias. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 21, 519–524.

Minvaleev, R. S., Nozdrachev, A. D., Kir’yanova, V. V., & Ivanov, A. I. (2004). Postural influences on the hormone level in healthy subjects: I. The cobra posture and steroid hormones. Human Physiology, 30, 452–456.

Nair, S., Sagar, M., Sollers, J., III, Consedine, N., & Broadbent, E. (2014). Do slumped and upright postures affect stress responses? A randomized trial. Health Psychology. Advance online publication. doi:10.1037/hea0000146

Park, Lora E.; Lindsey Streamer; Li Huang and Adam D. Galinsky. Stand Tall, But Don’t Put Your Feet Up: Universal and Culturally-Specific Effects of Expansive Postures On Power. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 2013; 49: 965–971.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/are-expansive-postures-of-power-universal-or-cultural/

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

Rule, Nicholas, O.; Reginald B. Adams Jr.; Nalini Ambady and Jonathan B. Freeman. Perceptions Of Dominance Following Glimpses Of Faces And Bodies. Perception. 2012; 41: 687-706 doi:10.1068/p7023
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/people-can-read-dominance-split-second

Ranehill, Eva; Anna Dreber; Magnus Johannesson; Susanne Leiberg; Sunhae Sul and Roberto A. Weber. Assessing the Robustness of Power Posing: No Effect on Hormones and Risk Tolerance in a Large Sample of Men and Women. Psychological Science, March, 2015. doi: 10.1177/0956797614553946
http://pss.sagepub.com/content/early/2015/03/30/0956797614553946.full.pdf
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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.

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.
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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
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Tiedens, Larissa Z. and Alison R. Fragale. Power Moves: Complementarity in Dominant and Submissive Nonverbal Behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 2003, 84(3): 558–568.

Locke, Connson C. and Cameron Anderson. The Downside of Looking Like a Leader: Leader’s Powerful Demeanor Stifles Follower Voice in Participative Decision-Making.. Academy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings. 2010. 8(1): 1-6.
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Yap, Andy J. Abbie S. Wazlawek, Brian J. Lucas, Amy J. C. Cuddy, Dana R. Carney. The Ergonomics of Dishonesty: The Effect of Incidental Posture on Stealing, Cheating, and Traffic Violations, 24(11); 2281-2289.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/body-posture-physical-environment-determine-feelings-and-behaviour-study/

Body Language of Cooperative Feet

Body Language of Cooperative Feet

BodyLanguageProjectCom - Cooperative Feet 1Cue: Cooperative Feet

Synonym(s): Feet Pointed Toward A Person.

Description: Cooperative feet are ones that are oriented toward a speaker rather than away. Their proximity is increased rather than decreased.

In One Sentence: When feet are pointed and are oriented toward a speaker, they indicate through direction and proximity, that a person is willing to cooperate.

How To Use it: Use feet to show the direction in which you are thinking and feeling. Feet can be pointed and extended toward the door if one wishes to leave. On the other hand, should a person or their ideas be of interest you should aim and extend your feet in their direction. While many people will only subconsciously be aware of your tactic, it will help reinforce your vocal words and help you maintain congruence. Matching your words with your body language will make you appear more honest and trustworthy.

When one wishes to show disinterest, simply turn the feet away. This can show others that you wish to leave or that you are not interested in what they are saying. This can serve you by increasing the chances they will make the conversation more interesting or if negotiation, advance a better offer.

Context: a) Dating b) Business

Verbal Translation: “I agree with you and my primitive mind is showing it by moving my feet toward you and pointing at you.”

Variant: See Toe Pointing or Pointed Toe, Buttress Stance or Foot Forward Leg Stance.

Cue In Action: a) Jill and Bill were really hitting it off, you could tell just by looking at their feet bellow the table. Both his and her feet were extended toward one another. b) At one point in the conversation the client was about to leave with his body aimed toward the door. Noticing his negative body language, the salesman quickly dropped his price 30%. The client pulled his feet back in and aimed them squarely at the salesman. The salesmen used his knowledge of body language to salvage the deal.

Meaning and/or Motivation: The direction that feet point coupled with their extension or withdrawal tells us much about how a person really feels about the situation. Feet move toward things they like and away from things they don’t like.

Feet are either cooperative or non-cooperative depending on how close they are to the stimulus and which way they point. In other words, as feet move closer, they are in agreement and when they are withdrawn, they are in disagreement. Also, feet usually point toward people and ideas they agree with and away from people and ideas they disagree with.

Millions of years ago, we gave up quadrupedalism to walk upright leaving our feet “to the dirt.” While our hands busied themselves with other complex tasks like building fires, making clothing and shelters and throwing spears our legs were relegated to more primitive activities like locomotion. The feet on the other hand, carried out more traditional tasks like escaping predators, avoiding hot sand or coals from the fire, leaping from slithering snakes or poisonous spiders, or navigating rough rocking river bottoms. The feet were therefore connected more to the reptilian brain that reacts to stimuli directly instead of contemplating higher order tasks that require planning.

When we’re frightened it doesn’t take much to put our feet in gear. For example, feet are quickly tucked under our legs and coiled up ready to flee with any indication of danger. For example, the shadow of a mouse scampering across the room forces our feet to instantly freeze, or be pulled onto a chair.

Our feet carry the flight or fight reaction to the letter making them honest.

Our feet and legs can display boredom through repetitive motions, joy by lifting the body up and down, fear by being tucked under a chair, depression by laying lazily or motionless and sensuality by being uncovered and flaunted.

Cue Cluster: Cooperative feet are accompanied by other agreement indicators such as palms up rather than down, arms uncrossed, head tilted at forty five degrees, eye contact, ventral fronting and head nods.

Body Language Category: Attentive, Body pointing, Courtship display, Honest body language or honesty, Indicator of interest (IoI), Indicators of sexual interest (IOsI), Intention movements, Liking, Open body language, Orienting reflex or orienting response, Undivided attention (nonverbal).

Resources:

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Body Language of Clothing

Body Language of Clothing

No picCue: Clothing.

Synonym(s): Dress, Fashion, Overdressing, Underdressing, Practical Dressing, Casual Dress, Dressing Casually, Dressing Practically, Attire, Uniform.

Description: The body language associated with ones attire.

In One Sentence: Clothing represents an elective form of nonverbal expression which indicate how a person wishes to be perceived by others.

How To Use it: Using clothing to create a desired impression. When you apply clothing, remember that regardless of your desire, certain character traits will be ascribed to you regardless of your desires. These will be either correct or incorrect. If one wishes to be viewed in one way or another, one should be conscious of how one presents oneself. For example, revealing clothing will result in others believing that you are sexually easy or promiscuous. Wearing heavy clothing during hot weather will lead others to assume that you are prudish. Use clothing to create the impression you wish is complicated and person specific, but one simply needs to understand that one has a high degree of control over the perceptions of others and these can be manipulated with nonverbal displays including fashion. Some experimentation may be required to produce the results you desire.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “My clothing is a reflection of my inner thoughts, feelings and values.”

Variant: See Unkept or Dowdiness, Dressing Sexy.

Cue In Action: a) The teenager usually let his underwear show above his loose pants. He didn’t care what the adults thought about him. b) The teacher sent the girls to the principle if their skirts were too short. c) She was always well put together with expensive gowns and jewelry. d) He didn’t care what people thought of him, he felt that jogging pants were the most comfortable daily attire. e) She made waves with her low cut blouse and ample cleavage.

Meaning and/or Motivation: Clothing is a very potent nonverbal cue as it gives off all sorts of vital information about its wearer. It is a nonverbal language all onto itself. Before we even speak with one another, our clothing creates an image about us, it also tells of our sex, age, occupation, origins, social class, personality and beliefs. Clothing can also tell others where we are going as well as what we are about to do. A business suit for example, indicates that one is conducting business or a summer dress indicates that one is on vacation. In other words, clothing provides context.

As a language, clothing can be conventional or eccentric, clothing can give off signals about whom one wants to be or become. Teenagers place importance on designer clothing so they can impress their friends and fit in, but as we grow older, our shift takes on a more specific role as we tailor our attire to the functions we attend and to the status we want to hold.

Clothing also sets us apart from others in terms of values. The eccentric often have flamboyant clothing to differentiate themselves from others showing that their ideas about life are different than the rest of those around them.

How one ‘wears’ what they wear also gives off indicators of their disposition. For example, the uptight employee that does his collar up to the top, or the laid back employee who fails to properly tighten his neck tie or avoids wearing one at all. Having buttons done up tight as opposed to having an open suite jacket also has meaning. Having un-pressed pants, dirty shoes or even no shoes, at all, provide details of other people’s disposition. Using inappropriately loose or tight clothing can also give us clues as to the nature of the person. Removing a tie midday under a strict dress code indicates that the person is rebellious and defiant. Unbuttoning a blouse to show more cleavage could lead to being labeled easy or a seductress.

Dress plays a big part in first and daily impressions and also provides excellent cues to be read in others.

Over dressing: Someone who is low in confidence but and tries to make up for it by using fashion as a crutch. These people may also be striving for extra attention from others to make up for their insecurities.

Under dressing: A person who feels that outward appearances are of no value or who lacks the desire to conform to social norms.

Practical dresser or practical fashion: A style that is more focused on functionality and utility instead of extravagance. People who wear practical attire are at ease with themselves. Typically they are not self-centered, are willing to go against the grain so as to feel comfortable in their clothing, or are frugal.

Dressing sexy: Someone who wishes to gain attention and power through sex appeal.

Cue Cluster: Watch for congruence between how one dresses and the body language they carry. While someone might overdress, you might find other clues to insecurity. If someone dresses sexy, they may also give off flirtatious cues. Some women might act catty toward, or challenge other women if they are looking for sexual attention from men. Someone who under-dresses, might have a lax attitude or lack the desire to conform. Watch for awkward body language and speech patterns as well as blushing or a desire to exit social gatherings. The practical dresser might have a more casual approach and seem at ease in every situation. When the attire doesn’t match the body language, you have likely spotted a rouse. This person may be trying to fake others through dress.

Body Language Category: Adornments, Amplifier, Courtship display, Elective nonverbal traits, Masked body language, Relaxed body language, Power play.

Resources:

Angela Book, Kimberly Costello and Joseph A. Camilleri Psychopathy and Victim Selection: The Use of Gait as a Cue to Vulnerability. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. 2013. 28(11): 2368-2383. DOI: 10.1177/0886260512475315jiv.sagepub.com
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/dont-walk-like-youre-watched-avoid-victimization-nonverbal-behavior/

Anat Rafaeli; Jane Dutton; Celia V Harquail; Stephanie Mackie-Lewis. Navigating by attire: The use of dress by female administrative employees. Academy of management journal. 1997. 40 (1): 9-45.

Abbey, A., Cozzarelli, K., McLaughlin, K., & Harnish, R. (1987). The effects of clothing and dyad sex composition on perceptions of sexual intent: Do women and men evaluate these cues differently? Journal of Applied Social Psychology. 17: 108-126.

Beiner, Theresa M. Sexy dressing revisited: does target dress play a part in sexual harassment cases? Duke Journal of Gender Law & Policy. 2007 14(1): 125(28).

Buckley, Hilda Mayer ; Roach, Mary Ellen. Clothing as a Nonverbal Communicator of Social and Political Attitudes. Home Economics Research Journal. 1974 3(2): 94-102.

Back, Mitja D. ; Schmukle, Stefan C. ; Egloff, Boris King, Laura (editor). Why Are Narcissists so Charming at First Sight? Decoding the Narcissism–Popularity Link at Zero Acquaintance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 2010. 98(1): 132-145.

Cassidy, Linda ; Hurrell, Rose Marie. The influence of victim’s attire on adolescents’ judgments of date rape. Adolescence. 1995 30(118): 319(5).

Chowdhary, U. 1988. Instructor’s attire as a biasing factor in students’ ratings of an instructor. Clothing & Textiles Research Journal 6 (2): 17-22.

Cahoon, DD; Edmonds, EM 1989. Male-Female Estimates Of Opposite-Sex 1st Impressions Concerning Females Clothing Styles Bulletin of the psychonomic society. 27(3): 280-281.

Cari D. Goetz; Judith A. Easton; David M.G. Lewis; David M. Buss. Sexual Exploitability: Observable Cues And Their Link To Sexual Attraction. Evolution and Human Behavior. 2012; 33: 417-426.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/victim-blaming-or-useful-information-in-preventing-rape-and-sexual-exploitation/

Chowdhary, U. 1988. Instructor’s attire as a biasing factor in students’ ratings of an instructor. Clothing & Textiles Research Journal 6 (2): 17-22.

Cahoon, DD; Edmonds, EM 1989. Male-Female Estimates Of Opposite-Sex 1st Impressions Concerning Females Clothing Styles Bulletin of the psychonomic society. 27(3): 280-281.

Durante, Kristina M ; Li, Norman P ; Haselton, Martie G. Changes in women’s choice of dress across the ovulatory cycle: naturalistic and laboratory task-based evidence. Personality & social psychology bulletin. 2008 34(11): 1451-60.

Edmonds, Ed M.; Cahoon, Delwin D.; Hudson, Elizabeth 1992. Male-female estimates of feminine assertiveness related to females’ clothing styles. Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society. 30(2): 43-144.

Edmonds, Ed M.; Cahoon, Delwin D.; Hudson, Elizabeth 1992. Male-female estimates of feminine assertiveness related to females’ clothing styles. Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society. 30(2): 43-144.

Farris, Coreen ; Viken, Richard J. ; Treat, Teresa A. Perceived association between diagnostic and non-diagnostic cues of women’s sexual interest: General Recognition Theory predictors of risk for sexual coercion. Journal of Mathematical Psychology. 2010. 54(1): 137-149.

Forsythe, S. M. 1990. Effect of applicant’s clothing on interviewer’s decision to hire.
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Forsythe, S., M. F. Drake, and C. E. Cox. 1985. Influence of applicant’s dress on interviewer’s selection decisions. Journal of Applied Psychology 70 (2): 374-378

Forsythe, S. M., M. F. Drake, and C. A. Cox Jr. 1984. Dress as an influence on the perceptions of management characteristics in women. Home Economics Research Journal 13 (2): 112-121.

Forsythe, S., M. F. Drake, and C. E. Cox. 1985. Influence of applicant’s dress on interviewer’s selection decisions. Journal of Applied Psychology 70 (2): 374-378.

Garot, Robert ; Katz, Jack. Provocative Looks: Gang Appearance and Dress Codes in an Inner-City Alternative School. Ethnography, 2003, Vol.4(3), pp.421-454

Gurung, R. A. R. and C. J. Chrouser. 2007. Predicting objectification: do provocative clothing and observer characteristics matter? Sex Roles: A Journal of Research 57 (1-2): 91-99.

Greenless, Iain ; Buscombe, Richard ; Thelwell, Richard ; Holder, Tim ; Rimmer, Matthew. Impact of opponents’ clothing and body language on impression formation and outcome expectations. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology. 2005 27(1): 39-52.

Greenlees, Iain ; Bradley, Andrew ; Holder, Tim ; Thelwell, Richard. The impact of opponents’ non-verbal behaviour on the first impressions and outcome expectations of table-tennis players. Psychology of Sport & Exercise. 2005 6(1): 103-115

Guéguen, Nicholas. High Heels Increase Women’s Attractiveness. Archives of Sexual Behavior. 2014. DOI 10.1007/s10508-014-0422-z
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/high-heels-exact-power-men-study-women-wear-heels/

Guéguen, Nicolas. Color and Women Attractiveness: When Red Clothed Women Are Perceived to Have More Intense Sexual Intent. The Journal of Social Psychology, 2012; 152(3): 261–265.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/men-prefer-women-who-dress-in-red-and-wear-red-lipstick-how-to-earn-more-tips-or-favours-from-men/

Guéguen, Nicolas. The Effect Of Women’s Suggestive Clothing On Men’s Behavior And Judgment: A Field Study. Psychological Reports. 2011. 109; 2: 635-638.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/sexy-clothing-source-power-women/

Guéguen, Nicolas. Color and Women Hitchhikers’ Attractiveness: Gentlemen Drivers Prefer Red. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 2012; 37 (1): 76-78.

Glick, Peter; Sadie Larsen, Cathryn Johnson, and Heather Branstiter. Evaluations Of Sexy Women In Low – And High-Status Jobs. Psychology of Women Quarterly. 2005. 29: 389–395.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/women-should-avoid-sexy-dress-for-high-status-jobs-says-research/

Grammer, Karl, LeeAnn Renninger and Bettina Fischer. Disco Clothing, Female Sexual Motivation, and Relationship Status: Is She Dressed to Impress? The Journal of Sex Research. 2004. 41(1): 66-74.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/is-she-dressed-for-success-how-women-adorn-during-courtship/

Gillath, Omri; Angela J. Bahns; Fiona Ge and Christian S. Crandall. Shoes as a source of first impressions. Journal of Research in Personality. 2012; 46: 423-430.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/shoes-as-a-reliable-cue-to-personality-study/

Graff, Kaitlin ; Murnen, Sarah ; Smolak, Linda. Too Sexualized to be Taken Seriously? Perceptions of a Girl in Childlike vs. Sexualizing Clothing. Sex Roles. 2012. 66(11): 764-775.

Hajo, Adam, and Adam D. Galinsky. Enclothed Cognition. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 2012. 48 (4): 918–925. DOI: 10.1016/j.jesp.2012.02.008 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022103112000200
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/wearing-white-coat-boosts-performance-enclothed-cognition/

Haselton, M. G., M. Mortezaie, E. G. Pillsworth, A. Bleske-rechek, and D. A. Frederick. 2007. Ovulatory shifts in human female ornamentation: near ovulation, women dress to impress. Hormones and Behavior. 51(1): 40-45.

Hernandez, Jillian. “Miss, you look like a Bratz Doll”: on chonga girls and sexual-aesthetic excess.(Report). NWSA Journal. 2009 21(3): 63(28).

Karagiorgakis, Aris and Danielle Malone. The Effect of Clothing and Method of Payment on Tipping in a Bar Setting. North American Journal of Psychology. 2014. 16(3): 441-452.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/skimpy-clothing-lead-larger-tips-boost-tips-using-nonverbal-communication/

Karl, Katherine A. ; Hall, Leda Mcintyre ; Peluchette, Joy V. City employee perceptions of the impact of dress and appearance: you are what you wear. Public Personnel Management. 2013 42(3): 452(19).

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/

Koukounas, Eric ; Letch, Nicolem. Psychological Correlates of Perception of Sexual Intent in Women. The Journal of Social Psychology. 2001. 141(4): 443-456.

Lynch, A. Expanding the Definition of Provocative Dress: An Examination of Female Flashing Behavior on a College Campus. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal. 2007. 25(2): 184-201.

Morris, T. L., J. Gorham, S. H. Cohen, and D. Huffman. 1996. Fashion in the classroom: effects of attire on student perceptions of instructors in college classes. Communication Education 45(2): 135.

Mahmuda, Yusr and Viren Swami. The Influence of the Hijab (Islamic Head-Cover) on Perceptions of Women’s Attractiveness and Intelligence. Body Image. 2010. 7: 90-93.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/hijabs-hot-nonverbal-effect-hijab-attractiveness-intelligence-ratings/

Mcginley, Ann C. Babes and beefcake: exclusive hiring arrangements and sexy dress codes. Duke Journal of Gender Law & Policy. 2007 14(1): 257(27).

Markey, Patrick ; Markey, Charlotte. Changes in women’s interpersonal styles across the menstrual cycle. Journal of Research in Personality. 2011. 45(5): 493-499.

Paul H. Morris, Jenny White, Edward R. Morrison and Kayleigh Fisher. High Heels As Supernormal Stimuli: How Wearing High Heels Affects Judgements of Female Attractiveness. Evolution and Human Behavior. 2013. 34: 176-181.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/high-heels-supernormal-body-language-signal

Peluchette, J. V., K. Karl, and K. Rust. 2006. Dressing to impress: beliefs and attitudes regarding workplace attire. Journal of Business and Psychology 21(1): 45-63.

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Parks, Kathleen ; Scheidt, Douglas. Male Bar Drinkers’ Perspective on Female Bar Drinkers. Sex Roles, 2000, Vol.43(11), pp.927-941.

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Rehman, Shakaib U. ; Nietert, Paul J. ; Cope, Dennis W. ; Kilpatrick, Anne Osborne. What to wear today? Effect of doctor’s attire on the trust and confidence of patients
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Regan A. R. Gurung and Carly J. Chrouser. Predicting Objectification: Do Provocative Clothing and Observer Characteristics Matter? Sex Roles, 2007; 57: 91–99.
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Starr, Christine ; Ferguson, Gail. Sexy Dolls, Sexy Grade-Schoolers? Media & Maternal Influences on Young Girls’ Self-Sexualization. Sex Roles. 2012. 67(7): 463-476.

Synovitz, Lindab. ; Byrne, T. Jean. Antecedents of Sexual Victimization: Factors Discriminating Victims From Nonvictims. Journal of American College Health. 1998. 46(4): 151-158.

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Vazire, Simine; Laura P. Naumann; Peter J. Rentfrow and Samuel D. Gosling. Portrait of a Narcissist: Manifestations of Narcissism in Physical Appearance. Journal of Research in Personality. 2008. 42: 1439-1447.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/narcissist-written-read-body-language-narcissist/?preview=true

Body Language of The Broadside Display or Chest Protrusion.

Body Language of The Broadside Display or Chest Protrusion.

BodyLanguageProjectCom - Broadside Display or Chest Protrusion 2Cue: Broadside Display or Chest Protrusion.

Synonym(s): Chest Protrusion, Peacocking, Chest Puffing, Chest Thrust, Chest Arch, Chest Puff, Breast Protrusion, Torso Splay, Puffing Out The Chest, Baring The Torso, Removing A Shirt, Shirt Removal, Protruding The Breast.

Description: A flaring of the torso and chest by bringing air into the lungs to puff out and appear larger. Read more about coding for the expression of pride here: http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/nonverbal-coding-scheme-pride-shame-objectively-read-pride-shame-body-language/

In One Sentence: Puffing out the chest is a signal that one is dominant and virile and for a part of the universal expression of pride.

How To Use it: Men should use the broadside display to intimidate other men or to express pride. If female, a broadside display can also be used to appear in control and confident, however, the effect will be muddied by the protrusion of breasts which can be seen as sexually inviting. That being the case a confident posture in women can help thwart approaches from lesser quality men whom are not able rise to her level. This can give her the advantage. Overall, this posture should be used with care. It is most useful when one wishes to show that one is proud, healthy, and virile.

Context: a) Dating (male) b) Dating (female) c) Business and General

Verbal Translation: a) and c) “I’m large with a big chest and so I’m dominant and you will submit to me.” “I’m puffing out my chest, see how large I am, you better back down and give me the respect I command.” b) “I am confident, proud of my breasts, youthful with good posture, and therefore I’m a good mate. I want you to notice.”

Variant: See Arms Akimbo, Military Man or Regal Stance, Cowboy Pose Stance.

Cue In Action: a) As he walked by a girl on the beach wearing a skimpy bikini he sucked up his gut, took in a deep breath and arched his shoulders back. b) While waiting for a drink, she leaned back on the bar-top with her elbows, puffed out her chest and looked down submissively as a broadcast signal of her availability. c) The male boxers entered the pre-match weigh-in each with their shoulders held back and chest puffed out. c) A security guard, bouncer or police officer standing guard will perform a broadside display in effort to dissuade an attack. c) We also might see this in business when two conflicting ideas have been presented where each party defends and asserts themselves.

Meaning and/or Motivation: a), b) and c) The intent is to intimidate by appearing larger and therefore more dominant, powerful and also to express pride. It is a high comfort display, opened and bare, inviting challenge and attack that is assumed to never come. a) and b) A sexual or aggressive body language posture depending on the sex.

When done by men, it means dominance regardless of the context as the aim is to impress women and intimidate men. This is meant to appeal to women and repel other aggressive men. In more aggressive contexts, chest puffing is a posture that indicates conflict is nearing and is an advertisement of such. It might seem primitive but chest thumping can find itself during the preamble to a fistfight. Men will sometimes remove a jacket or even a shirt when they prepare for physical confrontation.

When done by women, it is aimed at drawing attention to the breast by making them appear larger and more prominent. Women who puff out their chest are trying to secure the attention of nearby men.

Cue Cluster: Chest protrusion is normally coupled with good upright posture. a) Men will often have a swagger in their step and keep gesturing to a minimum with arms kept around waste level, never much higher. b) Women might subconsciously look down, seemingly at their own breasts as a cue for others to do it as well. In the lowered head position women may gaze upward coyly further strengthening the appeal. c) In a business context, chest puffing will appear with more expansive movements such as greater animation in the arms, encroaching on personal space of others, a loud voice, touching to show ownership, fixed unblinking eye contact and a stern face. Usually the back is also arched and the head is held high.

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

Resources:

Allen, Jill; Sarah J. Gervais and Jessi L. Smith. Sit Big to Eat Big: The Interaction of Body Posture and Body Concern on Restrained Eating. Psychology of Women Quarterly 2013. 37(3): 325-336. DOI: 10.1177/0361684313476477pwq.sagepub.com
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Body Language of Bottom Slapping or Bottom Pinching

Body Language of Bottom Slapping or Bottom Pinching

BodyLanguageProjectCom - Bottom Slapping or Bottom Pinching 1 flattenCue: Bottom Pinching

Synonym(s): Ass Slap, Bum Slap, Bum Pinch, Buttock Clasping

Description: A quick tap on the rear end of another person.

In One Sentence: The bottom slap is a cheeky way to show sexual intimacy or camaraderie.

How To Use it: Use the bottom slap to show your wife that you find her attractive. Women can also use the bottom slap on men they find sexually interesting. The bottom slap is also effective to build trust and companionship between men and women. Therefore, it is useful in a sporting context to build team spirit and create bonds.

Slapping someone on the bum when it is unwelcome can serve to make them uncomfortable and is therefore a power play and an assertion of dominance. This is ill advised as it can result in charges of sexual harassment.

Context: a) Dating b) General.

Verbal Translation: a) “I find you sexually attractive and am paying you an overt compliment.” a) “I own that ass and I’m touching it because I can and you are subordinate to me so you can’t object.” b) “Nice goal you scored there, now we can bond over it with an ass slap in celebration, way to go.”

Variant: Buttock clasping is a sexual display of affection usually done during copulation or while dancing. It is a firm grasping of the rear end. The rear end can be pinched rather than slapped which is universally sexual in nature.

The pinch takes on three forms and has been an Italian “pastime:” the pizzicato which is a quick tweak with the thumb and middle finger, the vivace which is more vigorous and uses several fingers and done more than once and the sostenuto which is prolonged and heavy handed with a rotation.

Cue In Action: a) A man slapped the waitress on the bum as she walked by – it was unwelcomed and was met with an ice cold glare. a) As her husband walked by without a towel after his shower his wife slapped him on the cheeks. b) After scoring a point in volleyball, the two female athletes slapped each other on the butts during a quick embrace.

Meaning and/or Motivation: Usually done by a man on a woman between husband and wife (or vice versa) or dating partners in sexually permissive cultures. At times done to strangers or between people not in a romantic relationship and therefore unwanted and considered sexual assault. It is often done between members of a sports team for bonding.

In a dating context, the bottom slap indicates ownership through touching and sends a sexual signal of interest. At times an ass slap can be seen as a threat display, aggressive in nature and even predatory if unwelcome such as between coworkers in a business setting.

In a sporting context, the bottom slap is to build team spirit and show solidarity and camaraderie. The intent of the bottom pinch or slap is not nearly as important as the feelings attached to it by the recipient and if unwelcome, is a signal of aggression and a threat display, but if welcomed, is a sign of affection and solidarity.

Cue Cluster: a) Usually combined with a cheeky or coy grin and lustful eye contact. When it is unwanted the smile might be more of a smirk with eyes cast toward the person in an objectifying fashion. b) During bonding in sports it is accompanied by other celebration such as arms up postures, excited facial expressions, and loud voices of celebration.

Body Language Category: Courtship display, Enthusiasm (nonverbal), Indicators of sexual interest (IOsI), Liking, Ownership gestures, Power play, Space invasion, Threat displays.

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