Category: Dislike (nonverbal)

Amplifier, Conflicting gestures, Dislike (nonverbal), Escape movements, Microgestures

Body Language of The Hug Ender Cue or Tap Out

by Chris • October 23, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of The Hug Ender Cue or Tap Out

Cue: Hug Ender Cue

Synonym(s): Tap Out

Description: The hug ender cue is a pat done during or toward the end of a hug.

In One Sentence: Tapping during a hug signals the desire to end it.

How To Use it: Use the tap out to tell others that you are finished hugging and wish for it to end. Women can show men that they are not sexually interested in them by tapping their back in a friendly way. Similarly, mothers and fathers can tap their children’s back to offer reassurance.

Context: a) General b) Dating.

Verbal Translation: “I’m done with this hug so I’m pawing at your back in effort to escape your clutches.”

Variant: See Hug for variants of the hug. The hand might also rub the back which implies a desire to offer comfort, sooth and nurture.

Cue In Action: a) The brothers hugged and patted each other. b) At the end of the date, they hugged by pressing the shoulders together and she patted him on the back. Tapping, while hugging, is a clear signal that she felt little or no romantic interest.

Meaning and/or Motivation: Done near the end of a hug when a person wishes to “submit” and break away – ending the hug. It’s like telling the other person that they are done but instead of rudely pulling their arms off, they are lightly pawed at instead.

The pat is no different than what an MMA fighter or wrestler does when he wants to end the fight – he taps out.

Cue Cluster: The hug ender cue is usually coupled with short superficial conversation, shoulders pressed together versus hips touching, lack of eye contact after the hug and a desire to depart swiftly.

Body Language Category: Amplifier, Conflicting gestures, Dislike (nonverbal), Escape movements, Microgestures.

Resources:

Bowlby, J. (1979). The making and breaking of affectional bonds. British Journal of Psychiatry, 130, 201 -210, 42 1-43 1 .

Dickinson, Amy. Block That Hug: The rules on touching children have changed for parents who volunteer as coaches or tutors.(Personal Time/Your Family)(Brief Article). Time. 2000. 155(14): 142.

Derlega, Valerian ; Lewis, Robin ; Harrison, Scott ; Winstead, Barbara ; Costanza, Robert. Gender differences in the initiation and attribution of tactile intimacy. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 1989. 13(2): 83-96.

Derlega, Valerian J. ; Catanzaro, Diane ; Lewis, Robin J. Lisak, David (editor). Perceptions About Tactile Intimacy in Same-Sex and Opposite-Sex Pairs Based on Research Participants’ Sexual Orientation. Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 2001, Vol.2(2), pp.124-132

Fromme, Donald ; Jaynes, William ; Taylor, Deborah ; Hanold, Elaine ; Daniell, Jennifer ; Rountree, J. ; Fromme, Marie. Nonverbal behavior and attitudes toward touch. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 1989. 13(1): 3-14.

Floyd, Kory. All Touches are not Created Equal: Effects of Form and Duration on Observers’ Interpretations of an Embrace. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 1999. 23(4): 283-299.

Gulledge, Andrew K ; Stahmann, Robert F ; Wilson, Colwick M. Seven types of nonsexual romantic physical affection among Brigham young university students
Psychological reports 2004, Vol.95(2), pp.609-14

Gulledge, Andrewk. ; Gulledge, Michelleh. ; Stahmannn, Robertf. Romantic Physical Affection Types and Relationship Satisfaction. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 2003, Vol.31(4), p.233-242

Gurevitch, Z. D. The Embrace: On the Element of Non-Distance in Human Relations. The Sociological Quarterly. 1990. 31(2): 187-201.

Golden, Deborah. Hugging the Teacher: Reading Bodily Practice in an Israeli Kindergarten. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice. 2004. 10(4): 395-407.

Hansen, Jacqueline. The Truth about Teaching and Touching. Childhood Education. 2007. 83(3): 158-162.

Heino, William J. Perfect Timing for Parental Hugs.(to comfort children following medical treatment)(Brief Article). Consultant. 2000. 40(13): 2173.

Hugs help protect against stress and infection, say Carnegie Mellon researchers.(Report)
Health & Medicine Week, Jan 2, p.1341

Hadi, Rhonda ; Valenzuela, Ana. A meaningful embrace: Contingent effects of embodied cues of affection. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 2014, Vol.24(4), pp.520-532

Hugs help protect against stress and infection, say Carnegie Mellon researchers.(Report)
Health & Medicine Week, Jan 2, p.1341

Landau, Rivka. Affect and attachment: Kissing, hugging, and patting as attachment behaviors. Infant Mental Health Journal. 1989. 10(1): 59-69.

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/

Maclaren, Kym. Touching matters: Embodiments of intimacy. Emotion, Space and Society. 2014. 13: 95-102.

Rabinowitz, Fredric E. The male-to-male embrace: breaking the touch taboo in a men’s therapy group. Journal of Counseling and Development. 1991. 69(6): 574(3).

Shimooka, Yukiko ; Nakagawa, Naofumi. Functions of an unreported “rocking-embrace” gesture between female Japanese Macaques ( Macaca fuscata ) in Kinkazan Island, Japan. Primates. 2014. 55(2): 327-335.

Shelton, Kathryn ; Mckenzie, Richard B. Pedophiles and the regulation of hugging: concerns about protecting children may deprive them of important physical contact.(PUBLIC SAFETY). Regulation. 2012. 35(4): 14(5).

Tracy, R. L., & Ainsworth, M. D. S. (1981). Maternal affectionate behavior and infant-mother attachment patterns. Child Development, 52, 1341-1343.

Taavoni, S ; Shahali, S ; Haghani, H. Infant Vaccination Pain Management: Comparing the Effect of Mother’s Hug and Breast Feeding, Tehran, 2009-2010. Pediatric Research. 2011. 70: 738-738.

*No Photo, Adaptors, Approach tell, Arrogance or arrogant body language, Crotch display, Disengagement body language, Dislike (nonverbal), Frustration or frustrated body language, Hostile body language, Stubborn body language

Body Language of The Head Toss

by Chris • October 23, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of The Head Toss

Cue: Head Toss

Synonym(s): Flicking The Head.

Description: The head is tossed forward or backward.

In One Sentence: Tossing the head shows distain, or conversely, is a way to show off luscious hair (in a dating context).

How To Use it: Toss the head back and shake it to show that you disagree. You can use this in any context to send a strong nonverbal message of disapproval. Simply toss the head backward or from side-to-side to show that you do not approve. When you do so, imagine being “hit in the head” with a bad idea.

In dating, tossing the head is a way women (mostly) can show off their hair. This is especially so if it is long and free-flowing. Putting the hair in motion is a way to draw attention to it and its qualities. Television commercials use the hair toss effectively to show off their shampoo products. You can also produce a like effect. The hair toss is boosted in effectiveness when it is coupled with direct eye contact with whom you wish would notice. When the hair toss is done without eye contact, it is not anchored and therefore is a broadcast signal to anyone to which is visible.

Context: a) General, b) Dating.

Verbal Translation: a) “I’m not happy with you so I’m tossing my head back and shaking it from side to side showing my disdain and haughtiness.” b) “I’m sexually aroused and showing off my luscious hair by flicking and tossing it and hopefully you find that appealing.”

Variant: Sometimes the head is held high and tossed back showing extra verbal charge. See Hair Play.

Cue In Action: a) Eighteen year old Maggie wasn’t happy with her mom and made it known that she had no intension of serving her full punishment. She tossed her head back and shook it at the mere suggestion of being grounded. b) Eighteen year old Maggie tossed her head back while flicking her hair, batted her eyelashes and smiled coyly at the cute boy in her class.

Meaning and/or Motivation: Depending on context can be sexually suggestive or show disdain or haughtiness.

a) Disdain is usually done by women through a combination of a head backward with a small headshake. Sometimes the head is held high and shot forward to deliver a potent message. This shows no interest and no intention of complying, engaging further and certainly no interest in what is being said. b) When the head is meant to remove long hair from the face and coy eye contact is delivered to punctuate it, can mean a sexual invitation. c) Other times, the head is tossed back to remove hair from the eyes and has no other meaning.

Cue Cluster: See Meaning and Motivation for cue cluster.

Body Language Category: Adaptors, Arrogance or arrogant body language, Approach tell, Courtship display, Disengagement body language, Dislike (nonverbal), Frustration or frustrated body language, Hostile body language, Stubborn body language.

Resources:

Abrahams, Matthewf.. Perceiving flirtatious communication: An exploration of the perceptual dimensions underlying judgments of flirtatiousness. Journal of Sex Research. 1994. 31(4): 283-292.

Abbey, A., and Melby, C. (1986). The effects of nonverbal cues on gender differences in perceptions of sexual intent. Sex Roles, 15, 283-298.

Costa, M., Menzani, M., & Ricci Bitti, P. E. Head canting in paintings: An historical study. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 2001. 25: 63–73.

Costa, M., & Ricci Bitti, P. E. Face-ism effect and head canting in one’s own and others’ photographs. European Psychologist. 2000. 5: 293–301.

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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Curtis, Yvette ; Eddy, Lisabeth ; Ashdown, Brien K. ; Feder, Holly ; Lower, Timothy. Prelude to a coitus: Sexual initiation cues among heterosexual married couples. Sexual and Relationship Therapy. 2012. 27(4): 322-334.

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Clark, A. Attracting Interest: Dynamic Displays of Proceptivity Increase the Attractiveness of Men and Women. Evolutionary Psychology. 2008., 6(4), 563-574.
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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.
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Fletcher, Garth J. O ; Kerr, Patrick S. G ; Li, Norman P ; Valentine, Katherine A. Predicting Romantic Interest and Decisions in the Very Early Stages of Mate Selection. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 2014 40(4): 540-550.

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Greer, Arlettee. ; Buss, Davidm. Tactics for promoting sexual encounters
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Goetz, Cari D.; 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/

Goetz, Cari D.; Judith A. Easton; Cindy M. Meston. The Allure of Vulnerability: Advertising Cues to Exploitability as a Signal of Sexual Accessibility. Personality and Individual Differences. 2013. 62: 121-125. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2014.02.019
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Guéguen, Nicolas. Hair Color and Courtship: Blond Women Received More Courtship Solicitations and Redhead Men Received More Refusals. Psychol Stud. 2012. 57(4):369–375. DOI 10.1007/s12646-012-0158-6

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Givens, D. B. (1978). The non-verbal basis of attraction: Courtshipation, courtship and seduction. Psychiatry, 41, 346-351.

Grammer, Karl; Fink, Bernhard; Mller, Anders P.; Thornhill, Randy. Darwinian aesthetics: sexual selection and the biology of beauty. Biological Reviews. 2003. 78(3): 385-407.

Hugill, Nadine ; Fink, Bernhard ; Neave, Nick. The role of human body movements in mate selection. Evolutionary psychology: an international journal of evolutionary approaches to psychology and behavior. 2010 8(1): 66-89.

Hinsz, V. B., D. C. Matz, and R. A. Patience 2001 Does Women’s Hair Signal Reproductive Potential? Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 37:166-172.

Hall, Jeffrey A. and Chong Xing. The Verbal and Nonverbal Correlates of the Five Flirting Styles. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 2015. 39:41–68. DOI 10.1007/s10919-014-0199-8
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Aggressive body language, Amplifier, Arrogance or arrogant body language, Authoritative body language, Confident body language, Dislike (nonverbal), Dominant body language, Doubt or disbelief body language, Evaluative body language, Expansive movements, Eye Language, Gravity defying body language, Hostile body language

Body Language of The Head Tilted Back

by Chris • October 23, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of The Head Tilted Back

Cue: Head Tilted Back

Synonym(s): Looking Down The Nose, Nose up gesture, Tilting The Head Back.

Description: A posture done by tilting the head back and looking down and across the bridge of the nose upon other people as if glaring. Sometimes the head is cocked to the side or the eyes peer over glasses.

In One Sentence: Tiling the head back indicates smugness and pride.

How To Use it: Tilt the head back to demonstrate pride after winning a dominance competition. The stance is appropriate after victory in sports as it is in any other situation where one must overcome great obstacles. Holding the head high will show others that you are winning in the battle of life and that you are worthy of special attention and to be followed. Holding the head high in business will show others that you have leadership qualities.

When one tilts the head back when pride is not earned, it can backfire and be read as smugness, so be prepared for challenges to your stance should you choose to apply them.

When you want to belittle another, simply title the head back and stare down your nose at them. This shows condescension. Think of the stern librarian as she lowers her eye glasses and glares down upon you.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I’m superior to you in many ways so I tilt my head back and appear haughty and special, demonstrating that you are not worthy of my gaze.”

Variant: See Peering Over Glasses, Chin Jut and Chin Lift.

Cue In Action: Upon entering a coffee shop, she turned the heads of men. When she noticed that she was being watched, she averted her gaze and instead of making eye contact she would “look down her nose at them” by tilting her head backward showing disapproval. It is read by onlookers correctly as an “I’m better than you” glare. They don’t even bother to approach her.

Meaning and/or Motivation: Looking down one’s nose at someone is a dominant, judgment posture and is viewed negatively by others. The opposite cue is the forehead bow, where the head is tilted back and they eyes cast upward. This shows submission.

Looking down the nose at someone can be done without glasses, but their addition makes the posture even more salient. The head back is a domineering teacher or librarian look when a student has done something she does not approve of, so she stares him down. The posture elicits a prey response in others because it puts them in an aggressive relationship with the predator peering down on them.

Tilting the head back is a way to adjust the height levels between people because by doing so it raises the level of the eyes by a few inches. Looking down the nose is indicative of someone that is condescending or pushy, authoritarian, arrogant, but is also a gravity defying body language so shows confidence often bordering on overconfidence.

The phrase “keep your chin up” stems from the power that chin’s held high carries. Holding a high head helps people frame their own views in a more constructive light.

Cue Cluster: Crossing the legs by bringing one foot over the opposite leg (the Figure-Four Leg Cross), hand steepling, or interlocked fingers, leaning back in the chair, and tilting the head back and looking down through the nose at others. This cluster shows arrogance and superiority.

Body Language Category: Amplifier, Arrogance or arrogant body language, Aggressive body language, Authoritative body language, Confident body language, Dislike (nonverbal), Doubt or disbelief body language, Dominant body language, Expansive movements, Eye Language, Gravity defying body language, Hostile body language, Evaluative body language.

Resources:

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Shariff, Azim F. and Jessica L. Tracy. Knowing Who’s Boss: Implicit Perceptions of Status From the Nonverbal Expression of Pride. Emotion. 2009.9(5): 631-639.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/can-you-tell-whos-boss-by-the-nonverbal-expression-of-pride/

http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/nonverbal-expression-pride-recognized-cross-culturally/

Tracy, J. L., & Matsumoto, D. (2008). The spontaneous expression of pride and shame: Evidence for biologically innate nonverbal displays. Proceedings from the National Academy of Sciences, 105(33), 11655–11660.

Tracy, J. L., & Robins, R. W. (2007). The prototypical pride expression: Development of a nonverbal behavior coding system. Emotion, 7(4), 789–801.

Underwood, M. K.. Glares of Contempt, Eye Rolls of Disgust and Turning Away to Exclude: Non-Verbal Forms of Social Aggression among Girls. Feminism & Psychology. 2004 14(3): 371-375.

Pablo Briñol; Richard E. Petty and Benjamin Wagner. Body Posture Effects on Self-Evaluation: A Self-Validation Approach. European Journal of Social Psychology. 2009. 39(6): 1099-0992. DOI: 10.1002/ejsp.607. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.607
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/fix-posture-fix-confidence/

Welker, Keith M.; Stefan M.M.; Goetz, Shyneth Galicia; Jordan Liphardt and Justin M. Carré. An Examination of the Associations Between Facial Structure, Aggressive Behavior, and Performance in the 2010 World Cup Association Football Players. Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology (forthcoming in print, online July).
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/facial-width-predicts-strength-soccer-field

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

*No Photo, Automatic gesture, Disengagement body language, Dislike (nonverbal), Doubt or disbelief body language, Escape movements, Microgestures, Rejection body language, Universal gestures

Body Language of Head Shake or Head Negation

by Chris • October 23, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Head Shake or Head Negation

Cue: Head Shake or Head Negation

Synonym(s): Shaking The Head.

Description: The head shake is a side-to-side motion of the head.

In One Sentence: Shaking the head is a universal negative thought indicator.

How To Use it: Use the head shake to show other people that you disagree. A small micro-head shake can fly under the conscious radar of others but still deliver a message they will perceive as negative without saddling you with a pessimistic view. To negate a positive view, simply shake your head as you verbalize your thoughts.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I’m having difficulty with what you are presenting me. My head shakes back and forth like a child would as they reject distasteful food.”

Variant: See Head Nods.

Cue In Action: The librarian shook her head slowly back and forth while peering over her glasses. She wasn’t impressed by the students who were giggling and acting out.

Meaning and/or Motivation: The headshake is sometimes perceived as “maybe,” but in reality this is a negative thought indicator. It is done when a person can’t get past a thought or idea.

Babies use the headshake as an innate gesture to signal to their mother that they’ve had enough milk by turning their head away. The head shake is different from the typical “no type gesture” in that the head is tilted from side-to-side instead of being pivoted back and forth used to signify “no” in various cultures by adults.

We should be skeptical if the head shake is given while voicing specifically agreeable language such as “You make a good point.” or “That sounds like a great idea.” These words, accompanied by the head shake, negates whatever positive words were voiced. It tells us that they were either trying to pull a fast one on us, or just trying to appease us.

Head shakes have two speeds. Fast shaking indicates disagreement and that a listener wants to take over speaking. When head shakes are slow it signifies incredulousness at what’s being heard. Head shaking can also appear as microexpressions as microsignals where the head only slightly turns from side-to-side and only astute observers will notice.

Cue Cluster: Head shaking is coupled with relaxed, but focused eye contact, the head might peer down or head back depending on superiority or judgment, the arms are often crossed to prevent information from coming in and if the speaker continues the toes and torso will begin to shift away.

Body Language Category: Automatic gesture, Disengagement, Dislike (nonverbal), Doubt or disbelief body language, Escape movements, Microgestures, Rejection body language, Universal gestures.

Resources:

Austin, Keith ; Theakston, Anna ; Lieven, Elena ; Tomasello, Michael Eccles, Jacquelynne S. (editor). Young Children’s Understanding of Denial. Developmental Psychology. 2014. 50(8): 2061-2070.

Altmann, Stuart (1967). “The Structure of Primate Communication.” In Stuart Altmann, ed., Social Communication Among Primates (Chicago: University of Chicago Press), pp. 325-62.

Akiyama, M. M. (1985). Denials in young children from a cross-linguistic perspective. Child Development, 56, 95–102. doi:10.2307/1130177

Cameron-Faulkner, T., Lieven, E., & Theakston, A. (2007). What part of no do children not understand? A usage-based account of multiword negation. Journal of Child Language, 34, 251–282. doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2010.08.017

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

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

Ekman, P., & Friesen, W. V. The Repertoire of Nonverbal Behavior: Categories,
Origins, Usage, and Coding. Semiotica. 1969. 1: 49–98.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/relationship-verbal-nonverbal-communication/

Fusaro, M., & Harris, P. L. (2013). Dax gets the nod: Toddlers detect and use social cues to evaluate testimony. Developmental Psychology, 49, 514–522. doi:10.1037/a0030580

Fusaro, M., Harris, P. L., & Pan, B. A. (2012). Head nodding and head shaking gestures in children’s early communication. First Language, 32, 439–458. doi:10.1177/0142723711419326

Gräfenhain, M., Behne, T., Carpenter, M., & Tomasello, M. (2009). One-year-olds’ understanding of nonverbal gestures directed to a third person. Cognitive Development, 24, 23–33. doi:10.1016/j.cogdev.2008.10.001

Guidetti, M. (2005). Yes or no? How do young children combine gestures and words to agree and refuse. Journal of Child Language, 32, 911–924. doi:10.1017/S0305000905007038

Hummer, P., Wimmer, H., & Antes, G. (1993). On the origins of denial negation. Journal of Child Language, 20, 607– 618. doi:10.1017/S0305000900008503

Kim, K. J. (1985). Development of the concept of truth-functional negation. Developmental Psychology, 21, 462–472. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.21.3.462

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

Tam, C. W., & Stokes, S. F. (2001). Form and function of negation in early developmental Cantonese. Journal of Child Language, 28, 373–391. doi:10.1017/S0305000901004688

Vaidyanathan, R. (1991). Development of forms and functions of negation in the early. tages of language acquisition: A study in Tamil. Journal of
Child Language, 18, 51–66. doi:10.1017/S0305000900013295

Wode, H. (1977). Four early stages in the development of L1 negation. Journal of Child Language, 4, 87–102. doi:10.1017/S0305000900000490

Aggressive body language, Amplifier, Authoritative body language, Dislike (nonverbal), Evaluative body language, Power play, Suspicious body language, Threat displays

Body Language of The Head Lowered In Judgment

by Chris • October 23, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of The Head Lowered In Judgment

Cue: Head Lowered In Judgment.

Synonym(s): Head Down, Lowered Head.

Description: Lowering the head, grimacing, and looking up with an icy glare.

In One Sentence: Lowering the head is a way people show judgment.

How To Use it: Lowering the head makes it appear wider through an optical illusion. A wide head is one that is high in dominance. Therefore, one can use a lowered head to create dominance and also show judgment of others in order to intimidate.

Fathers can use this cue effectively on misbehaving children as can wives on their husbands. When done properly, the cue appears highly aggressive and intimidating especially when coupled with direct eye contact.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I don’t like what I’m seeing so I’m lowering my head in judgment and peering down on you.”

Variant: Lowering the head with up-cast eyes or Forehead Bow (The), can easily be confused with a lowered head in judgment yet means something totally different. A bent head with relaxed up-cast eyes means agreement, confirmation, or even shame, but most importantly, signals submission. Angry eyes, coupled with head lowered, implies judgment. See Head Tilted Back, Peering Over The Glasses, and Bow and Body Bend, Forehead Bow (The).

Cue In Action: The librarian lowered her head, crossed her arms, and cast an icy stare at the boys who were fooling around.

Meaning and/or Motivation: The head down shows judgment or negative internal emotion and disapproval. The head down shows that a person is prepared for a battle. They are daring others to take a punch – instigating.

As with any head motion it is important to examine the adjoining clusters of body language to determine its true origins. For example, head down with eyes up can signal confrontation. The sender of the message wishes to make clear that they are in disagreement, feel anger and contempt. Adding arm crossed to head down would signify more prominently that there was negativity present, especially with arms crossed and an icy stare.

Don’t confuse the Forehead Bow with Lowered Head In Judgment. The two are different in terms of the eye contact and context.

Cue Cluster: My son who is just nine months old, as of this writing, will pull his chin in and put his head down so that I can’t see his eyes when I instruct him not to touch the buttons on my desktop computer tower. He also smirks when he doesn’t want to internalize and obey me. Next, he raises his left arm (usually) to the back of his neck and either (short) grabs his ear or the hair at the side of his head, or reaches all the way and scratches the back of his neck showing restraint. I say short-grab because the real cue is the grab the back of the neck, but his arms, being a baby are short and inflexible. Scratching the back of the neck is like “holding yourself back” by the scruff of the neck. This cue cluster has been important for my wife and I, as we ascertain what level of obedience we should expect based on whether or not he has actually internalized our instructions.

Body Language Category: Amplifier, Aggressive body language, Authoritative body language, Dislike (nonverbal), Evaluative, Power play, Suspicious body language or suspicion, Threat displays.

Resources:

Aviezer, Hillel; Yaacov Trope, Alexander Todorov. Body Cues, Not Facial Expressions, Discriminate Between Intense Positive and Negative Emotions.. Science 338, 1225 (2012). http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/body-language-trumps-facial-expressions-read-my-body-not-my-lips/

Beall, Alec and Jessica L. Tracy. The Puzzling Attractiveness of Male Shame. Manuscript submitted to Evolutionary Psychology. www.epjournal.net – 2014. 12(x): 1-39
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/male-nonverbal-shame-attractive/

Briñol, Pablo; Richard E. Petty and Benjamin Wagner. Body Posture Effects on Self-Evaluation: A Self-Validation Approach. European Journal of Social Psychology. 2009. 39(6): 1099-0992. DOI: 10.1002/ejsp.607. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.607
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/fix-posture-fix-confidence/

Costa, M., Menzani, M., & Ricci Bitti, P. E. Head canting in paintings: An historical study. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 2001. 25: 63–73.
Costa, M., & Ricci Bitti, P. E. Face-ism effect and head canting in one’s own and others’ photographs. European Psychologist. 2000. 5: 293–301.

Keltner, D. The signs of appeasement: Evidence for the distinct displays of embarrassment, amusement, and shame. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1995. 68: 441–454.

Martina Mara and Markus Appel. Effects of Lateral Head Tilt on User Perceptions of Humanoid and Android Robots. Computers in Human Behavior. 2015. 44: 326-334. http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/nonverbal-head-tilt-says-robot/

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

http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/nonverbal-expression-pride-recognized-cross-culturally/

Tracy, J. L., & Robins, R. W. (2007). The prototypical pride expression: Development of a nonverbal behavior coding system. Emotion, 7(4), 789–801.

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

Wells, G. L., & Petty, R. E. (1980). The effects of head movement on persuasion: Compatibility and incompatibility of responses. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 1, 219–230.

Amplifier, Confused body language, Defensive body language, Dislike (nonverbal), Distancing or moving away, Escape movements, Intention movements, Rejection body language

Body Language of Head Away

by Chris • October 22, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Head Away

Cue: Head Away

Synonym(s): Head Pulled Back, Head Turned Away, Tilting Head Away.

Description: When the head is moved away rather than toward a person. This may be away from a person, object or even an idea.

In One Sentence: Moving the head away is a signal that a person is trying to escape an idea or another person.

How To Use it: Use the direction of your head (head language) to show other people that you don’t like their ideas. This is a low risk body language cue because it avoids using potentially volatile words. By moving the head away, it tells others that you do not like what they have to say. This can work in business, dating and amongst friends.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: a) “I don’t like what I’m hearing, but my feet can not be moved away, lest I seem rude, so instead my head will be doing the escaping by moving away to create more distance between me and the thing I don’t like.” b) “I think you are too close to me so I’m leaning back to create more space between the two of us.” c) “I hate you, but feel like I shouldn’t just bolt away so I’m creating a space buffer by titling my head away.” d) “You have bad breath.”

Variant: Can happen sharply as if being taken aback or gradually as if being encroached upon. Conversely the head can move toward or be bowed down submissively showing agreement. See Blading Body Language, Body Angling or Ventral Displays, Toe Pointing or Pointed Toe.

Cue In Action: While engaged in conversation Jill shirked and pulled her chin in and turned her head to the side. She disagreed with her friend’s strong political assertion.

Meaning and/or Motivation: The head will be moved away when there is disagreement but also when the person is not able or permitted to escape entirely from a situation. Thus, it shows a desire for more space. A person might move their head back when someone is speaking with them too closely and violating their personal space, they have bad breath, are speaking too loudly, or they don’t like them for personal reasons.

This is a form of body withdrawal similar to ventral denial, or orienting the shoulders away from things people dislike and toward things they like. When someone wants to exit, the head might look toward the door or to another person.

Cue Cluster: The cue might be accompanied by a grimace facial expression, eye and mouth constriction, torso denial, stepping backward if possible and palm up expression as if wanting a better explanation.

Body Language Category: Amplifier, Confused, Defensive, Dislike (nonverbal), Distancing or moving away, Escape movements, Intention movements, Rejection body language.

Resources:

Broth, Mathias and Lorenza Mondada. Walking Away: The Embodied Achievement of Activity Closings in Mobile Interaction. Journal of Pragmatics. 2013. 47: 41-58.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/nonverbally-negotiate-conversation-walking-away/

Beall, Alec and Jessica L. Tracy. The Puzzling Attractiveness of Male Shame. Manuscript submitted to Evolutionary Psychology. www.epjournal.net – 2014. 12(x): 1-39
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/male-nonverbal-shame-attractive/

Chance RMA (1962) An interpretation of some agonistic postures: the role of “cut-off” acts and postures. Symp Zool Soc Lond 8: 71–89.

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Hietanen, J. K. (1999). Does your gaze direction and head orientation shift my visual attention? Neuroreport, 10, 3443–3447.

Hietanen, Jari. Social attention orienting integrates visual information from head and body orientation. Psychological Research.2002 66(3): 174-179.

Harrigan J. and Rosenthal R. Physicians’ head and body positions as determinants of perceived rapport. J. appl. Sot. Psychol. 13, 496, 1983.

Hillel, Aviezer, Yaacov Trope, Alexander Todorov. Body Cues, Not Facial Expressions, Discriminate Between Intense Positive and Negative Emotions. Science 338, 1225 (2012).
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/body-language-trumps-facial-expressions-read-my-body-not-my-lips/

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

Jenkins, R., Beaver, J.D., & Calder, A.J. (2006). I thought you were looking at me: Direction-specific aftereffects in gaze perception. Psychological Science, 17, 506–513.

Jenkins, R., Keane, J., & Calder, A.J. (2007, August). From your eyes only: Gaze adaptation from averted eyes and averted heads. Paper presented at the Thirtieth European Conference on Visual Perception, Arezzo, Italy.

Kaminski, Juliane ; Call, Josep ; Tomasello, Michael. Body orientation and face orientation: two factors controlling apes’ begging behavior from humans
Animal Cognition. 2004. 7(4): 216-223.

Keltner, D. The signs of appeasement: Evidence for the distinct displays of embarrassment, amusement, and shame. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1995. 68: 441–454.

Katza, Carmit; Irit Hershkowitz; Lindsay C. Malloya; Michael E. Lamba; Armita Atabakia and Sabine Spindlera. Non-Verbal Behavior of Children Who Disclose or do not Disclose Child Abuse in Investigative Interviews. Child Abuse & Neglect. 2012. 36: 12-20.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/reading-nonverbal-behaviour-child-abuse-cases-encourage-children-divulge-information-truth-telling

Kaminski, Juliane ; Call, Josep ; Tomasello, Michael. Body orientation and face orientation: two factors controlling apes’ begging behavior from humans
Animal Cognition. 2004. 7(4): 216-223.

Lawson, Rebecca P. ; Clifford, Colin W. G. ; Calder, Andrew J. About Turn: The Visual Representation of Human Body Orientation Revealed by Adaptation. Psychological Science. 2009. 20(3): 363(9).

Langton, S. R. H., & Bruce, V. (1999). Reflexive visual orienting in response to the social attention of others. Visual Cognition, 6, 541–567.

Langton, S.R.H. (2000). The mutual influence of gaze and head orientation in the analysis of social attention direction. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology A: Human Experimental Psychology, 53, 825–845.

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.

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

Ponari, Marta ; Trojano, Luigi ; Grossi, Dario ; Conson, Massimiliano. “Avoiding or approaching eyes”? Introversion/extraversion affects the gaze-cueing effect. Cognitive Processing. 2013. 14(3): 293-299.

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

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Straube, Thomas ; Langohr, Bernd ; Schmidt, Stephanie ; Mentzel, Hans-Joachim ; Miltner, Wolfgang H.R. Increased amygdala activation to averted versus direct gaze in humans is independent of valence of facial expression. NeuroImage. 2010 49(3): 2680-2686.

http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/nonverbal-expression-pride-recognized-cross-culturally/

Underwood, M. K.. Glares of Contempt, Eye Rolls of Disgust and Turning Away to Exclude: Non-Verbal Forms of Social Aggression among Girls. Feminism & Psychology. 2004 14(3): 371-375

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.

Zeinstra, Gertrude G.; M.A. Koelen; D. Colindres ; F.J. Kok; C de Graaf. Facial Expressions in School-Aged Children are a Good Indicator of ‘Dislikes’, but not of ‘Likes.’ Food Quality and Preference. 2009. 20: 620-624.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/read-kids-dislike-food-facial-expressions-accurate-detecting-dislike-not-like-children/

Aggressive body language, Anger body language, Clenching and gripping, Closed body language, Dislike (nonverbal), Emotional body language, Energy Displacement, Frustration or frustrated body language, Hostile body language, Low confidence hand displays, Nervous Body Language, Stressful body language, Worry body language

Body Language of Hand Wringing

by Chris • October 22, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Hand Wringing

Cue: Hand Wringing

Synonym(s): Wringing The Hands.

Description: The hands are clasp one inside the other and tightly clamped and twisted on each other. The hands may also be tightly cupped and squeezed one inside the other or interlaced and squeezed. It can be done so aggressively that the fingers or knuckles turn white.

In One Sentence: Wringing the hands is a sign that a person is experiencing anxiety, stress or suffering from low confidence.

How To Use it: Wringing the hands is not useful and one should avoid it when possible. While it can provide a tactile release for underlying stress, it is best to do something proactive to actually resolve the issue rather than suppress it.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I’m so agitated and stressed that I’m inflicting pain on myself as I would like to do to someone else, or due to stress of the situation at large. Since I’ve lost control of the situation and others, the best I can do is control the pain I do onto myself.”

Variant: This cue is similar to self pinching, pulling or even plucking the hair, or pinching one’s self as they are all forms of inflicting pain on the self. This is especially common when external pain can not be controlled.

Cue In Action: She wrung her hands as she waited for the doctor to report back with news about the surgery.

Meaning and/or Motivation: It signifies high anxiety, stress, or low confidence, and is a pacifying behaviour.

The hands are clenched because of the internal turmoil that a person feels that they cannot resolve through external factors. Pain that is inflicted on the self is pain that is controlled by the self. Therefore, self-pain is pain that is used to regain some agency over a person’s outcome – even if it is entirely unproductive.

Clenching is also a replacement for pain that someone might wish to inflict on other people whom they feel are causing their problems, and if not caused by people directly, than to the context in general.

Cue Cluster: Hand wringing is usually accompanied by gritting the teeth or jaw clenching, scratching and plucking behaviours, licking the teeth to sooth, lip biting or cheek chewing, eye squinting, snarling, amongst others.

Body Language Category: Aggressive body language, Anger, Clenching and gripping, Closed body language, Dislike (nonverbal), Emotional body language, Energy Displacement, Frustration or frustrated body language, Hostile body language, Low confidence hand displays, Nervous body language, Stressful body language, Worry body language.

Resources:

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Aggressive body language, Amplifier, Anger body language, Clenching and gripping, Closed body language, Dislike (nonverbal), Frustration or frustrated body language, Hostile body language, Intention movements, Masked emotions, Microgestures, Negative body language, Stubborn body language, Threat displays

Body Language of Hand Clenching or Fist Clenched

by Chris • October 22, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Hand Clenching or Fist Clenched

Cue: Hand Clenching or Fist Clenching

Synonym(s): Clenching and Gripping, Gripping and Clenching, Hand Wringing.

Description: A tightening, gripping, or balling, no matter how subtle or forceful, of the hands. At times the fingers may become interlaced appearing as if in prayer, which might even be the case. Pressure can be so great that the fingers can even blanch as blood flow is impeded.

In One Sentence: Clenching the hands or balling them in a fist is a sign of repressed aggression.

How To Use it: Ball and clench the fist if you wish to show others that you are resisting the urge to strike out. The gesture can be feigned as an anger-bluff in order to receive better treatment. Waving a clenched fist tells others that they should take you seriously lest you lash out with physical force.

Naturally, this nonverbal signal should be used with care as physical aggression, or even threat of physical aggression is strongly frowned upon.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I really want to strike out at you due to my emotional distress which is why my hands are balling up into a fist, but instead I’m going to resist because it’s inappropriate to hit people.”

Variant: Other forms of clenching includes gripping the wrist of the opposite hand in behind the back, or wringing the hands out like a wet article of clothing, clenching the jaws tight or even talking through the teeth, cracking knuckles, pulling the hair or even plucking it, pinching one’s self, and clenching the fists by turning them into a ball are all forms of clenching and gripping.

See Interlaced Fingers, Hand Gripping Upper Arm or Wrist Behind Back.

Cue In Action: a) President Nixon was videotaped intensely balling his fist such that his knuckles turned white during a press conference called to discuss what was supposed to be a temporary incursion into Cambodia. The rest of his body was confident and his voice was smooth, yet his hands gave his restraint and dishonesty away.

b) A deadline was fast approaching when she was interrupted by her boss. She had to be polite so she couldn’t tell him to buzz off. She clenched her fists and rested them on her lap until he had finished.

c) Things didn’t start off well as the teacher rested her fist balled up on her desk knuckles down as she stood over the delinquent student. Immediately, the student showed signs of resistance by clenching her jaw. When the punishment came due, the student mirrored the balled fist of the teacher and brought it to her mouth to stifle an outburst. To show her persistent disagreement, the student rested her forearms against the table and maintained her tightly clenched fist.

Meaning and/or Motivation: Holding the fists clenched shows aggression, defensiveness, frustration, restrain, and sometimes a readiness to attack.

Hand wringing, when the hands are clasp one inside the other and tightly clamped and twisted on each other signifies high anxiety, stress or low confidence and is a pacifying behaviour. It can be done so aggressively that the fingers or knuckles turn white.

Fist clenching happens very naturally and subconsciously; a slip of the hand so to speak. Women can even be seen doing this while being verbally berated by a partner. Of course, holding a tight fist does not necessarily mean they intent to strike out, rather it shows just the opposite – that their minds are dealing with a dilemma, of which social norms prevent physical resolutions.

So very rarely are we allowed to fully express our emotions. In fact, one of the most important lessons we learn early in life is self control and this is exactly what happens when the fist is balled, clenched, but resists striking. We learn very early on that it’s not acceptable to throw fits and tantrums so we do the next best thing – we get very close to striking, but stop at the last second.

The height of the clenched fist is related to the strength of the negative mood. Hands can be clenched low on the lap or high near the face with elbows propped up on a table. If hands are clenched over the mouth, someone is probably holding back from saying something. If hands are clasped on the lap it indicates that someone is being cordial and polite, but would prefer to be doing something else – thus showing careful restraint.

Cue Cluster: Fist clenching body language is coupled with finger pointing or flared nostrils more technically termed “nasal wing dilation”, overall tensing of the body or extreme body loosening to ready for fighting, tightening of the jaw and lips (called “lip occlusion”), quivering in the lips, frowning, furrowing, or lowering the eyebrows, dilated pupils, squinting of the eyes, crotch displays such as legs open, sneering or flared nostrils.

Body Language Category: Amplifier, Aggressive body language, Anger, Clenching and gripping, Closed body language, Dislike (nonverbal), Frustration or frustrated body language, Hostile body language, Intention movements, Masked emotions, Microgestures, Negative body language, Stubborn or stubbornness, Threat displays.

Resources:

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Enquist, M. (1985). Communication during aggressive interactions with particular
reference to variation in choice of behaviors. Anim. Behav. 33, 1152-1161.

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

Gregersen, Tammy S. Nonverbal Cues: Clues to the Detection of Foreign Language Anxiety. Foreign Language Annals. 2005. 38(3): 388-400
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Morgan, M. H. and Carrier, D. R. (2013). Protective buttressing of the human fist and the evolution of hominin hands. J. Exp. Biol. 216, 236-244.

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J. Anat. 202, 165-174.

Appease, Clenching and gripping, Closed facial gestures, Defensive body language, Dislike (nonverbal), Lying or deceptive body language, Masked emotions, Negative body language

Body Language of Grin, Smirk or Closed-Lip Grin

by Chris • October 22, 2014 • 4 Comments

Body Language of Grin, Smirk or Closed-Lip Grin

Cue: Grin, Smirk or Closed-Lip Grin

Synonym(s): Smirk, Closed-Lip Grin

Description: This is a smile done by keeping the mouth closed, teeth hidden, and curling up the corners of your lips.

In One Sentence: The grin is a type of smile that is mischievous.

How To Use it: Use the grin to signal that you are “up to no good.” This can work well in intimate relationships as a way to tease. Men can use this to good effect to create a ‘bad-boy’ type impression which can leave women guessing. This can help spark sexual interest.

Children can also use the grin to good effect against parents as it is often seen as playful and cheeky and not particularly troublesome.

One should avoid the grin when dealing with authoritative figures as these people, especially when under stress, may not take well to humour.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I’m holding back information and not being totally open and honest which is why I’m not doing a full smile and exposing all my teeth.”

Variant: See Smiling, Fear Smile, Friendly Smile, Frown (the) or Downturned Smile, Honest Smile or Duchenne Smile, Jaw Drop Smile, Nervous Smile, Polite Smile (the), Uneven Smile Or Lopsided Smile, Upper Lip Smile, Artificial Smile or Fake Smile, Nervous Smile, Honest Smile or Duchenne Smile, Contempt Facial Expression.

Cue In Action: Dave set up a prank on his good buddy when he was away picking up lunch. When his buddy realized that his cubicle had been “redecorated,” Dave cracked his lips in a grin.

Meaning and/or Motivation: This smile indicates smugness, arrogance, or hiding of information or feelings.

It is a tight lipped smile with the addition of a degree self satisfaction for good measure.

The close lipped smile is a restraint and concealment smile commonly associated with politicians and those who are up to no good. Children are sometimes seen sporting this smile, as are people who are teasing or being playful. If someone is speaking, but holding a tight grin, you can be assured that they aren’t telling you everything.

Sometimes the smile is done to hide bad or yellow teeth. An honest smile bares the teeth.

Cue Cluster: The smirk has accompanying dominant body language such as head back, shoulders back, open postures along with dialogue riddle with exuberant pride.

Body Language Category: Appease, Clenching and gripping, Closed facial gestures, Defensive, Dislike (nonverbal), Lying or deceptive body language, Masked emotions, Negative body language.

Resources:

Abel, Ernest L. and Michael L. Kruger. Smile Intensity in Photographs Predicts Longevity. Psychological Science. 2010. 21(4): 542-544.
Seder, J. Patrick and Shigehiro Oishi. Intensity of Smiling in Facebook Photos Predicts Future Life Satisfaction. Social Psychological and Personality Science. 2012. 3(4): 407-413.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/facebook-smile-predicts-life-satisfaction/

Colonnesi, Cristina; Susan M. Bogels; Wieke de Vente and Mirjana Majdandzic. What Coy Smiles Say About Positive Shyness in Early Infancy. Infancy. 2013. 18(2): 202–220. ISSN: 1525-0008 print / 1532-7078 online
DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-7078.2012.00117.x
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/nonverbal-meaning-coy-smiles-infants/

Fairbairn, Catharine E.; Michael A. Sayette; Odd O. Aalen and Arnoldo Frigessi. Alcohol and Emotional Contagion: An Examination of the Spreading of Smiles in Male and Female Drinking Groups. Clinical Psychological Science. 2014. DOI: 2167702614548892
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/alcohol-social-lubricant-male-smiles/

Gosselin, Pierre; Reem Maassarani; Alastair Younger and Mélanie Perron. Children’s Deliberate Control of Facial Action Units Involved in Sad and Happy Expressions. Journal of Nonverbal Behaviour. 2011. 35:225–242. DOI 10.1007/s10919-011-0110-9.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/childrens-control-facial-actions-improve-age-create-accurate-emotional-expressions/

Gunnery, Sarah D.; Judith A. Hall and Mollie A. Ruben. The Deliberate Duchenne Smile: Individual Differences in Expressive Control. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 2013. 37:29–41. DOI 10.1007/s10919-012-0139-4
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/can-probably-fake-honest-smile-deliberate-duchenne-smile/

Golle, Jessika; Fred W.; Mast and Janek S. Lobmaier. Something to Smile About: The Interrelationship Between Attractiveness and Emotional Expression. Cognition and Emotion, 2014. 28:2: 298-310. DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2013.817383.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/smiles-arent-just-cameras/

Guéguen, N., & Fischer-Lokou, J. (2004). Hitchhiker’s Smiles And Receipt Of Help. Psychological Reports. 94: 756-760.

Gueguen, Nicolas. Weather and Smiling Contagion: A Quasi Experiment With the Smiling Sunshine. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 2013. 37:51–55. DOI 10.1007/s10919-012-0140-y
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/weather-smile-not-contagion-smile-linked-weather-conditions/

Hertenstein, Matthew J.; Carrie A. Hansel; Alissa M. Butts and Sarah N. Hile. Smile Intensity In Photographs Predicts Divorce Later In Life. Motiv Emot. 2009; 33:99-105
DOI 10.1007/s11031-009-9124-6
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/small-smiles-predicts-divorce/

Harker, L., & Keltner, D. (2001). Expressions Of Positive Emotion In Women’s College Yearbook Pictures And Their Relationship To Personality And Life Outcomes Across Adulthood. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80(1), 112–124. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.80.1.112.

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*No Photo, Defensive body language, Disengagement body language, Dislike (nonverbal), Inborn behaviours, Lying or deceptive body language, Nervous Body Language

Body Language of Frozen Hands or Frozen Feet Called Flash Frozen

by Chris • October 22, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Frozen Hands or Frozen Feet Called Flash Frozen

Cue: Frozen Hands or Frozen Feet

Synonym(s): Freeze, Flight or Fight Response, Hide In Plain Sight, Flash Frozen.

Description: Whenever the hands or feet suddenly cease moving.

In One Sentence: Hands that suddenly freeze indicate negative thoughts due to a fear response.

How To Use it: As frozen hands is a negative thought indicator you can use the signal to show that you are in distress by suddenly locking up. However, as this cue is subtle and requires a person to be conscious of your baseline amount of hand of foot movement, it is usually out of the normal awareness of most people. Thus, the cue is not something that is wildly applicable in signaling ‘honest’ emotions. That being said, if you find that you suddenly freeze and are unsure why, you can remind yourself that it’s likely that you are experiencing a fear response.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I’m nervous, stressed, fearful or thinking of negative thoughts which is causing me to stop moving and hide in plain-sight.”

Variant: Ankle-Ankle Cross or Scissor Cross.

Cue In Action: a) Bill’s normal baseline was jittery, always kicking and bumping his feet and legs, but when the topic of his adultery came to subject, he stopped kicking and sat with his hands under his thighs, all but freezing stiff. b) Normally quite fluid with his gesticulation, his hands were placed in his pockets when discussing rocket science. Seems he was not such a know-it-all when rockets were involved. c) The negotiation was going well, that was until he found out that the assets he most coveted would not be included. He wrapped his legs around the chair and bit his lip. d) She suddenly locked her feet around the legs of the chair indicating discomfort and anxiety.

Meaning and/or Motivation: A nonverbal cue that usually involves a visceral response from the fright or flight system. This fear causes a person to freeze, either in whole, in extreme cases, or more minutely such as arm or leg freezes. The subconscious mind is telling a person to try to hide in plain sight by not moving. Breath rate can be reduced, eyes may cease looking about the room, and the body may take up a less expansive profile.

The fight or flight response is a bit a misnomer. It’s not actually how humans or other animals respond to stress and danger. Lazy by nature and especially cautious of injury, we have evolved the proclivity to handle situations in more appropriate ways. Most animals, humans included, will naturally sequence freeze, flight and fight in that order. Freezing is important to assess the situation, for how does one know what they are running from, and in what direction, if they don’t first identify the object of their fear?

Sudden cessation of gesticulation can indicate a freeze response due to being caught in a lie especially when the context warrants it. This is part of the flight or fight response as liars are trying to seem less noticeable. Movement attracts attention.

When hands or feet are usually busy according to a baseline, suddenly begin to slow, or become less expressive, it can signal a lack of enthusiasm or confidence for the topic, discomfort, fear, anxiety, or nervousness. While seated, the legs can also be locked behind the legs of a chair with essentially the same message being delivered except in this case it is a restraining-freeze-behaviour. When the legs are wrapped around the chair they can’t move, hence they are locked, and are also there precisely so they don’t move, and are hence frozen.

The ankle or scissor cross also shows reservation and self-restraint, due to withholding of a thought or emotion. When the ankles cross it is due to a subconscious freeze response due to a threat and the legs are entwined so as to restrict and restraint movement.

On the flip side, if feet suddenly freeze from a jitter, it indicates an emotional change has occurred and that a person is experiencing threat. Freezing, in this way, can happen as a result of being confronted with an embarrassing question or situation, or being the subject of a childhood tale that one is not particularly fond about.

Cue Cluster: Couple interlocked legs, which is a freeze response meant to reduce foot movement, with pacifying behaviours such as rubbing the thighs palm down, as if to dry them, and you’ve got a cluster signaling that a secret is being covered. If the feet are pulled under the chair, the message is even more exaggerated. The feet are saying exactly what the person is thinking, that he or she is closed and withdrawn from the conversation.

Body Language Category: Defensive, Disengagement, Dislike (nonverbal), Inborn behaviours, Lying or deceptive body language, Nervous body language.

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