Category: Evaluative body language

*No Photo, Closed body language, Closed facial gestures, Confused body language, Disapproval cues, Dislike (nonverbal), Emotional body language, Evaluative body language, Negative body language, Stressful body language, Worry body language

Body Language of Tense Face

by Chris • October 29, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Tense Face

Cue: Tense Face.

Synonym(s): Stressed Face, Uneasy Face.

Description: A face that is compressed or contorted by various muscles such as the one between the eyebrows. This muscle will force the eyebrows together creating a wrinkle. The eyes are squinted and the lips are compressed or pursed.

In One Sentence: A tense face indicates stress, worry, and discomfort.

How To Use it: Use a tense face to show that you are not content in the situation. You can signal others that you are in emotional or physical pain by flexing muscles in the face. You may show a tense face when receiving negative news, when presented an unfavourable offer such as in negotiation, when seeing something visually distressing, and so forth. In other words, use a tense face when you want to show others your discomfort and dislike.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I’m full of stress or worry and am uncomfortable, I hold some degree of negative thoughts which is shown through various muscular contractions in my face.”

Variant: See Eyebrows Knit or Oblique Eyebrows Of Grief, Relaxed Face.

Cue In Action: As the details of the contract became clear, his face began to show signs of disagreement. When the split was offered at 40/60, his eyes squinted. When there was an additional royalty added, his lips compressed. The deal breaker came when he stated the he would be completely bought out of the company at the five year mark. This caused his forehead to furrowed in anger. His body language clearly signaled that had enough with the contract and he wouldn’t sign it.

Meaning and/or Motivation: A tense face is one that shows discomfort and discomfort is a cue that delineates a lack of honesty and that the body is concerned with negative thoughts.

Bodies show additional discomfort through an increased heart rate, breath rate, sweating, a change in normal colour in the face or neck, trembling or shaking in the hands lips, or elsewhere, compressing the lips, fidgeting, drumming the fingers and other repetitive behaviours. Voices often crack when under stress, mouths might dry up producing noticeable swallowing, “hard swallows”, or frequent throat clearing.

Cue Cluster: The eyes are compressed, tense and focused, the arms and legs will cross, the lips purse and licked frequently, people will tighten their bodies up, they might stop speaking, legs and toes may face away from the negative stimuli and toward the door, breathing might be shallow or exaggerated as if ready for action, hands might be rubbed against one other or against the thighs, the face might be touched and the skin pinched, plucked or scratched.

Body Language Category: Confused body language, Closed body language, Closed facial gestures, Dislike (nonverbal), Disapproval cues, Emotional body language, Evaluative body language, Negative body language, Stressful body language, Worry body language.

Resources:

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Huang, Ding-Hau; Shih-Wei Chou; Yi-Lang Chen and Wen-Ko Chiou. Frowning and Jaw Clenching Muscle Activity Reflects the Perception of Effort During Incremental Workload Cycling. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine. 2014. 13: 921-928.
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Doubt or disbelief body language, Evaluative body language, Frustration or frustrated body language, Pensive displays, Stressful body language

Body Language of Pinching The Bridge Of The Nose

by Chris • October 27, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Pinching The Bridge Of The Nose

Cue: Pinching The Bridge Of The Nose.

Synonym(s): Nose Pinching.

Description: The index and thumb pinch the upper part of the nose.

In One Sentence: Pinching the bridge of the nose indicates emotional discomfort.

How To Use it: Pinch the bridge of the nose when you want to show others that you are struggling with a decision. Pinching the nose is also a tactile release which can help release negative stress energy. It works because blood flows to the nose during arousal – while pinching it reduces the flow thereby making us feel better.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I’m pinching the bridge of my nose because I’m experiencing discomfort over having to make an important decision.”

Variant: The hand may come up to the side of the face rather than pinch the nose. The corner of the eye next to the nose is also an important target point for scratching during high stress or anxiety. See Hand To Nose, Chin Stroking.

Cue In Action: It was a long day but nearing an end. Suddenly, the boss came over and asked if he could put in another couple of hours to restack the shelves. He pinched nose, hung his head, sighed and after much internal debate, reluctantly agreed.

Meaning and/or Motivation: Pinching the nose is an evaluative gesture. It indicates deep thought or a negative emotion.

The nose has many blood vessels which when stressed fill and engorge with blood. Pinching the nose is a way to cut off or reduce the swelling of the nose which is why it feels natural to pinch it.

Interestingly, some women and men sneeze before or just after sexual stimulation. This is because the nose engorges during any form of arousal, not just arousal due to stress. As the nose receives extra stimulation from blood flow, it triggers a sneeze response. Thus, it may also signal sexual arousal!

Cue Cluster: Watch for other evaluative gestures such as chin stroking, flared nostrils, rubbing the back of the neck, looking upwards and looking around the room.

Body Language Category: Doubt or disbelief body language, Evaluative, Frustration or frustrated body language, Pensive displays, Stressful body language.

Resources: NONE

*No Photo, Aggressive body language, Amplifier, Anger body language, Authoritative body language, Closed body language, Dislike (nonverbal), Dominant body language, Evaluative body language, Eye Language, Hostile body language

Body Language of Peering Over Glasses or Looking Over Glasses

by Chris • October 27, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Peering Over Glasses or Looking Over Glasses

Cue: Peering Over Glasses.

Synonym(s): Looking Over Glasses.

Description: Happens by looking down and overtop of the glasses at another person. Sometimes the head is lowered and the eyes peer over top of the glasses, other times the glasses are pulled down onto the bridge of the nose coupled with a glare.

In One Sentence: Looking over the glasses signals distain, contempt, haughtiness, aggressiveness, and critical judgment.

How To Use it: Peer over the glasses to show others that you disagree with them or their ideas. The cue is reminiscent of the authoritative library trying to scold misbehaving students. Simply tilting the head without glasses can have the same effect. Research has shown that tilting the head down is a way to make the head appear wider and thus more dominant.

Mothers disapproving of children or wives disapproving of husbands can use the cue to show that actions or ideas are not being well received. Thus the cue signals the desire to keep a person ‘in their place’ and that one is morally superior. Therefore, use the cue when most appropriate.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I’m peering over the top of my eye glasses and tilting my head forward because I’m scrutinizing you.”

Variant: The head might be tiled backwards with relatively the same effect. This is “looking down the nose” at someone. It is particularly powerful. See Head Tilted Back.

Cue In Action: The librarian wasn’t keen on the new group of rowdy students. After verbally berating them and warning of more severe punishment should they get disruptive, she’d occasionally peer over at them with lowered glasses to reinforce her commitment.

Meaning and/or Motivation: Disdain, contempt, haughtiness, aggressiveness, critical, condescending, and judgmental attitudes are all associated with this posture. The bearers of the posture assumes that they have the moral right to be looking down on other people from an elevated position.

Cue Cluster: Peering over the glasses is accompanied by a stern, closed facial expression, hard staring eyes, pursed lips, head forward and challenging, palms down and chin forward.

Body Language Category: Amplifier, Aggressive body language, Anger body language, Authoritative body language, Closed body language, Dislike (nonverbal), Dominant body language, Eye Language, Hostile body language, Evaluative body language.

Resources:

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http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/losers-nonverbal-behavior-boosts-confidence-winners-study/

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Liu, C., Ishi, C. T., Ishiguro, H., & Hagita, N. (2012). Generation of nodding, head
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benefits of displaying and observing the nonverbal expressions of pride and shame, Cognition & Emotion. 2012. 26(3): 390-406. DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2011.645281
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/significant-nonverbal-expression-pride-shame-body-language-detailed-examination-origin-function/

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/

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

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

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/

Tracy, Jessica L. and Alec T. Beall. Happy Guys Finish Last: The Impact of Emotion Expressions on Sexual Attraction Emotion. American Psychological Association. 2011; 11(6): 1379–1387
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/happy-guys-finish-last-happy-women-finish-first-says-new-study-on-sexual-attractiveness/

Tracy, Jessica L. and David Matsumoto. The Spontaneous Expression Of Pride And Shame: Evidence For Biologically Innate Nonverbal Displays. 2008; 105 (33) 11655-11660.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/universal-expressions-of-pride-and-shame/

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

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

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.

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

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:

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.

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/

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

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

Gröning, Flora ; Liu, Jia ; Fagan, Michael J ; O’Higgins, Paul. Why do humans have chins? Testing the mechanical significance of modern human symphyseal morphology with finite element analysis. American journal of physical anthropology 2011. 144(4): 593-606.

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.

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

Krumhuber, Eva ; Manstead, Antony ; Kappas, Arvid. Temporal Aspects of Facial Displays in Person and Expression Perception: The Effects of Smile Dynamics, Head-tilt, and Gender. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 2007. (1): 39-56

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

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/

Mehrabian, Albert Holzberg, Jules D. (editor). Inference of Attitudes From the Posture, Orientation and Distance of a Communicator. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 1968. 32(3): 296-308.

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.

Matsumoto, D., & Willingham, B. (2006). The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat: Spontaneous expressions of medal winners of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91(3), 568–581.

Matsumoto, David. Scalar Ratings Of Contempt Expressions Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 2005. 29(2): 91-104.

Menzel, Charles R. Head-cocking and visual perception in primates. Animal Behaviour. 1980. 28(1): 151-159.

Mouterde, S. C., Duganzich, D. M., Molles, L. E., Helps, S., Helps, R., & Waas, J. R. (2012). Triumph displays inform eavesdropping little blue penguins of new dominance asymmetries. Animal Behaviour, 83, 605–611.

Schubert, T. W. (2005). Your highness: Vertical positions as perceptual symbols of power. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 89, 1–21.

Schouwstra SJ, Hoogstraten J (1995) Head position and spinal position as determinants of perceived emotional state. Percept Mot Skills 81: 673–674. doi: 10.2466/pms.1995.81.2.673.

Tracy, Jessica L. and Richard W. Robins. The Nonverbal Expression of Pride: Evidence for Cross-Cultural Recognition. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 2008. 94(3): 516–530. DOI: 10.1037/0022-3514.94.3.516
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/nonverbal-expression-pride-recognized-cross-culturally

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/

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

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/

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.

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.

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.

*No Photo, Buy signals, Confused body language, Evaluative body language, Metronomic signals, Microgestures, Pensive displays

Body Language of The Head Bobble

by Chris • October 22, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of The Head Bobble

Cue: Head Bobble

Synonym(s): N/A

Description: A side-to-side motion across an arc.

In One Sentence: The head bobble shows indifference and indecisiveness.

How To Use it: Use the head bobble to show others that you haven’t made up your mind.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “My head is swaying back and forth between options on one side and options on the other, I just can’t decide. My head is shaking in an arc between the two ideas.”

Variant: See Head Shake or Head Negation and Head Nod.

Cue In Action: When deciding between the stainless steal and the plain white dishwasher, she bobbled her head in an arc back and forth.

Meaning and/or Motivation: The head bobble implies indecision and thought processing.

The head bobble also means different things to different cultures. For example, in East Slavic it means disapproval and in India it means “okay”. In Bulgaria, India and Pakistan the head bobble means “yes.” In the West head bobble means maybe, or that a person is contemplating between options. Their head is leaning one way for one option and one way for the other.

Cue Cluster: Watch for the index finger coming up the side of the face or touching the chin, chin stroking, rubbing or slapping the head trying to motivate it and eyes moving as if trying to decide.

Body Language Category: Buy signals, Confused body language, Metronomic signals, Microgestures, Evaluative, Pensive displays.

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.

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

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

Goodboy, Alan, K. and Maria Brann. Flirtation Rejection Strategies: Towards an Understanding of Communicative Disinterest in Flirting. The Quantitative Report. 2010. 15(2): 268-278.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/how-to-reject-flirting-using-nonverbal-and-verbal-tactics/

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

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

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

Schouwstra SJ, Hoogstraten J (1995) Head position and spinal position as determinants of perceived emotional state. Percept Mot Skills 81: 673–674. doi: 10.2466/pms.1995.81.2.673.

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

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

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

Attentive body language, Evaluative body language, Pensive displays

Body Language of Finger Moving Up The Chin

by Chris • October 21, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Finger Moving Up The Chin

Cue: Finger Moving Up The Chin

Synonym(s): Thumb Under The Chin Index Finger To The Cheek, Palm Under The Chin Fingers On The Cheek.

Description: a) The index finger is moved up the outside of the cheek from the jaw line toward the temples. b) The palm may also rest under the chin with the remaining fingers on the cheek. c) The thumb rests under the chin and the index finger lies against the cheek.

In One Sentence: When the finger seems to move up the chin to the side of the face it says that a person is thoughtfully evaluating.

How To Use it: Use this while being presented important information to show that you are paying it consideration. This is helpful at business meetings as well as in other presentations. The speaker will see you as being thoughtful, mindful, and objective. The cue can also buy you time with a seller as they will see, through nonverbal channels, that you are considering the information. It may also show that they need to sweeten the deal with additional perks to sway your opinion.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I’m evaluating, so I’m connecting the wisdom from my chin (my beard) to the thoughts in my mind with my index finger.

Variant: Related to Chin Stroking and Hand To Cheek. One may also tapping a pen against the chin and or rub the temple.

Cue In Action: The associate rested his chin lightly on his hand so we knew he was evaluating. The outcome turned sour as the meeting dragged on and problems arose with the projector. Once things were resolved, he was in a full bore with his hand fully supporting his chin. After a short recess, we were about to make a deal and the associate put his hand back on his chin, but this time his index finger ran up the side of his face. We immediately stopped the presentation and waited for him to decide.

Meaning and/or Motivation: When the hands touch the face and interest is present, the index and thumb will form an “L” shape and the chin is placed in the crux of the “L” but is not supported by it. Conversely, with genuine interest, the hand will barely touch the side of the face. In this case, the hand curls and the knuckles gently rests against the side of the face, and in other cases, the hand remains open with the finger tips of the index and middle finger gently resting on the cheek.

As the listener becomes bored or tired, the hand will bear more and more of the weight and the body will seem to slump completely over the hand and be supported by it. As boredom sets in, the thumb will move under the chin to help the person hold their head even further, or the chin will seem to compress into the palm.

Cue Cluster: Stroking the chin, flared nostrils, pinching the bridge of the nose and rubbing the back of the neck all indicate that thought is being placed and outcomes weighed.

Body Language Category: Attentive, Evaluative, Pensive displays.

Resources:

Almerigogna, Jehanne ; Ost, James ; Akehurst, Lucy ; Fluck, Mike. How Interviewers’ Nonverbal Behaviors Can Affect Children’s Perceptions and Suggestibility. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. 2008. 100(1): 17-39.

Doody, John ; Bull, Peter. Asperger’s Syndrome and the Decoding of Boredom, Interest, and Disagreement from Body Posture. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 2011. 35(2): 87-100.

Kirkland, Rena A. ; Peterson, Eric ; Baker, Crystal A. ; Miller, Stephanie ; Pulos, Steven. Meta-analysis reveals adult female superiority in “Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test”.(Report). North American Journal of Psychology. 2013. 15(1): 12.

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

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