Category: Greeting gesture

*No Photo, Greeting gesture, Honest body language, Open body language, Palm power, Rapport or rapport building, Recognition gestures

Body Language of Wave or Waving

by Chris • October 30, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Wave or Waving

Cue: Wave or Waving.

Synonym(s): N/A

Description: The hand is raised and moved back and forth palm facing out.

In One Sentence: Waving is a long distance greeting gesture.

How To Use it: Use the wave to signal “hello” or “goodbye” over a long distance or when vocalizing words is impractical.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I’m flashing my palms over a long distance as a greeting gesture to prove that I carry no weapons and mean no harm.”

Variant: See the various forms of Handshakes.

Cue In Action: a) When approaching the drive on a country walk, his neighbour and he exchanged a wave to say hello. b) While mowing the lawn, Nancy waved to Bill who was claiming his mail from the box.

Meaning and/or Motivation: Waving the hand back and forth is a greeting gesture done over long distance. Compare the wave to a handshake, hug or kiss-hello for example. Waving is appropriate when saying goodbye or hello. Those that live in the country habitually wave rather than shake hands as they are not as accustomed to allowing people into their personal space, as those who reside in the city.

The wave, as a long distance greeting, probably has roots in showing that we aren’t carrying a spear, sword, or bow and arrow. Having the hands deep in a pocket or carried behind the back can be a sign of aggression or passive threat, and our evolutionary history tells us that someone who is hiding something is someone that we shouldn’t trust. While they probably carry no weapon, the hands behind the back produces images other than the hiding a bouquet of flowers.

Showing open palms, facing up, or the “palm flash” is essentially what would have happened thousands of years ago when two foreign tribes met.

Even today we might guess that a stranger approaching us on the street was up to no good especially if they hid their hands at their backs or tucked inside a jacket.

Cue Cluster: A wave has meaning onto itself with no need for supportive cues.

Body Language Category: Greeting gesture, Honest body language, Open body language, Palm power, Rapport or rapport building, Recognition gestures.

Resources:

Axtell, Roger E. Gestures: The Do’s and Taboos of Body Language Around the World. 1997. Wiley.

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

Alibali, M.W., Heath, D.C., and Myers,H.J. (2001). Effects of visibility between speaker and listener on gesture production: Some gestures are meant to be seen. Journal of Memory and Language, 44, 169–188.

Beattie, G., & Shovelton,H.(1999). Mapping the range of information contained in the iconich and gestures that accompany spontaneous speech. Journal of Language and social Psychology, 18, 438–462.

Biau, E., & Soto-Faraco, S.(2013). Beat gestures modulate auditory integration in speech perception. Brain and Language, 124(2), 143–152.

Bartolo, A.,Cubelli,R.,DellaSala,S.,&Drei,S.(2003).Pantomimes are special gestures which rely on working memory. Brain and Cognition, 53, 483–494.

Bernardis, P.,& Gentilucci,M.(2006).Speech hand gestures are the same communication system. Neuropsychologia, 44, 178–190.

Buccino, G.,Vogt,S., Ritzl, A., Fink, G .R., Zilles, K., Freund, H. J., et al.(2004).Neural circuits underlying imitation learning of hand actions: Anevent-related fMRI study. Neuron, 42, 323–334.

Chandler, Jesse ; Schwarz, Norbert. How extending your middle finger affects your perception of others: Learned movements influence concept accessibility. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 2009. 45(1): 123-128.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/how-extending-the-middle-finger-affects-perception/

Dick, A.S., Goldin-Meadow,S., Hasson,U.,Skipper, J.I., & Small, S.L. (2009). Co- speech gestures influence neural activity in brain regions associated with processing semantic information. Human Brain Mapping, 30, 3509–3526.

Fabbri-Destro, M.,& Rizzolatti,G. (2008). Mirror neurons and mirror systems in monkeys and humans. Physiology, 23, 171–179.

Fogassi, L., Gallese,V., Fadiga,L., & Rizzolatti,G. (1998). Neurons responding to the sight of goal directed hand/armactions in the parietal area PF (7b) of the macaque monkey. Society for Neuroscience, 24, 257.5.

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

Gentilucci, M., Bernardis, P., Crisi,G., & Dalla Volta, R. (2006). Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of Broca’s area affects verbal responses to gesture observation. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 18, 1059–1074.

Goldin-Meadow, S. (1999).The role of gesture in communication and thinking. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 3, 419–429.

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

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

Hubbard, A.L., Wilson,S.M., Callan,D.E., & Dapretto, M.(2009). Giving speech a hand: Gesture modulates activity in auditory cortex during speech perception. Human Brain Mapping, 30, 1028–1037.

He, Yifei ; Gebhardt, Helge ; Steines, Miriam ; Sammer, Gebhard ; Kircher, Tilo ; Nagels, Arne ; Straube, Benjamin. The EEG and fMRI signatures of neural integration: An investigation of meaningful gestures and corresponding speech. Neuropsychologia. 2015. 72: 27-42.

Hansen, Jacqueline. Teaching without talking: teachers need to be aware of more than just the words they speak to children. They also need to monitor the nonverbal messages that they’re sending to students through proximity, eye contact, gestures, and touching. Phi Delta Kappan. 2010. 92(1): 35(6).

Holle, H., & Gunter,T.C. (2007). The role of iconic gestures in speech disambiguation: ERP evidence. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 19, 1175–1192.

Holler, J., Shovelton, H.,& Beattie, G.(2009).Do iconic hand gestures really contribute to the communication of semantic information in a face-to-face context? Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 33, 73–88.

Hubbard, A.L., Wilson, S. M., Callan, D. E., & Dapretto, M.(2009).Giving speech a hand: Gesture modulates activity in auditory cortex during speech perception. Human Brain Mapping, 30, 1028–1037.

Kendon,A.(1994).Do gestures communicate? A review. Research on Language and Social Interaction, 27, 175–200.

Knutson, K.M., McClellan,E.M., & Grafman, J.(2008).Observing social gestures: An fMRI study. Experimental Brain Research, 188, 187–198.

Kelly, S. D., Barr, D. J., Church, R. B., & Lynch, K.(1999).Offering a hand topragmatic understanding: The role of speech and gesture in comprehension and memory. Journal of Memory and Language, 40, 577–592.

Kelly, S. D., Creigh, P., & Bartolotti, J.(2009).Integrating speech and iconic gestures in a Stroop-like task: Evidence for automatic processing. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 22, 683–694.

Kelly, S.D., Kravitz, C.,& Hopkins, M.(2004).Neural correlates of bimodal speech and gesture comprehension. Brain and Language, 89(1), 253–260.

Krahmer,E., & Swerts, M.(2007).The effects of visual beats on prosodic prominence: Acoustic analyses, auditory perception and visual perception. Journal of Memory and Language, 57, 396–414.

Krauss, R. M., Dushay, R.A., Chen,Y., & Rauscher, F.(1995).The communicative value of conversational hand gesture. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 31(6), 533–552.

Koppensteiner, Markus ; Stephan, Pia ; Jäschke, Johannes Paul Michael. From body motion to cheers: Speakers’ body movements as predictors of applause. Personality and Individual Differences. 2015. 74: 182-185.

Leonard, T., & Cummins, F.(2010).The temporal relation between beat gestures and speech. Language and Cognitive Processes, 26, 1457–1471.

Lindenberg, R., Uhlig,M., Scherfeld,D., Schlaug,G., & Seitz, R.J.(2012).Commu- nication with emblematic gestures: Shared and distinct neural correlates of expression and reception. Human Brain Mapping, 33, 812–823.

Montgomery, K.J., Isenberg, N., & Haxby,J.V. (2007). Communicative hand gestures and object-directed hand movements activated the mirror neuron system. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 2, 114–122.

Molnar-Szakacs, Istvan ; Wu, Allan D ; Robles, Francisco J ; Iacoboni, Marco Robertson, Edwin (Academic Editor). Do You See What I Mean? Corticospinal Excitability During Observation of Culture-Specific Gestures (Gesture Perception). PLoS ONE. 2007. 2(7): p.e626

Marsh, Abigail A. ; Elfenbein, Hillary Anger ; Ambady, Nalini. Separated by a common language: nonverbal accents and cultural stereotypes about Americans and Australians.(Author abstract). Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology. 2007. 38(3): 284(18).

Namy, Laural. ; Newcombe, Noras. More than Just Hand Waving: Review of Hearing Gestures: How Our Hands Help Us Think. Journal of Cognition and Development. 2008. 9(2): 247-252.

Ohgami, Y., Matsuo,K., Uchida,N., & Nakai,T. (2004). An fMRI study of tool-use gestures: Body partas object and pantomime. Neuroreport, 15, 1903–1906.

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

Skipper, J.I., Goldin-Meadow, S., Nusbaum,H.C.,& Small,S.L. (2007).Speech- associated gestures, Broca’s area, and the human mirror system. Brain and Language, 101, 260–277.

Sherzer, Joel The Brazilian Thumbs-Up Gesture. Journal of Linguistic Anthropology, 1991, Vol.1(2), pp.189-197

Straube,B., Green,A., Bromberger,B., & Kircher, T. (2011).The differentiation of iconic and metaphoric gestures: Common and unique integration processes. Human Brain Mapping, 32, 520–533.

Straube, Benjamin ; Green, Antonia ; Jansen, Andreas ; Chatterjee, Anjan ; Kircher, Tilo. Social cues, mentalizing and the neural processing of speech accompanied by gestures. Neuropsychologia. 2010. 48(2): 382-393.

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

Villarreal, M., Fridman,E.A., Amengual,A., Falasco,G., Gerscovich,E.R., Ulloa,E.R., et al. (2008). The neural substrate of gesture recognition. Neuropsychologia, 46, 2371–2382.

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

Willems, R.M., Ozyurek,A., & Hagoort,P.(2007).When language meets action:The neural integration of gesture and speech. CerebralCortex, 17, 2322–2333.

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http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/powerful-nonverbal-effect-raised-middle-finger-persistent-brain-consequences-pairing/

Wu, Y. C., & Coulson, S.(2005).Meaningful gestures: Electrophysiological indices of iconic gesture comprehension. Psychophysiology, 42, 654–667.

Wang, Lin ; Chu, Mingyuan Neuropsychologia. The role of beat gesture and pitch accent in semantic processing: An ERP study. 2013, Vol.51(13), pp.2847-2855

Xu,J., Gannon,P.J., Emmorey,K., Smith,J.F., & Braun,A.(2009). Symbolic gestures and spoken language are processed by a common neural system. Proceedings of the NationalAcademyofSciences, 106, 20664–20669.

Comfort body language, Friendship touching or friendly touching, Greeting gesture, Social touching

Body Language of The Handshake

by Chris • October 22, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of The Handshake

Cue: Handshaking.

Synonym(s): Pressing The Flesh.

Description: A handshake is a type of gesture that is used in greeting where the hands of two people meet palm to palm. A pumping action then takes place.

In One Sentence: Handshaking is a universal greeting expression that carries many meanings depending on how it is performed.

How To Use it: Handshakes carry many hidden meanings. Use a firm handshake that is neither too long or two short (about 3 pumps). Keeping the hand dry, but warm to the touch will produce the best impression. A palm even, neither facing up, nor down, is the default and seen as most diplomatic. To power-play, either hold the hand palm down or twist it down as the handshake progresses. To appear submissive couple a weak handshake with the palm oriented upward.

Use the handshake to make a positive first impression.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I am pleased to meet you. I would like to extend my hand to yours so we can exchange some moderate, yet controlled, and generally impersonal intimacy.”

Variant: See Country Handshake (The), Cold Dead Wet Fish Handshake, Double Gripper Politician Handshake or Double Hander (The), Short Grabber/Finger Grabber Handshake, Oddball Handshake, Palm Up, Palm Down and Palm Even Handshakes, Stiff Arm And Thrust Forward Handshake, Death Grip Handshake, Wrench Forward Handshake, Undershaker Handshake, Wrist Hold Handshake, Wrist Hold Handshake and Upper Arm Grip Handshake, Limp Fish Handshake, Teacup Handshake, Arm Twister Handshake (The), Firm handshake, Fist Bumping.

Cue In Action: When Bob and Doug greeted each other, they extended their hands out vertically with their fingers held together, interlocked the thumbs, and lightly, yet firmly grasped each others palm and moved their hands in unison, palm-to-palm, up and down.

Meaning and/or Motivation: There are three main orientations that can occur during a handshakes. They are palm down (superiority), palm up (submissive) and palm even (equality).

Palm down handshakes emphasizes that a person wishes to control and dominant us, the palm up means someone feels subordinate and an even palm seeks an equal relationship.

See various types of handshakes and their hidden meaning in the “Variant” section.

Cue Cluster: The handshake is a stand-alone cue who’s meaning is interpreted by it’s variant. See the various types of handshake for their meaning and associated cue cluster.

Body Language Category: Comfort body language, Greeting gesture, Friendship touching or friendly touching, Social touching.

Resources:

Aström, J ; Thorell, L H ; Holmlund, U ; D’Elia, G. Handshaking, personality, and psychopathology in psychiatric patients, a reliability and correlational study. Perceptual and motor skills 1993, Vol.77(3 Pt 2): 1171-86.

Chaplin William F.; Phillips Jeffrey B; Brown Jonathan D.; Clanton Nancy R.; Stein Jennifer L.; 2000. Handshaking, gender, personality, and first impressions Journal of personality and social psychology. 79(1): 110-117.

Dolcos, Sanda ; Sung, Keen ; Argo, Jennifer J ; Flor-Henry, Sophie ; Dolcos, Florin. The power of a handshake: neural correlates of evaluative judgments in observed social interactions. Journal of cognitive neuroscience. 2012 24(12): 2292-305.

Frumin, Idan; Ofer Perl; Yaara Endevelt-Shapira; Ami Eisen; Neetai Eshel; Iris Heller; Maya Shemesh; Aharon Ravia; Lee Sela; Anat Arzi and Noam Sobel. A Social Chemosignaling Function for Human Handshaking. eLife 2015. 4:e05154
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.05154.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/shake-hands-share-human-scent-curious-case-hand-sniffing-body-language/

Fisher, J; Rytting, M and Heslin, R. 1976. Hands touching hands: affective and evaluative effects on interpersonal touch, Sociometry 39: 416–421.

Greenbaum, Paul ; Rosenfeld, Howard. Varieties of touching in greetings: Sequential structure and sex-related differences. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 1980. 5(1): 13-25.

Gueguen, Nicolas. Handshaking and Compliance With a Request – A Door-to-door Setting. Social Behavior and Personality. 2013. 41(10): 1585-1588.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/handshakes-lead-compliance-study/

Hiemstra, Kathleen M. Shake My Hand: Making the Right First Impression in Business With Nonverbal Communications.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included). Business Communication Quarterly. 1999. 62(4): 71.

Jeffrey D. Fisher; Marvin Rytting; Richard Heslin. 1976. Hands Touching Hands: Affective and Evaluative Effects of an Interpersonal Touch. Sociometry, 39(4): 416-421.

Lipsitz, Rebecca (2000). “A Gripping Start.” In Scientific American (September), p. 32.

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

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

Sanda Dolcos; Keen Sung; Jennifer J. Argo; Sophie Flor-Henry and Florin Dolcos. The Power of a Handshake: Neural Correlates of Evaluative Judgments in Observed Social Interactions. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience. 24; 12: 2292–2305.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/handshake-open-body-language-powerful-nonverbal-effect-brain/?preview=true

Stewart, Greg L. ; Dustin, Susan L. ; Barrick, Murray R. ; Darnold, Todd C. Zedeck, Sheldon (editor). Exploring the Handshake in Employment Interviews. Journal of Applied Psychology. 2008 93(5): 1139-1146.

Spezialetti, Brian D. Do’s and don’ts for winning the job interview. (laboratory technicians). Medical Laboratory Observer. 1995. 27(7): 51-53.

Wesson, David A. The handshake as non-verbal communication in business. (marketing technique). Marketing Intelligence & Planning. 1992. 10(9): 61(6).

*No Photo, Greeting gesture

Body Language of Fist Bumping

by Chris • October 22, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Fist Bumping

Cue: Fist Bumping

Synonym(s): N/A

Description: A greeting gesture where people close their fist and bump up against each other’s knuckles.

In One Sentence: The fist bump is an informal greeting gesture.

How To Use it: Use the fist bump to demonstrate your camaraderie in an informal way. This can apply to friends and sometimes even close business associates. The fist bump is a way you can demonstrate a less formal relationship. This will help break down barriers and form stronger bonds which are useful in business and in life in general. Use the greeting when you want to appear more friendly than formal.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “Hey man, we can be cooler than the older folks and just smash our knuckles together like real men.”

Cue In Action: The boys would always fist bump when they called on each other for skateboarding.

Meaning and/or Motivation: It is a signal of cohesion showing solidarity and affection without a great deal of intimacy. It is not designed to be personal or proper like the more traditional handshake so comes across as less mature.

It is usually reserved as a gesture between macho men and is not a submissive gesture, but it is not dominant either. The fist bump has been made much more popular recently as a way to reduce the spread of germs since the knuckles are usually much drier making them less prone to bacterial growth.

Cue Cluster: N/A

Body Language Category: Greeting gesture.

Resources:

Debrot, Anik ; Schoebi, Dominik ; Perrez, Meinrad ; Horn, Andrea B. Touch as an interpersonal emotion regulation process in couples’ daily lives: the mediating role of psychological intimacy. Personality & social psychology bulletin. 2013. 9(10): 1373-85.

Fisher, Jeffrey D.; Marvin Rytting; Richard Heslin. 1976. Hands Touching Hands: Affective and Evaluative Effects of an Interpersonal Touch. Sociometry, 39(4): 416-421.

Fisher, J; Rytting, M and Heslin, R. 1976. Hands touching hands: affective and evaluative effects on interpersonal touch, Sociometry 39: 416–421.

Greenbaum, Paul ; Rosenfeld, Howard. Varieties of touching in greetings: Sequential structure and sex-related differences. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 1980. 5(1): 13-25.

Ghareeb, P.A. ; Bourlai, T. ; Dutton, W. ; McClellan, W.T. Reducing pathogen transmission in a hospital setting. Handshake verses fist bump: a pilot study. Journal of Hospital Infection. 2013. 85(4): 321-323.

Lipsitz, Rebecca (2000). “A Gripping Start.” In Scientific American (September), p. 32.

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

Spezialetti, Brian D. Do’s and don’ts for winning the job interview. (laboratory technicians). Medical Laboratory Observer. 1995. 27(7): 51-53.

Wesson, David A. The handshake as non-verbal communication in business. (marketing technique). Marketing Intelligence & Planning. 1992. 10(9): 61(6).

PT in Motion. Fist bump: a hygienic alternative to handshaking.(Professional Pulse: HEALTH CARE HEADLINES). 2014. 6(11): 44(1).
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/makes-fist-bump-gesture-unique/

Automatic gesture, Greeting gesture, Nonthreatening body language, Open facial gestures, Universal gestures

Body Language of The Eyebrow Flash

by Chris • October 21, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of The Eyebrow Flash

Cue: Eyebrow Flash

Synonym(s): Raising The Eyebrows, Eyebrow Pop, Popping The Eyebrows.

Description: A rapid raising and lowering of the eyebrows in unison usually happening when seeing someone we recognize. The eyebrow flash happens very briefly and lasts only about one-sixth of a second.

In One Sentence: The eyebrow flash is a nonverbal hello indicating that a person has been recognized.

How To Use it: Use the eyebrow flash when greeting close friends. If you notice someone else perform the eyebrow flash, you should assume that they have recognized you and you should try to place them as best possible, but if not, go with it, as it is likely that they are not feigning the expression.

You can use the eyebrow flash during speech as well. It is a way to keep your face expressive as you relay information.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “Hey, I see and recognize you and I’m showing you that I know you by flashing my eyebrows quickly in a nonverbal hello.”

Variant: See Eyebrow Cock, Eyebrow Hold, Eyebrow Lowering, Eyebrow Raise, Eyebrows Knit or Oblique Eyebrows Of Grief.

Cue In Action: At the super market Dave recognized one of his classmates from high school. He flashed his eyebrows as they passed and was about to strike up a conversation, but the flash was not reciprocated. He quickly choked up his words for fear he had mistaken him for someone else.

Meaning and/or Motivation: The eyebrow flash has been studied for decades most notably by Eibl-Eibesfeldt. It has been shown to be a long distance universal social greeting. Even monkeys and apes have been shown to use raised eyebrows. It is a sort of nonverbal “Hello, I see you.” There are times when the eyebrow flash can happen so subtly that it is barely noticed but it is a clear sign of acknowledgment.

In Japan the eyebrow flash is considered rude and inappropriate due to its sexual connotation.

Raised eyebrows can also signal agreement, surprise and fear, but will vary from the quick eyebrow flash and appear in different context and will other cues.

Cue Cluster: The eyebrow flash will occur as people approach one another such that the eyebrows are visible but not so close that conversation is possible. Usually a slight wave is given, head nod or other greeting gesture.

Body Language Category: Automatic gesture, Greeting gesture, Nonthreatening body language, Open facial gestures, Universal gestures, Recognition gestures.

Resources:

Grammer, Karl ; Schiefenhövel, Wulf ; Schleidt, Margret ; Lorenz, Beatrice ; Eibl eibesfeldt, Irenäus. Patterns on the Face: The Eyebrow Flash in Crosscultural Comparison. Ethology. 1988. 77(4): 279-299.

Hall, Judith ; LeBeau, Lavonia ; Reinoso, Jeannette ; Thayer, Frank. Status, Gender, and Nonverbal Behavior in Candid and Posed Photographs: A Study of Conversations Between University Employees. Sex Roles. 2001 44(11): 677-692.

Martin, David John. 1997. Slaughtering a sacred cow: The eyebrow flash is not a universal social greeting. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering 58(5-B): 2751.

Moore, Monicam. Human Nonverbal Courtship Behavior—A Brief Historical Review. Journal of Sex Research. 2010 47(2-3): 171-180.

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/

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

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/

Watt, Roger ; Craven, Ben ; Quinn, Sandra. A role for eyebrows in regulating the visibility of eye gaze direction. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. 2007. 60(9): 1169-1177.

Wheldall, Kevin ; Mittler, Peter. Eyebrow-raising, eye widening and visual search nursery school children. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 1976. 17(1): 57-62.

*No Photo, Aggressive body language, Anger body language, Closed facial gestures, Emotional body language, Greeting gesture, Hostile body language, Negative body language, Power play, Threat displays, Up nonverbals

Body Language of The Chin Jut and Chin Lift

by Chris • October 20, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of The Chin Jut and Chin Lift

Cue: Chin Jut

Synonym(s): Chin Lift, Jutting The Chin, Lifting The Chin, Pushing The Chin Out.

Description: Pushing the chin out and up by slightly tilting the head backwards.

In One Sentence: Jutting the chin out and away from the body tells others that one is ready to confront rather than conform.

How To Use it: Use the signal to show your dominance and to intimidate others. In competition you can use the chin to taunt your opponent and tempt them into submission by demonstrating your pride and smugness. The cue can also be done during normal conversation to issue a challenge of another person’s authority. As the cue is subtle, it is often registered under conscious awareness, but the message will be received as an insult against another person and their position.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: a) “I’m sticking my chin out to say hello there, I see and acknowledge you.” b) “I’m sticking my chin out to tempt you into punching me and fighting me. It is a challenge as I’m not going to back down.”

Variant: See Chin Stroking, Chin Tuck, Head Lowered.

Cue In Action: a) When passing each other on their bikes, the two riders tilted their chins upward as an acknowledgement. b) It almost came to blows; he stuck his chin out, balled up his first and made threatening remarks.

Meaning and/or Motivation: When the gesture is not done as a greeting or acknowledgement gesture, jutting the chin out means smugness, confidence, pride and confrontation. It is a challenge display, almost like a dare to attack. Lifting the chin exposes the neck to attack but it also puts the chin on full exposure. During physical conflict, a quick jab to the chin often puts people unconscious because it compresses the nerve that runs behind the jaw. Just ask any professional boxer! Keeping the chin tucked, on the other hand, keeps it protected and reduces it as a target making it a submissive posture.

a) A greeting gesture done by quickly forcing the chin outward and returning it to its origin. It is done to acknowledge someone else without having to directly interact with them and done most often by dominant individuals. It signifies superiority, fearlessness and arrogance. b) This is a signal used to display pride, confidence and smugness because it exposes the vulnerable neck to attack. This can be a gesture done subtly as a slight protrusion of the lower jaw.

Cue Cluster: When the chin jut is used in conflict it is accompanied by other threatening language such as balled up fists, arms either lose at the side of the body taunting, or raised and batoning.

Body Language Category: Greeting gesture, Aggressive body language, Anger, Closed facial gestures, Emotional body language, Hostile body language, Negative body language, Power play, Expansive movements, Threat displays, Up nonverbals.

Resources:

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/

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

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