Category: Low confidence body language

*No Photo, Anxious body language, Clenching and gripping, Depressive body language, Energy Displacement, Frustration or frustrated body language, Hostile body language, Intention movements, Leaked or involuntary body language, Low confidence body language, Masked emotions, Microgestures, Negative body language, Nervous Body Language, Oral displacement activities, Pacifying body language, Pseudo-infantile gestures, Stressful body language, Threat displays

Body Language of Lip Chewing or Chewing The Lips

by Chris • October 23, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Lip Chewing or Chewing The Lips

Cue: Lip Chewing or Chewing The Lips

Synonym(s): Chewing The Lips, Biting The Lip, Lip Nibble, Cheek Biting, Lip-to-Lip Bite, Lip Chewing.

Description: a) The lower or upper lip is bitten. b) The lips are brought tightly together against the teeth as if the lips are biting each other in a lip-to-lip bite. It is visible as the lips come inward slightly. c) The teeth bite the insides of the cheeks or the corner of the mouth visible as the mouth is contorted sideways to bring the cheek toward the teeth. The lips may purse and also bounce up and down as if chewing food.

In One Sentence: Lip chewing is a negative thought indicator.

How To Use it: One should avoid chewing on the lips as it tells others that you are suffering from negative internal emotions. Feigning or actual negative emotions, on the other hand, can incentivize others to offer care and support. Therefore, the signal has applications as an honest gesture of suffering.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I’m pacifying and punishing myself due to the negative thoughts and feelings I carry around with me.”

Variant: When pacifying is necessary, people find comfort in biting other objects such as pencils, their fingernails or the stems of their glasses. They may also pull and pinch at themselves. See Lip Biting or Biting The Lip, Lip Picking.

Cue In Action: She was on antidepressant medication and seeing a shrink but even in benign social situations, she would be found fretting as she chewed the insides of her cheeks.

Meaning and/or Motivation: Sucking, plucking, picking or chewing the lips, rubbing them with a finger or thumb are all forms of auto touching. Confident individuals would never consider using this type of behaviour out of insecurity.

When someone feels anxious they habitually find an outlet via chewing. Usually this is a pencil or pen, fingers or finger nails but when nothing else is available or as a default, the lips or sides of the mouth are chewed.

This is a subconscious return to the mouthing of a breast and reminds adults of the tactile pacifier which it served in infancy. The lips often serve as outlets for anxiety because they are always readily available unlike a pencil or other soother. Lip and cheek biting can also be a form of self-restraint, though usually not if it is done persistently, but rather suddenly in response to a certain message or stimuli. Alternatively, lip chewing can signify the desire to act out aggressively where the pain is turned inward rather than expressed outwardly.

Cue Cluster: When someone is anxious, expect their bodies to reflect a desire to turn inwards such as eyes turned downward and glazed over, head down and the shoulders slump. Emotional downtime, when people escape inward while in public, is characterized by pauses in breathing, subtle chewing of the lips, or very brief eye freezes or glazing over.

Body Language Category: Anxious body language, Clenching and gripping, Depressive body language, Energy Displacement, Frustration or frustrated body language, Hostile body language, Intention movements, Leaked or involuntary body language, Low confidence body language, Masked emotions, Microgestures, Negative body language, Nervous body language, Oral displacement activities, Pseudo-infantile gestures, Pacifying body language, Stressful body language, Threat displays.

Resources:

Breau, Lynn M. ; Camfield, Carol S. ; Symons, Frank J. ; Bodfish, James W. ; MacKay, Alison ; Finley, G.Allen ; McGrath, Patrick J. Relation between pain and self-injurious behavior in nonverbal children with severe cognitive impairments. The Journal of Pediatrics. 2003 142(5): 498-503.

Croyle, Kristin L. ; Waltz, Jennifer. Subclinical Self-Harm: Range of Behaviors, Extent, and Associated Characteristics. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry. 2007. 77(2): 332-342.

Colville, G A; Mok, Q. Psychological management of two cases of self injury on the paediatric intensive care unit. Archives of Disease in Childhood. 2003. 88(4): 335.

Christenson, Gary A. ; Mackenzie, Thomas B. ; Mitchell, James E. Characteristics of 60 adult chronic hair pullers. American Journal of Psychiatry. 1991. 148(3): 365(6).

Feteih RM: Signs and Symptoms of Temporomandibular Disorders and Oral Parafunctions in Urban Saudi Arabian Adolescents: A Research Report. Head Face Med. 2006. 2: 25.

Ghanizadeh, Ahmad and Hajar Shekoohi. Prevalence of Nail Biting and its Association With Mental Health in a Community Sample of Children. BMC Research Notes. 4 (Apr. 11, 2011): p116. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1756-0500-4-116.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/body-language-nail-biting/

Gavish A, Halachmi M, Winocur E, Gazit E: Oral Habits and Their Association With Signs and Symptoms of Temporomandibular Disorders in Adolescent Girls. Journal of Oral Rehabilation. 2000, 27(1): 22-32.

Ghanizadeh A: Association of Nail Biting and Psychiatric Disorders in Children and Their Parents in a Psychiatrically Referred Sample of Children. Child Adolescents
Psychiatry Mental Health. 2008. 2(1):13.

Ghanizadeh, Ahmad. Association of nail biting and psychiatric disorders in children and their parents in a psychiatrically referred sample of children.(Research)(Clinical report). Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health. 2008. 2(13): 13.

Harriss, Louise ; Hawton, Keith. Deliberate self-harm in rural and urban regions: A comparative study of prevalence and patient characteristics. Social Science & Medicine. 2011. 73(2): 274-281.

Garnefski N 2004) Cognitive emotion regulation strategies and depressive symptoms: differences between males and female. Personal Indiv Diff 36: 267–76.

Huflejt-Łukasik M, Czarnota-Bojarska J (2006) Short Communication: Selffocused attention and self-monitoring influence on health and coping with stress. Stress Health 22: 153–59.
Jaquier, Véronique ; Hellmuth, Julianne C. ; Sullivan, Tami P.. Posttraumatic stress and depression symptoms as correlates of deliberate self-harm among community women experiencing intimate partnerviolence. Psychiatry Research. 2013. 206(1): 37-42.

Jacobson, Colleenm. ; Muehlenkamp, Jenniferj. ; Miller, Alecl. ; Turner, J. Blake. Psychiatric Impairment Among Adolescents Engaging in Different Types of Deliberate Self-Harm. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology. 2008. 37(2): 363-375.

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.
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Kravitz, Harvey. Lip biting in infancy. The Journal of Pediatrics. 1964. 65(1): 136-138.

Laye – Gindhu, Aviva ; Schonert – Reichl, Kimberly A.. Nonsuicidal Self-Harm among Community Adolescents: Understanding the “Whats” and “Whys” of Self-Harm. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. 2005. 34(5): 447-457.

Lyon, Lionel Sasson. A behavioral treatment of compulsive lip-biting. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry. 1983. 14(3): 275-276.

Mohiyeddini, C., Bauer, S., & Semple, S. (2013a). Displacement behaviour is associated with reduced stress levels among men but not women. PLoS One, 8, e56355.

Mohiyeddini, C., Bauer, S., & Semple, S. (2013b). Public self-consciousness moderates the link between displacement behaviour and experience of stress in women. Stress, 16, 384–392.

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and Submissive Behavior. Psychological Assessment. 2011. 23(1): 262-276 DOI: 10.1037/a0021499
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*No Photo, Disengagement body language, Low confidence body language, Low confidence hand displays, Nonthreatening body language, Shy nonverbal, Social touching

Body Language of The Limp Fish Handshake

by Chris • October 23, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of The Limp Fish Handshake

Cue: Limp Fish Handshake (The)

Synonym(s): N/A

Description: A handshake that has far too little pressure.

In One Sentence: The limpfish handshake indicates weakness.

How To Use it: This handshake is generally ill-advised unless one desires to demonstrate feigned weakness or feel that they can benefit from demonstrating real weakness. For example, feigning weakness can often garnering sympathy from others.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I’m weak of mind or body. I shake hands only weakly with far too little pressure.”

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: The baseball coach shook the hands of the girls on the other team at the end of the match and noticed that the best players had the firmest handshakes.

Meaning and/or Motivation: The limp fish handshake indicates a timid personality who feels that touching is a violation of personal space.

Conversely the limp fish shake can be done due to natural muscle weakness especially when done by the elderly or sick. When performed by healthy men and women it signifies weakness, timidity or shyness. Such a person will seem to be a pushover and be easily manipulated or at best not looking for a fight.

Cue Cluster: Expect to see other cues of timidity such as lack of eye contact, ventral denial, lowered head and shoulders.

Body Language Category: Disengagement, Low confidence body language, Low confidence hand displays, Nonthreatening body language, Shy nonverbal, Social touching.

Resources:

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

Anderson, C. A., & Bushman, B. J. (2002). Human aggression. Annual Review of Psychology, 53, 27–51. http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.53.100901. 135231.

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

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

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

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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.

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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.
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*No Photo, Auto contact or self touching, Displacement behaviour, Energy Displacement, Fearful body language, Low confidence body language, Nervous Body Language, Pacifying body language, Stressful body language, Stroking body language

Body Language of Leg Cleansing or Leg Pacifying Behaviour

by Chris • October 23, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Leg Cleansing or Leg Pacifying Behaviour

Cue: Leg Cleansing or Leg Pacifying Behaviour

Synonym(s): Wiping The Hands On The Thigh, Rubbing the Thighs, Hand Rubbing Thigh, Thigh Stroke, Palm Cleansing.

Description: The hands are wiped or rubbed up and down against the thighs palm down.

In One Sentence: Rubbing the hands on the legs is a pacifying behaviour which is the result of nervousness.

How To Use it: Rubbing the hands on the lap can help sooth nerves as it stimulate the release of positive hormones. Use the gesture to remove perspiration from the hands, but do many sure it is done out the sight from viewers, as others will clue into your discomfort and stress and may capitalize on it. This is especially so in a business context.

Generally, however, due to its negative origins, the cue should be avoided unless absolutely necessary.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I’m stressed, nervous or anxious and I’m wiping my hands on my thighs to sooth and calm my nerves by burning some calories and wipe the sweat from my hands.”

Variant: Hands can be rubbed against the chest or the sleeves of the arms.

Cue In Action: a) Just before shaking hands he wiped his hands on his thighs so his hands didn’t appear clammy. b) It was a big purchase and he was stressed. Below the table, he was rubbing his hands anxiously against his thighs over and over again.

Meaning and/or Motivation: In response to stress and sweating, the hands are rubbed against the thigh. It serves three purposes. One, it wipes sweat off the palms; two, it burns off nervous energy; and three, it pacifies. The friction between the hands helps to produce comforting feelings, a tactic soothing to help calm a person down. When someone is caught doing the leg cleanse, we know that they are nervous or anxious.

Cue Cluster: The hands might touch the back of the neck, pull at the skin under the throat or cover the neck dimple, massage the temples, the fingers might interlock to try to appear calm and collected, the eyes might wince or grimace, and the lips might purse or stretch across the face. A general uneasiness will accompany leg pacifying behaviour.

Body Language Category: Auto contact or self touching, Displacement behaviour, Energy Displacement, Stroking body language, Fearful body language, Low confidence body language, Nervous body language, Pacifying body language, Stressful body language.

Resources:

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How To Beat Airport Security With Body Language Thanks To Leaked CIA WikiLeaks:

http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/how-to-beat-airport-security-with-body-language/

Surviving Secondary: https://wikileaks.org/cia-travel/secondary-screening/WikiLeaks_CIA_Assessment_on_Surviving_Secondary_Screening.pdf

Infiltrating Schengen: https://wikileaks.org/cia-travel/infiltrating-schengen/WikiLeaks_CIA_Advice_for_Operatives_Infiltrating_Schengen.pdf

Amplifier, Attentive body language, Body pointing, Confident body language, Disengagement body language, Dislike (nonverbal), Distancing or moving away, Dominant body language, Escape movements, Expansive movements, Indicator of interest (IoI), Indicator Of Sexual Interest (IOsI), Indicators of disinterest (IOD), Intention movements, Liking, Low confidence body language, Power play

Body Language of Leaning In and Leaning Out

by Chris • October 23, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Leaning In and Leaning Out

Cue: Leaning In and Leaning Out.

Synonym(s): Pecking Forward, Leaning Out.

Description: Leaning forward or away from another person (or thing).

In One Sentence: Leaning in and leaning out signal interest and disinterest respectively.

How To Use it: Use leaning in and leaning out to show your level of interest. Leaning in shows people that you are interested in them, their ideas and/or what they have to say. Leaning out sends the reverse message.

Leaning language is applicable in business, dating and amongst friends.

For example, leaning in toward your dating partner shows him or her that you wish to gain intimacy. In a business meeting or presentation sit at the edge of your seat and lean in toward the presenter to show them you are keen on the information. With friends at lunch, sit facing them and engage them with conversation by moving forward. These postures all work in reverse to show disinterest. Additionally, leaning in and out can be done while standing and send a similar message. Leaning in also shows a readiness for action. This is also a positive message – especially in business and dating.

Context: a) Dating, b) General.

Verbal Translation: “I’m interested in what you are saying and am supplicating to your dominance and ability to draw me in closer to you, rather than you, to me. That’s why I’m leaning forward.”

Variant: See Head Away.

Cue In Action: a) Dave was really into Stacey. Throughout lunch, he tried to engage her as much as possible but found the more he leaned in, the more she leaned out and away. It was clear that he was more into her, than vice versa. b) While presenting to the crowd, she found half of the students leaning in and engaged, while the other half leaned out and away. She knew which students where most keen on the topic from the way their bodies leaned.

Meaning and/or Motivation: Leaning in too much, also referred to as “pecking” forward has been advanced by the pick-up community as a term describing men who appear needy and who lack control of the dating situation rather than dominant and chase-worthy.

Pecking forward can appear in any setting and shows which of the two are most interested in the other or whom is most dominant and in control. Or, sometimes more aptly, leaning away tells us which person is more apathetic to the relationship and apathy often creates control and ability to dominate. Dominant people will tend to lean back and take up space, but someone who lacks confidence or whom has a great interest in another person will try to engage them more by leaning in toward them. This tends to have the reverse result to what is intended.

Leaning back will force others to engage you, instead of the other way around (cat and mouse game.) Talking quietly also has the affect of forcing people to move closer to you, thereby increasing your status.

Cue Cluster: Couple leaning in and leaning out with other nonverbal cues to determine level of engagement. Leaning in should find itself with eye contact, nodding, smiling, smooth flowing conversation and head tilted to the side – this shows engagement. Leaning back, and disengagement should find itself with lack of eye contact, lack of nodding, deadpan face, stuttered conversation and head-on rather than head tilted.

Body Language Category:

Leaning In: Amplifier, Attentive, Body pointing, Indicator of interest (IoI),
Indicators of sexual interest (IOsI), Intention movements, Low confidence body language, Liking.

Leaning Away: Amplifier, Body pointing, Confident body language, Disengagement, Dislike (nonverbal), Distancing or moving away, Dominant body language Escape movements, Expansive movements, Indicators of disinterest (IOD), Indicators of sexual disinterest (IOsD), Intention movements, Power play.

Resources:

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*No Photo, Displacement behaviour, Enthusiasm (nonverbal), Gravity defying body language, Low confidence body language, Nervous Body Language, Stressful body language, Suspicious body language

Body Language of Jerky Movements

by Chris • October 23, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Jerky Movements

Cue: Jerky Movements

Synonym(s): Twitchy, Spastic Movements, Sporadic Movements, Erratic Movements, Failing Arms.

Description: Unpredictable, twitching, erratic, flailing wildly, theatrical, impulsive or random motions by the head, arms, hands, feet, legs, torso and so forth.

In One Sentence: Jerky movements signal emotional uneasiness.

How To Use it: Use jerky movements to show others that you are emotionally unstable!

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I have lost complete control of my body which is why it moves around so sporadically and twitches and this makes you think I’m not emotionally well.”

Variant: Jerky movements can also spread to the voice as it becomes high pitched and increases in volume.

Cue In Action: When Dave was presenting his research on butterflies, his gestures were erratic and out of tune with what he was saying. He seemed scatterbrained, moving back and forth across the stage, his arms pointing quickly to his whiteboard and then scratching his face and neck. He was difficult, even annoying to follow.

Meaning and/or Motivation: Jerky movements comes across as hysteric, frustrated, and breeds a lack of respect in others and is generally unflattering. It says nonverbally that a person lacks precise control over their bodies which people assume transfers to erratic thoughts and a scattered mind. People with jerky movements are seen as untrustworthy and often as having hyperactivity disorder.

Usually sporadic behaviour is not due to any actual negative traits and is mostly due to a high affect, meaning people simply have lots of excess energy and don’t like being in one place for extended periods of time. Other times, jerky movements are linked to excitement and enthusiasm for a topic.

Cue Cluster: Watch for erratic movements of the eyes, touching the face, neck, nose, ears, rubbing the eyes, pacing back and forth, pointing, smoothing clothing, patting, rubbing the hands, hands in pockets and so forth.

Body Language Category: Displacement behaviour, Enthusiasm (nonverbal), Gravity defying body language, Low confidence body language, Nervous body language, Stressful body language, Suspicious body language.

Resources:

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

Boone RT, Cunningham JG (1998) Children’s decoding of emotion in expressive body movement: the development of cue attunement. Dev Psychol
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Burba, Nathan ; Bolas, Mark ; Krum, David M. ; Suma, Evan A.. Unobtrusive measurement of subtle nonverbal behaviors with the Microsoft Kinect. 2012 IEEE Virtual Reality. 2012. 1-4.

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

Da Silva, Felipe N. ; Irani, Farzin ; Richard, Jan ; Brensinger, Colleen M. ; Bilker, Warren B. ; Gur, Raquel E. ; Gur, Ruben C. More than just tapping: Index finger-tapping measures procedural learning in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research. 2012. 137(1-3): 234-240.

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

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

Deans, Pamela ; O’laughlin, Liz ; Brubaker, Brad ; Gay, Nathan ; Krug, Damon. Use of eye movement tracking in the differential diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and reading disability.(Report). Psychology (Irvine). 2010. 1(4): 238(9).

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Wilder, Vicky. Effects of antipsychotic medication on the movement pathologies of chronic schizophrenics. American Journal of Dance Therapy. 1987. 10(1): 77-94.

According to Wikepdia, there are at least 25 movement disorders of which nonverbal eratic movement may signal: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movement_disorder

Akathisia (inability to sit still)
Akinesia (lack of movement)
Associated Movements (Mirror Movements or Homolateral Synkinesis)
Athetosis (contorted torsion or twisting)
Ataxia (gross lack of coordination of muscle movements)
Ballismus (violent involuntary rapid and irregular movements)
Hemiballismus (affecting only one side of the body)
Bradykinesia (slow movement)
Cerebral palsy
Chorea (rapid, involuntary movement)
Sydenham’s chorea
Rheumatic chorea
Huntington’s disease
Dyskinesia (abnormal, involuntary movement)
Tardive dyskinesia
Dystonia (sustained torsion)
Dystonia muscularum
Blepharospasm
Writer’s cramp
Spasmodic torticollis (twisting of head and neck)
Dopamine-responsive dystonia (hereditary progressive dystonia with diurnal fluctuation or Segawa’s disease)
Essential tremor
Geniospasm (episodic involuntary up and down movements of the chin and lower lip)
Myoclonus (brief, involuntary twitching of a muscle or a group of muscles)
Metabolic General Unwellness Movement Syndrome (MGUMS)
Mirror movement disorder (involuntary movements on one side of the body mirroring voluntary movements of the other side)
Parkinson’s disease
Paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia
Restless Legs Syndrome RLS (WittMaack-Ekboms disease)
Spasms (contractions)
Stereotypic movement disorder
Stereotypy (repetition)
Tic disorders (involuntary, compulsive, repetitive, stereotyped)
Tourette’s syndrome
Tremor (oscillations)
Rest tremor
Postural tremor
Kinetic tremor
Essential tremor
Cerebellar tremor
Parkinsonian tremors
Physiological tremor
Wilson’s disease

Barriers, Blocking or Shielding, Closed facial gestures, Low confidence body language, Low confidence hand displays, Lying or deceptive body language, Negative body language, Security blankets, Shy nonverbal, Suspicious body language

Body Language of Hidden Mouth or Mouth Conceal

by Chris • October 23, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Hidden Mouth or Mouth Conceal

Cue: Hidden Mouth or Mouth Conceal

Synonym(s): Covering The Mouth, Hand Over The Mouth, Talking Through The Hand, Mouth Guard (The).

Description: Done by placing the hand over the mouth, in part, or whole and “talking through it.”

In One Sentence: Hiding the mouth is a nonverbal signal indicating secrecy and the need for security.

How To Use it: One should do their best to avoid covering their mouth with their hand as it is an obvious display of lack of confidence.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I’m insecure or telling a lie so I’m covering my mouth to give me protection, security and secrecy.”

Variant: The gesture can be done with a fist, a finger, or a ‘shushing’ motion with the index finger vertically placed over the lips. In the Mouth Guard the hand raises up to the cheek, or side of the mouth, or by wrapping a finger around the upper lip. Sometimes the hand does a downward swipe with the mouth, the hand is made into a fist and rested against the mouth, or it seems as if the person is talking through their hand. See Hand To Mouth.

Other times the subconscious mind is so powerful that the hand comes up and slaps the mouth, such as when telling a lie, but to cover this ‘tell’, a fake cough is added.

Cue In Action: a) While on a date, Dave wrapped his fingers around his upper lip. He felt terribly uncomfortable being around such an attractive girl. Ccovering his mouth gave him a place to hide – a security blanket. b) After telling a fib, Billie brought her index finger up to the corner of her mouth as if shushing herself.

Meaning and/or Motivation: Hand covering the mouth shows timidity, low self esteem and appears dishonest to others.

Mouth covering is also way to reduce the pain of telling a lie. In this case, it is so as to “speak no evil.” Small children perform a full cover and even slap their mouths when they say something they shouldn’t. Grown adults will sometimes cup their hands to their mouths like children in effort to “jam the words back in their mouths” but usually use more subtle gestures such as talking through their hand or placing a finger softly over their lips.

Talking with ones hand covering the mouth “talking through the hand” or resting the hand around the mouth by wrapping the fingers around the top, are significant clues indicating insecurity.

Subconsciously, hand-to-mouth gestures leads people to distrust others, and see them as less honest overall.

Cue Cluster: Hand to mouth is a standalone cue and doesn’t require many additional cues to spell meaning. The context of the cue, be it high anxiety such as on a date or interview, or while being suspect of lying, will define the meaning of hand to mouth.

Body Language Category: Barriers, Blocking or Shielding, Closed facial gestures, Low confidence body language, Low confidence hand displays, Lying or deceptive body language, Negative body language, Security blankets, Shy nonverbal, Suspicious body language.

Resources:

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Appelbaum, P.S. The new lie detectors: Neuroscience, deception, and the courts. Psychiatric Services. 2007. 58: 460-462.

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Buckley, V., & Semple, S. (2012). Evidence that displacement activities facilitate behavioural transitions in ring-tailed lemurs. Behavioural Processes, 90, 433–435.

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Charles v. Ford, Lies! Lies! Lies!: The Psychology of Deceit (Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press, Inc., 1996), 200.

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Goldberg, Shelly ; Rosenthal, Robert. Self-touching behavior in the job interview: Antecedents and consequences. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 1986. 10(1): 65-80.

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Heaven, Laura ; Mcbrayer, Dan ; Prince, Bob. Role of sex in externally motivated self-touching gestures. Perceptual and motor skills. 2002. 95(1): 289-94.

Heaven, L ; Mcbrayer, D. External motivators of self-touching behavior. Perceptual and motor skills. 2000. 90(1): 338-42.

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behaviour during interviews. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 23: 905–913.

Troisi A, Moles A (1999) Gender differences in depression: an ethological study
of nonverbal behaviour during interviews. J Psychiatr Res 33: 243–250.

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*No Photo, Auto contact or self touching, Barriers, Blocking or Shielding, Closed body language, Defensive body language, Escape movements, Low confidence body language, Pacifying body language, Protective reflexes

Body Language of Head Clasping or Head Cradling

by Chris • October 22, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Head Clasping or Head Cradling

Cue: Head Clasping or Head Cradling

Synonym(s): Hands Clasping The Head, Head Cradling, Cradling The Head.

Description: Occurs as the hands come up and cup the back of the neck or head. The hand can lightly brush the back of the head. The hands may also come to the back of the neck as if being cradled.

In One Sentence: Clasping the head signals deep despair and high stress.

How To Use it: Clasping the back of the head is a way to manage bad feelings as it reminds us of being cradled by our parents. Use the gesture when you are experiencing high stress and discomfort. Others may see your emotional pain and come to your rescue and help you overcome hardship. While displaying weakness is generally not advised, it can serve a useful purpose in gaining sympathy from others which may come in handy if grief should become overwhelming.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I’m feeling pain and discomfort either emotional or due to physical pain and so I’m using my hands as a helmet to protect my head from harm.”

Variant: See Hooding or The Catapult, Hand Behind Head or Head Pacifying.

Cue In Action: a) Imagine a sports athlete with his hands clasped behind his head in deep despair after missing an important penalty kick. We see the opposite in people who are happy – they are upright with a bounce in their step. b) His hands came up to the back of his head and stroked his hair due to high stress.

Meaning and/or Motivation: The head cradle provides comfort and security while the head clasp provides a shielding sensation like wearing a metaphorical helmet that protects us from emotional injury. We see head clasping when we have made a big mistake or are contemplating a serious decision.

This is also childhood throwback to where our Mom’s would have cradled or pet the back of our heads during times of distress, discomfort or pain during high stakes moments. The hands on the head in adulthood remind us of the protective feelings we would have received.

Cue Cluster: The chin usually comes down and the body becomes loose, limp and slouches, a sports athlete might drop to his knees clasp his head and look to the heavens praying.

Body Language Category: Auto contact or self touching, Barriers, Blocking or Shielding, Closed body language, Defensive, Escape movements, Low confidence body language, Pacifying, Protective reflexes, Stressful body language.

Resources:

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Troisi A (1999) Ethological research in clinical psychiatry: the study of nonverbal behaviour during interviews. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 23: 905–913.

Troisi A, Moles A (1999) Gender differences in depression: an ethological study of nonverbal behaviour during interviews. J Psychiatr Res 33: 243–250.

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*No Photo, Amplifier, Arousal, Autonomic signal, Fearful body language, Leaked or involuntary body language, Low confidence body language, Lying or deceptive body language, Microgestures, Nervous Body Language, Suspicious body language, Worry body language

Body Language of Hard Swallow or Swallowing Hard

by Chris • October 22, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Hard Swallow or Swallowing Hard

Cue: Hard Swallow or Swallowing Hard

Synonym(s): Swallowing Hard

Description: When the throat swallows harder than normal, possibly even gulping air along with saliva. Sometimes it is audible, but usually only barely.

In One Sentence: A hard swallow indicates stress.

How To Use it: Avoid using the hard swallow unless you want others to see that you are suffering from stressors.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I’m stressed and my swallowing has become conscious and controlled. I do a poor job of it due to stress induced dryness.”

Variant: N/A.

Cue In Action: While presenting his throat dried up. No matter how much water he drank, his mouth still went dry. When it was time to decide over the investment, his financiers were contemplating, and he was audibly gulping as he hard swallowed.

Meaning and/or Motivation: The hard swallow is a high stress or embarrassment indicator due to low saliva production as the fear response of a person is activated. It is usually involuntary.

In the right context, the hard swallow sometimes indicates that a lie is being told, but it is more reliably, a general signal of high stress.

Cue Cluster: Watch for touching the face and neck, pacing, eyes darting and blushing or blanching.

Body Language Category: Amplifier, Arousal, Autonomic signal, Fearful body language, Low confidence body language, Leaked or involuntary body language, Lying or deceptive body language, Microgestures, Nervous body language, Suspicious body language or suspicion, Worry body language.

Resources:

Beidel, D. C., Turner, S. M., & Dancu, C. V. (1985). Physiological, cognitive and behavioral aspects of social anxiety. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 23, 109–117.

Birdwhistell, Ray (1952). An Introduction to Kinesics (Louisville: University of Louisville).

Grant, Ewan (1969). “Human Facial Expressions.” In Man (Vol. 4), pp. 525-36.

Guyton, Arthur C. (1996). Textbook of Medical Physiology, 9th edition (Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders).

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

Auto contact or self touching, Barriers, Blocking or Shielding, Courtship display, Low confidence body language, Low confidence hand displays, Nervous Body Language, Pacifying body language, Suspicious body language

Body Language of Hand To Mouth

by Chris • October 22, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Hand To Mouth

Cue: Hand to Mouth

Synonym(s): Mouth Covering, Lip Playing, Lip Touching, Talking Through The Hand, Fingers To The Mouth.

Description: Hands that cover the mouth while speaking or wrap around the lips. Hands may also play with, or pluck the lips.
In One Sentence: Hands to the mouth signals lack of confidence and insecurity.

How To Use it: Touching the mouth with hands can make one feel more comfortable, however, this self soothing gesture is not seen as positive by others. Therefore, it should be avoided when possible.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I’m timid, shy, lack self confidence. I’m going to play with my mouth or talk through my hand to hide my mouth. This will make me feel more secure because my mouth will be hidden.”

Variant: See Hidden Mouth or Mouth Conceal, Lip Picking, Lip Chewing or Chewing The Lips.

Cue In Action: Dave was on a date but it wasn’t going well as he was really nervous. He felt awkward and it showed. He spent most of the date talking through his hand and mumbling. She could barely hear what he was saying.

Meaning and/or Motivation: A gesture pattern that indicates timidity, insecurity, shyness or lack of self confidence.

Hand-to-face and hand-to-mouth are also sometimes attributed to lying body language although this is only sometimes the case. Hand-to-mouth actions are the most common target for auto touching. It might stem from the concern of giving up too much information, or letting a lie slip, or due to the need for reassurance.

Covering the mouth is a natural reaction children do when they tell a secret or inadvertently say a word they know they shouldn’t. Talking with ones hand covering the mouth “talking through the hand” or resting the hand around the mouth by wrapping the fingers around the top, are significant clues indicating insecurity.

Other times hand-to-mouth indicates female sexual tension such as when the index finger softly rubs against the lips. This is a form of pacifying due to the perceived inability to act on a sexual desire to kiss or be kissed.

Adults that are tense or anxious will play with their mouth or lip. Mouthing a pen, cigarette, piece of their own hair, and even gum when used as a comfort device, are a substitute for the mother’s breast and early childhood mouthing. Sucking, plucking, picking or chewing the lips, rubbing them with a finger or thumb are all forms of auto touching. Confident individuals would never consider using this type of security blanket, let alone be seen touching their faces out of insecurity.

Mouth covering is another way to reduce the pain of telling a lie. In this case, it is so as to “speak no evil.” Small children perform a full cover and even slap their mouths when they say something they shouldn’t. Grown adults will sometimes cup their hands to their mouths like children in effort to “jam the words back in their mouths” but usually use more subtle gestures such as talking through their hand or placing a finger softly over their lips. Subconsciously, hand-to-mouth gestures leads people to distrust others, and see them as less honest overall.

Cue Cluster: Mouth touching is often interchanged with masked arm crossing where the arm is placed across the front of the body forearm against the table. A coffee cup barrier might also be coupled where a drink is held at right angles in front of the body as a cut-off. Eye contact will also be limited, hands might touch the back of the neck, or cheeks.

Body Language Category: Auto contact or self touching, Barriers, Blocking or Shielding, Courtship displays, Low confidence body language, Low confidence hand displays, Nervous body language, Pacifying, Suspicious body language or suspicion.

Resources:

Akehurst, L., G. Kohnken, A. Vrij, and R. Bull. 1996. Lay persons’ and police officers’
beliefs regarding deceptive behaviour. Applied Cognitive Psychology 10: 461-471.

Appelbaum, P.S. The new lie detectors: Neuroscience, deception, and the courts. Psychiatric Services. 2007. 58: 460-462.

Azrin, N.H. ; Nunn, R.G. ; Frantz-Renshaw, S. Habit reversal treatment of thumbsucking. Behaviour Research and Therapy. 1980. 18(5): 395-399.

Bakwin, Harry. Thumb- and finger-sucking in children. The Journal of Pediatrics. 1948. 32(1): 99-101.

Barroso, Felix ; Feld, Jason. Self-touching and attentional processes: The role of task difficulty, selection stage, and sex differences. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 1986. 10(1): 51-64.

Buckley, V., & Semple, S. (2012). Evidence that displacement activities facilitate behavioural transitions in ring-tailed lemurs. Behavioural Processes, 90, 433–435.

Blakeslee, Sandra (1995). “In Brain’s Early Growth, Timetable Maybe Crucial.” In New York Times (“Science Times,” August 29), pp. C1, C3.

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