Category: Universal gestures

Appease, Closed body language, Courtship display, Defensive body language, Disengagement body language, Embarrassment (nonverbal), Escape movements, Fearful body language, Intention movements, Nonthreatening body language, Palm power, Protective reflexes, Readiness to submit postures, Submissive body language, Universal gestures

Body Language of Shoulder Shrugs or Shoulder Rise

by Chris • October 28, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Shoulder Shrugs or Shoulder Rise

Cue: Shoulder Shrugs or Shoulder Rise.

Synonym(s): Shrugs, Ducking, Hunched Shoulders, Turtling, Head Ducking.

Description: The shoulder shrug posture happens as the head seems to sink inside the shoulders, however, what is really happening is that the shoulders are slowly being raised so the neck disappears taking the head with it. It is as if the head is being swallowed by the shoulders. Shrugs can appear as micro-movements barely perceivable or as full on shrugs where the shoulders nearly touch the ears.

In One Sentence: Shoulder shrugs indicate lack of knowledge and ultimately submission.

How To Use it: Shrug the shoulders when you don’t know the answer to a problem or you wish to show submission. Shoulder shrugs can be used to show others that you accept defeat when it is coupled with a lowered head. Therefore, you may consider using it when pleading for forgiveness.

In dating, women can use the shoulder shrug to take on a smaller profile in order to create the impression of submissiveness and therefore elicit a protective and caring partner. Children and men can also do the same. When submission occurs, it produces a sympathetic response when it is seen by an empathetic viewer.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: a) “My shoulders raise for a nano-second showing that I don’t know the answer.” b) “My head pulls down to my shoulders, palms up as a shield, eyebrows raised with my head tilted shows that I’m drawing inward and don’t want to get involved – so leave me out of this.” c) “I’m sorry I don’t know the answer and I’m shrugging to show others that I’m not a threat and wish not to provoke. In other words, I’m sorry I don’t know, but please go easy on me. I’m not a target, I’m submissive.”

Variant: Shrugs contain key elements such as hunched shoulders where the shoulders are raised and lowered, hands twisted into the palms up position (one or both hands), lowered mouth corners (while hands and head remain still), raised eyebrows (which shows astonishment, indifference, and bewilderment). Each variant, independent of one another, can carry the meaning of the shrug.

See Uneven Shoulder Shrugs and Palm Up Displays or The Rogatory Posture.

Cue In Action: a) The teacher called on Dave but he didn’t know the answer because he hadn’t read the report. His shoulders flinched upward, barely raising, as he froze like a deer in the headlights. b) There was a mess in the staff room and the boss had made a point of rounding up the culprits to get the job done. She invited them to step forward, but in unison the staff raised their shoulders as if they were not to blame and didn’t want to help fix the mess. c) After cussing her out without giving her time to explain, he felt it was his duty to offer a box of treats and flowers. He lowered his head, turned his palms up and shrugged his shoulders. He didn’t need to say anything. She understood he felt sorry for what he had done.

Meaning and/or Motivation: A universal expression of doubt and uncertainty. Shoulder shrugs can signify apology, disbelief, ignorance, indifference (lack of interest), helplessness, resignation, discomfort, low self-confidence, insecurity, weakness or powerlessness and shame. Many negative emotions are expressed through shoulder shrugs.

A shrug can also mean that you don’t know the answer, that you don’t want to get involved, or imply submissive apology.

Shoulder shrugs in a business context are usually found when someone is centered out on their poor performance. The origin of the “head turtle” is to protect it from harm. For example, when people hear a very loud bang, they will quickly pull their heads inward and down, and tuck in their chins. However, when it is done out of shame, it happens more slowly and deliberately so as to draw even less attention.

Shrugging is also done when people want to appear less significant so they go overlooked and are ignored rather than called on. In business, the head duck will occur when subordinates meet with superiors as they try to stand out less and look less significant or when employees wish to be overlooked during status reports at a boardroom meeting. It might also happen in class when the professor is calling on students who don’t have the answers, or when athletes have to walk back in shame to their dressing rooms after losing an important match.

The shoulders hunching up with palms up indicate a desire to hold a more narrow and protective posture hence it is submissive like a turtle going up in its shell.

The shoulder shrug can also appear in a dating situation where women appear meek and submissive. Shrugging is a childlike posture and happens when a woman let’s her guard down. It is often subtle and occurs subconsciously as a small raise of the shoulders and sometimes is accompanied by an eyebrow flash. Other times it is more pronounced and the head lowers or bows in unison. In this case, the shrug may be held for some time.

Cue Cluster: Shrugs often appear coupled with cowering, eyebrows lifted, palms up, head lowered, head bowed, eyes cast upward and widened, frowning or downturned smiles.

Body Language Category: Appease, Courtship displays, Closed body language, Defensive, Disengagement body language, Embarrassment (nonverbal), Escape movements, Fearful body language, Intention movements, Nonthreatening body language, Palm power, Protective reflexes, Readiness to submit postures, Submissive body language, Universal gestures.

Resources:

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Burgoon, J. K., Johnson, M. L., & Koch, P. T. (1998). The nature and measurement of interpersonal dominance. Communication Monographs, 65, 308–335.

Brin, Pablo and Oli Richard. Body Posture Effects On Self-Evaluation: A self-Validation Approach. European Journal of Social Psychology. 2009; 39: 1053–1064.

Bertamini, Marco ; Byrne, Christopher ; Bennett, Kate M. Attractiveness is influenced by the relationship between postures of the viewer and the viewed person. i-Perception. 2013. 4(3): 170-179.

Brannigan, Christopher, and David Humphries (1972). “Human Non-Verbal Behaviour, A Means of Communication.” In N. G. Blurton-Jones, ed., Ethological Studies of Child Behaviour (Cambridge: University Press), pp. 37-64.

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

Carney, D. R., Hall, J. A., & LeBeau, L. S. (2005). Beliefs about the nonverbal expression of social power. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 29, 105–123.

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

Ellis, L. (1994). The high and the mighty among man and beast: How universal is the relationship between height (or body size) and social status? In L. Ellis (Ed.). Social stratification and socioeconomic inequality (Vol. 2, pp. 93–111). Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers.

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

Givens, David B. (1977A). “Shoulder Shrugging: A Densely Communicative Expressive Behavior.” In Semiotica (Vol. 19:1/2), pp. 13-28.

Givens, David B. Reading Palm-up Signs: Neurosemiotic Overview of a Common Hand Gesture.” Accepted for publication (Mar. 4, 2015) in Semiotica.

McGrew, W. C. (1972). “Aspects of Social Development in Nursery School Children with Emphasis on Introduction to the Group.” In N. G. Blurton Jones, ed., Ethological Studies of Child Behaviour (Cambridge: University Press), pp. 129-56.

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Kimbrell, G. Relationship of the upright agonistic posture in the foot shock situation to dominance-submission in male C57BL/6 mice. Psychonomic Science. 1969. 16(3): 167-168.

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Appease, Enthusiasm (nonverbal), Excited body language, Fearful body language, Happiness body language, Indicator of interest (IoI), Masked emotions, Nervous Body Language, Nonthreatening body language, Open body language, Rapport or rapport building, Stressful body language, Surprised body language, Universal gestures

Body Language of Laughter

by Chris • October 23, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Laughter

Cue: Laughter

Synonym(s): Laughing.

Description: Laughs follow a “ha-ha-ha” or “ho-ho-ho” pattern, but never “ha-ho-ha-ho”. We can see other variations though like “cha-ha-ha” or “ha-ha-ho.”

In One Sentence: Laughing is a sign of joy, happiness, and sometimes discomfort or awkwardness.

How To Use it: Laughing is well research. It has proven to be an effective way to keep the body in good spirits and even boost healing and immunity. Laughing is encouraged to build friendships and finds a welcome place in all contexts from dating, to business, and amongst friends. Use laughing to create lasting bonds and break tension.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I’m so happy and surprised by what you said that I’m showing my primitive panting vocalization.”

Resources:

Bachorowski, J A ; Owren, M J. Not all laughs are alike: voiced but not unvoiced laughter readily elicits positive affect. Psychological science. 2001. 12(3): 252-7.

Dunbar, R I M ; Baron, Rebecca ; Frangou, Anna ; Pearce, Eiluned ; Van Leeuwen, Edwin J C ; Stow, Julie ; Partridge, Giselle ; Macdonald, Ian ; Barra, Vincent ; Van Vugt, Mark. Social laughter is correlated with an elevated pain threshold. Proceedings. Biological sciences / The Royal Society. 2012. 279(1731): 1161-7.

Foley, Erin ; Matheis, Robert ; Schaefer, Charles. Effect of forced laughter on mood.(Abstract). Psychological Reports. 2002 90(1): 184(1).

Grammer, K., and Eibl-Eibesfeldt, I. 1990. The ritualisation of laughter. In W. Koch (Ed.), Naturalichkeit der Sprache un der Kultur: Acta colloquii 192–214.

Grammer, Karl. Strangers meet: Laughter and nonverbal signs of interest in opposite-sex encounters. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 1990. 14(4): 209-236.

Hall, Jeffrey A. and Chong Xing. The Verbal and Nonverbal Correlates of the Five Flirting Styles. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 2015. 39:41–68. DOI 10.1007/s10919-014-0199-8
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Kawakami, Kiyobumi; Takai-Kawakami, Kiyoko; Tomonaga, Masaki; Suzuki, Juri; Kusaka, Tomiyo; Okai, Takashi. 2006. Origins of smile and laughter: a preliminary study. Early Human Development. 82 (1): 61.

Keltner, Dacher; Bonanno, George A. 1997. A study of laughter and dissociation: Distinct correlates of laughter and smiling during bereavement. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 73(4): 687-702.

Kipper, Silke ; Todt, Dietmar. The Role of Rhythm and Pitch in the Evaluation of Human Laughter. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 2003. 27(4): 255-272.

MacDonald, C., 2004. A Chuckle a Day Keeps the Doctor Away: Therapeutic Humor & Laughter. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services 42(3):18-25.

Martin, Rod A. 2001. Humor, laughter, and physical health: Methodological issues and research findings Psychological Bulletin. 127(4): 504-519.

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/

Neuhoff, Charles C ; Schaefer, Charles. Effects of laughing, smiling, and howling on mood. Psychological reports. 2002 91(3 Pt 2): 1079-80.

Owren, Michael J.; Bachorowski, Jo-Anne 2003. Reconsidering the evolution of nonlinguistic communication: the case of laughter Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 27(3): 183-200.

Panksepp, J., Burgdorf, J., “Laughing” rats and the evolutionary antecedents of human joy? Physiology & Behavior (2003) 79: 533-547.

Provine, Robert R.. 2000. The laughing species. Natural History. 109(10): 72-76.

Provine, Robert R. 2000. Laugh and the world laughs with you. Scientific American. 283(6): 108-110.

Provine, Robert R. Laughing, grooming, and pub science. Trends in Cognitive Sciences. 2013. 17(1): 9-10.

Provine, R. R. 1992. Contagious laughter: Laughter is a sufficient stimulus for laughs and smiles. Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society 30: 1- 4.

Provine, R. R. 1993. Laughter punctuates speech: Linguistic, social and gender contexts of laughter. Ethology 95: 291-298.

Provine, R. R., and K. R. Fischer. 1989. Laughing, smiling, and talking: Relation to sleeping and social context in humans. Ethology 83: 295-305.

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Ritter, Jan ; Brück, Carolin ; Jacob, Heike ; Wildgruber, Dirk ; Kreifelts, Benjamin. Laughter perception in social anxiety. Journal of Psychiatric Research. 2015. 60: 178-184.

Szameitat, Diana P. ; Kreifelts, Benjamin ; Alter, Kai ; Szameitat, André J. ; Sterr, Annette ; Grodd, Wolfgang ; Wildgruber, Dirk. It is not always tickling: Distinct cerebral responses during perception of different laughter types. NeuroImage. 2010. 53(4): 1264-1271.

Szameitat, Diana P. ; Alter, Kai ; Szameitat, André J. ; Darwin, Chris J. ; Wildgruber, Dirk ; Dietrich, Susanne ; Sterr, Annette Phelps, Elizabeth A. (editor). Differentiation of Emotions in Laughter at the Behavioral Level. Emotion. 2009. 9(3): 397-405.

Szameitat, Dianap. ; Darwin, Chrisj. ; Wildgruber, Dirk ; Alter, Kai ; Szameitat, Andréj. Acoustic correlates of emotional dimensions in laughter: Arousal, dominance, and valence. Cognition & Emotion. 2011. 25(4): 599-611.

Vettin, Julia ; Todt, Dietmar. Laughter in Conversation: Features of Occurrence and Acoustic Structure. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 2004. 28(2): 93-115.

Variant: Giggling is another form of laughter that is more characteristic of children being silly.

Cue In Action: After a few beers it was all jokes and laughter at the party, most of the time no one really knew what caused the laughing spells.

Meaning and/or Motivation: Some researchers pin laughs as a modification of the fear response or as a warning that danger was near. By that same theory, we laugh because our brains are scared or frightened which is why we don’t laugh when we hear a joke for the second time and have predicted its outcome. Laughter usually comes about due to humour and helps clarify emotional context (by defining amusement) between people. Laughter is a way to heal as it releases positive hormones. It is also a way people can share and therefore bond with one another. Laughter in a nonverbal context shows that people are thinking alike and are in agreement and trying to build trust and friendship.

Subordinate people will laugh simply to appease more dominant people, and dominant people exclude themselves from the laugh so as to maintain their dominance. Controlling laugher therefore, can help control our dominance or submission to others, as well as show our acceptance or rejection of others. For example, a polite laugh shows that we are at least “onboard” with a person even though we might not totally agree that what they have said is in fact funny.

Laughter is a form of mirroring and communicates mutual liking and well-being. It can also be used to reduce the harshness of comments or even to take comments back. Humour is an innate vocalization that fosters a sense of community and can help in learning and in creativity. It helps break down walls between different people and can act like a social lubricant to bind people together. Laughter is thirty times more likely to happen in a social setting rather than alone and studies have shown that people don’t really seem to care if the laugh is fake or real, they still tend to like people more when they laugh. Laughing helps us build bonds. Even fake laughs help because at least it shows that a person is trying to fit in.

Cue Cluster: Laughter might be accompanied by social touching, smiling, loose body that lacks negative tension, plenty of “up” non-verbal cues such as arms up, shoulders and head up, toes pointed up, bodies leaning in with engagement and so forth.

Body Language Category: Appease, Enthusiasm (nonverbal), Excited, Fearful body language, Happiness body language, Indicator of interest (IoI), Masked emotions, Nervous body language, Open body language, Nonthreatening body language, Rapport or rapport building, Stressful body language, Surprised body language, Universal gestures.

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

Body Language of Head Shake or Head Negation

by Chris • October 23, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Head Shake or Head Negation

Cue: Head Shake or Head Negation

Synonym(s): Shaking The Head.

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

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

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

Context: General.

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

Variant: See Head Nods.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Resources:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ekman, P., & Friesen, W. V. The Repertoire of Nonverbal Behavior: Categories,
Origins, Usage, and Coding. Semiotica. 1969. 1: 49–98.
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Fusaro, M., & Harris, P. L. (2013). Dax gets the nod: Toddlers detect and use social cues to evaluate testimony. Developmental Psychology, 49, 514–522. doi:10.1037/a0030580

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Aggressive body language, Amplifier, Anger body language, Closed facial gestures, Confused body language, Emotional body language, Fearful body language, Hostile body language, Microexpression, Stressful body language, Universal facial expressions, Universal gestures, Worry body language

Body Language of Furrowed Forehead

by Chris • October 22, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Furrowed Forehead

Cue: Furrowed Forehead

Synonym(s): Forehead Creasing, Wrinkled Forehead, Forehead Furrow.

Description: Frowning done by creasing the forehead and brow.

In One Sentence: A furrowed forehead is a sign of negative thoughts.

How To Use it: Furrow the forehead when you want others to visually see that you are not in a positive mood. This can be effective in showing your disapproval of others which may cause them to change their behaviour in order to better please you. Furrowing the forehead works well on children as it does with any submissive audience. The honest portrayal of disapproval through furrowed forehead works to influence others as people are strongly social and do not cope well with the anger of others. Showing disapproval nonverbally avoids a deeper potentially aggressive verbal confrontation, but at the same time, is obvious to onlookers.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “Muscles in my forehead are scrunching up to show how badly I feel on the inside.”

Variant: Various other forms of contraction can occur in the face such as the lips, nose and eyes to show negative thoughts. See Compressed Lips, Nose Crinkle, Sneering, Eye Squinting or Narrowing Eyes.

Cue In Action: She was worried that he was going to be upset for being so late for their date that her forehead began to wrinkle and her skin flushed red. She was harried and quickly left her house in a panic.

Meaning and/or Motivation: Wrinkled forehead is one of the quickest ways to detect when a person carries negative thoughts. It can signify anything from anxiousness, sadness, concentration, concern, worry, bewilderment or anger. The cluster of cues which accompany the forehead furrow will give clues to its underlying meaning.

Anger is shown through furrowed forehead coupled with finger pointing, overall tensing of the body or tightening of the jaw and lips (called “lip occlusion”), quivering in the lips, frowning, dilated pupils, squinting of the eyes, crotch displays such as legs open, sneering or flared nostrils, or extreme body loosening to ready for fighting.

Surprise is coupled with a straight upward lift of the forehead whereas fear engages the muscles between the brows folding them. Fear is sometimes confused with surprise as in much of the world only subtle differences exist.

During fear, eyebrows rise and are pulled together, and curve although less than in surprise. Wrinkles appear in the forehead, but do not cross the entire forehead like in the surprised expression. The upper eyelids rise, as in the surprise expression, to expose the white of the eyes and the lower eyelids also rise. The lips may be stretched back and the mouth opened.

Sadness is controlled mainly by the mouth where it drops at the corners. The inner eyebrows rise producing a triangular shape between the root of the nose and the eyes. The forehead might show wrinkles and the eyes may appear moist with tears.

Cue Cluster: See Meaning and/or Motivation.

Body Language Category: Amplifier, Aggressive body language, Anger, Confused body language, Closed facial gestures, Emotional body language, Fearful body language, Hostile body language, Microexpression, Stressful body language, Universal gestures, Universal facial expressions, Worry body language.

Resources:

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Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51(6), 1173-1882.

Biehl, M., Matsumoto, D., Ekman, P., Hearn, V., Heider, K., Kudoh, T., et al. (1997). Matsumoto and Ekman’s Japanese and Caucasian Facial Expressions of Emotion (JACFEE): Reliability Data and Cross-National Differences. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 21, 3-21.

Carroll E. 1994. Innate and universal facial expressions: Evidence from developmental and cross-cultural research Izard, Psychological Bulletin. 115(2): 288-299.

Daniel H. Lee, Reza Mirza, John G. Flanagan and Adam K. Anderson. Optical Origins of Opposing Facial Expression Actions. Psychological Science published online 24 January 2014 DOI: 10.1177/0956797613514451
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/eyes-and-facial-expressions-may-be-biologically-controlled-serve-a-real-non-emotional-purpose-says-research/

de Waal, F. B. M. (2003). Darwin’s legacy and the study of primate visual communication. In P. Ekman, J. Campos, R. J. Davidson & F. B. M. De Waal (Eds.), Emotions inside out: 130 years after Darwin’s The Expression of Emotion in Man and Animals (pp. 7-31). New York: New York Academy of Sciences.

Duan, Xujun ; Dai, Qian ; Gong, Qiyong ; Chen, Huafu. Neural mechanism of unconscious perception of surprised facial expression. NeuroImage. 2010. 52(1): 401-407.

e Charlesworth, W. R. (1964). Instigation and maintenance of curiosity behavior as a function of surprise versus novel and familiar stimuli. Child Development, 35, 1169–1186.

Ekman, P. & O’Sullivan, M. (1991). Who can catch a liar? American Psychologist. 46, 913-920.

Ekman, Paul. 1994. Strong evidence for universals in facial expressions: A reply to Russell’s mistaken critique Psychological Bulletin. 115(2): 268-287.

Ekman, Paul. 1986. A new pan-cultural facial expression of emotion. Source: Motivation and Emotion Ekman. 10(2): 159-168.

Ekman, Paul and Friesen, W. V. 1987. Universals and cultural differences in the judgments of facial expressions of emotion. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 53(4): 712-717.

Ekman, Paul; Friesen, Wallace V. 1971. Constants across cultures in the face and emotion. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 17(2): 124-129.

Ekman, Paul. 1972. Universals and cultural differences in facial expressions of emotion. In J. Cole (Ed.), Nebraska Symposium on Motivation, 1971. 19: 207-282. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.

Ekman, P., Levenson, R. W., & Friesen, W. V. (1983). Autonomic nervous system activity distinguishes among emotions. Science, 221(4616), 1208-1210.

Ekman, P., O’Sullivan, M., & Matsumoto, D. (1991a). Confusions about context in the judgment of facial expression: A reply to “The contempt expression and the relativity thesis.”. Motivation & Emotion, 15(2), 169-176.

Ekman, P., O’Sullivan, M., & Matsumoto, D. (1991b). Contradictions in the study of contempt: What’s it all about? Reply to Russell. Motivation & Emotion, 15(4), 293-296.

Elfenbein, H. A., & Ambady, N. (2002). On the universality and cultural specificity of emotion recognition: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 128(2), 205-235.

Fulcher, J. S. “Voluntary” facial expression in blind and seeing children. Archives of Psychology, 1942. 38: 272.

Friesen, W. V. 1972. Cultural differences in facial expressions in a social situation: An experimental test of the concept of display rules. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of California, San Francisco.

James A. Russell, Naoto Suzuki and Noriko Ishida. 1993. Canadian, Greek, and Japanese freely produced emotion labels for facial expressions. Motivation and Emotion. 17(4): 337 -351

Russell, James A. 1995. Facial Expressions of Emotion: What Lies Beyond Minimal Universality? Psychological bulletin. 118(3): 379-391.

Russell, James A. 1994. Is There Universal Recognition of Emotion From Facial Expression? A Review of the Cross-Cultural Studies. Psychological Bulletin. 115(1): 102-141.

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Levenson, R. W., Ekman, P., & Friesen, W. V. (1990). Voluntary facial action generates emotion-specific autonomic nervous system activity. Psychophysiology, 27(4), 363-384.

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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.

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.

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

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.