Category: Arrogance or arrogant body language

Arrogance or arrogant body language, Authoritative body language, Blocking or Shielding, Body cross, Confident body language, Crotch display, Dominant body language, Expansive movements, Open body language

Body Language of Figure Four Seating Position (The) or The Ankle-Knee Cross

by Chris • October 21, 2014 • 1 Comment

Body Language of Figure Four Seating Position (The) or The Ankle-Knee Cross

Cue: Figure Four Seating Position (The) or The Ankle-Knee Cross

Synonym(s): Ankle-Knee Cross (The)

Description: This body position occurs as one leg is bent, oriented horizontally and pulled over the opposite knee, to form the number four. The leg produces a figure four when viewed from above.

In One Sentence: The figure four leg cross is a dominant and authoritative posture meant to showcase the groin area.

How To Use it: Use the figure four leg cross to show that you are not afraid of being exposed to others but not crass enough for a full uncrossed leg posture. It is generally ill-advised for women to hold this posture as it is masculine in nature, however, in some circles, it can be seen as acceptable but only if pants are worn. It is most certainly is not advisable for women to hold the posture with skirts or dresses of any kind.

The posture finds a welcome place in business and dating where men are working to assert their dominance over others. The figure four is even acceptable amongst friends and is a more tolerated dominance display than is legs uncrossed.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I’m feeling good about myself. I’m dominant, authoritative, and not afraid to put my genitals on display – but not totally be spreading my legs apart – I still need a bit of a shield.”

Variant: See Figure Four Leg Clamp or Figure Four Leg Lock.

Cue In Action: People knew the guy was arrogant and smug. He’d sit there with his arms up against the back of his head ‘hooding’, with his legs cross ankle over knee leaning backward in his chair. Even when the boss was around, he wouldn’t drop the posture.

Meaning and/or Motivation: It is more or less an open posture and should be taken as a mild version of the crotch display since the legs are open. This posture is milder because it doesn’t fully expose the crotch since one leg partially blocks the genitals from view.

Women aren’t normally seen in this posture, but since wearing pants have become more popular recently, it does tend to happen more often than it has in the recent past. When performed by women, it is as an attempt to be one of the boys. The figure four tells us that a person is relaxed and youthful, (mature gentlemen are seen with a full leg cross, or European Leg Cross where the legs end up parallel to one another) and dominant.

Cue Cluster: The figure four leg cross can be accompanied by the hooding posture or the leg clamp by placing the hand on the ankle or shin to show even more stubbornness.

Body Language Category: Arrogance or arrogant body language, Authoritative body language, Body cross, Blocking or Shielding, Confident body language, Dominant body language, Expansive movements, Open body language, Crotch display.

Resources:

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Appease, Arrogance or arrogant body language, Authoritative body language, Body size reduction, Closed body language, Courtship display, Defensive body language, Disengagement body language, Dislike (nonverbal), Distancing or moving away, Embarrassment (nonverbal), Escape movements, Eye Language, Fearful body language, Indicator Of Sexual Interest (IOsI), Negative body language, Nervous Body Language, Nonthreatening body language, Power play, Readiness to submit postures, Rejection body language, Shy nonverbal, Submissive body language

Body Language of Eye Aversion, Gaze Avoidance and Wandering Eyes

by Chris • October 21, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Eye Aversion, Gaze Avoidance and Wandering Eyes

Cue: Eye Aversion and Wandering Eyes

Synonym(s): Eye Avoidance, Eye Withdrawal, Gaze Avoidance, Averting Eyes, Roving Eyes.

Description: When eyes avoid making contact with other eyes on purpose.

In One Sentence: Avoiding eye contact signals that a person wants to avoid being called upon or that they want to create an air of superiority.

How To Use it: Eye contact can be powerful especially when it is avoided. You can show your disdain for someone by simply ignoring their presence on purpose. Likewise, avoiding eye contact can have the effect of making you disappear as well. For example, if you want to avoid being called upon by the teacher or your boss, simply avert your eyes. This tells them that you’re not prepared to interact with them and nonverbally suggests that they move along and pick on someone else.

In a dating context, women should avoid eye contact with potential suitors they do not find agreeable. Even a small amount of eye contact can be seen to be an invitation to solicit especially when combined with a smile. Thus, if possible, keep eyes only for the types of men you wish would approach. This isn’t to say, however, that women should be unfriendly, but women should realize that with friendliness, comes the responsibility of having to acknowledge and interact. If you (accidentally) make eye contact, follow through with a polite verbal decline. Here is an example: “Hi, I’m sorry, I have to leave, I’m supposed to meet with someone.”

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: a) “I don’t want to cause any more problems for myself so I’m going to avoid making eye contact with other more dominant people so I don’t draw attention and provoke people into attacking.” b) “I’m superior to you and so I’m withdrawing my eye contact and affection, and pretending you are an object not worthy of my attention or acknowledgment.”

Variant: Many other variants in eye language exist. See Eye Language category.

Cue In Action: a) The pupil didn’t want to draw any more attention to himself after throwing the paper air plane so he ducked his head down and averted his eyes in shame. His teacher knew that he was embarrassed for what he had done so she went easier on him. b) They went to bed angry at each other and instead of talking it out the next morning; they avoided each other – pretending that they didn’t exist. c) The seducer had eyes for her, but she wasn’t game. Instead of acknowledging him, she chose to avert her eyes by looking at the ground instead.

Meaning and/or Motivation: The general meaning of eyes avoiding is to show submission or discomfort. Averting the eyes has two primary purposes. One is to avoid conflict and other to power play. Eye avoidance might mean defensiveness, submission, defeat, or negative feelings. It may be done to tease and allure.

People who avert their eyes might also do so because of uncomfortable feelings such as sadness, shame or embarrassment.

Eye aversion is used to prevent others from resorting to an attack response and prevents others from seeing us as a threat. Subordinates commonly avoid eye contact with dominant individuals to indicate submission and respect. Eyes might wander to avoid being reprimanded. Eyes that avoid can serve to “flee” from an encounter, a protective response, as a person subconsciously tries to make distance between himself and his aggressor.

This is the case even if an argument is minor – the eyes will withdraw first showing that a person does not wish to pursue the debate. Eyes can also avoid eye contact thus demonstrating submission. For example, a pupil will look away from his teacher to avoid reprimand. As such, avoidant eyes can be used to reduce conflict, and at the same time, search for possible escape routes to vacate the threat.

Alternatively, eyes can show other people that they aren’t worthy of being acknowledged. We see this when people act passive aggressive. They will avoid eye contact with another person at all costs. When women walk down the street, they will purposely avoid eye contact with men so as to avoid initiating conversation, and their nonverbal message says “I don’t see you as a person worthy of my gaze, so don’t bother me.”

Other times eye contact withdrawal is a way to tease and play such as the peek-a-boo game where the absence of eye contact is part of the allure and so is a signal of interest.

Cue Cluster: When eye aversion is linked to negative thoughts it will be coupled with head dropping, shoulders turned inward and down, cowering, slouching, arm withdrawal and other protective and shrinking body language

During a power play we will see signs of both dominance and apathy. For example, a person might ignore personal space by brushing up against the other person or bumping into them, orient their bodies away, talk over or around them. Likewise, they may purposely show affection to someone else thereby creating discomfort in another.

Body Language Category: Appease, Arrogance or arrogant body language, Anger, Authoritative body language, Body size reduction, Courtship displays, Closed body language, Defensive, Disengagement, Dislike (nonverbal), Distancing or moving away, Embarrassment (nonverbal), Escape movements, Eye Language, Fearful body language, Indicators of sexual interest (IOsI), Nervous body language, Negative body language, Nonthreatening body language, Power play, Rejection body language, Readiness to submit postures, Shy nonverbal, Submissive body language.

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Arrogance or arrogant body language, Authoritative body language, Closed body language, Comfort body language, Confident body language, Dominant body language, Nonthreatening body language

Body Language of The European Leg Cross

by Chris • October 21, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of The European Leg Cross

Cue: European Leg Cross

Synonym(s): Knee-Knee Leg Cross.

Description: A sitting position where the leg is crossed neatly over the other in a longitudinal fashion.

In One Sentence: The European leg cross is a sign that a person is in control of themselves and wishes for others to see him or her as sophisticated and proper.

How To Use it: Men should use the European leg cross when they wish to show others that they are well mannered. It falls in direct contrast to spreading the legs which is overt and dominant. Keeping the legs together shows others that you wish to be careful about being offensive. Therefore, use the leg cross during business context, in academic circles, and amongst friends and relatives. The leg cross shows others that you do not wish to be offensive or vie for power and dominance.

Women are best advised to use this sitting posture most of the time, especially when wearing dresses or skirts as it produces an element of chasteness. This posture falls in direct contrast to having the legs wide open. In recent times, women have been permitted to carry more masculine postures including legs spread, however, women of sexual maturity should cross their legs one over the other to appear more feminine, in control, and to create and protect their social sexual value by keeping it out of the public view.

Weddings, which is becoming one rare time when women dress up, is proving to be particularly troublesome for women as it related to the leg cross posture. Not being accustomed to crossing the legs and being in feminine attire including dresses and skirts, often leads to undergarment flashing. Women should be mindful of their attire with respect to their posture and how they will be perceived by others. While not all women seek to be treated lady-like, if they do, they should use lady-like comportment.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “By crossing my legs neatly together I’m showing everyone that I’m proper, controlled and cerebral.”

Variant: See Leg Crossing and Leg Crossing Direction, Loving Circle Leg Cross.

Cue In Action: At the meeting of scholars, the professor neatly crossed his legs while addressing a large crowd.

Meaning and/or Motivation: The European leg cross is the most common seating position in European, Asian and British cultures. It signifies dignity, intelligence, and desire to be proper. This is the case for both men and women. It contrasts directly with legs spread or the Figure-Four Leg Cross which is more dominant and overt since it puts the crotch on display.

Women will often be seen in the European leg cross as the absence of a penis makes it more comfortable, but men who wish to show superiority will also sit in this fashion to be more proper. Women in skirts are almost forced to sit in the European leg cross to prevent others from seeing up their skirts but will also reveal additional thigh creating a degree of sexual appeal. Men residing in the West commonly sit in the figure four postures where the ankle rests on the opposite knee. This is a more dominant and authoritative due to the crotch display.

Cue Cluster: The European leg cross is often coupled with leaning back and being slightly more detached, rather than wanting and leaning forward. This is usually controlled gesticulation, a calm demeanor, stern and less animated facial expressions.

Body Language Category: Arrogance or arrogant body language, Authoritative body language, Comfort body language, Confident, Dominant body language, Nonthreatening body language, Closed body language.

Resources:

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Aggressive body language, Arrogance or arrogant body language, Distancing or moving away, Dominant body language, Escape movements, Hostile body language, Negative body language, Threat displays

Body Language of Encroaching

by Chris • October 21, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Encroaching

Cue: Encroaching

Synonym(s): Space Invader, Close Talker (The), Moving In Too Close, Invading Space.

Description: When one person approaches someone else too closely and invades their personal space.

In One Sentence: Encroaching on other people’s space is a sign that a person wishes to increase intimacy or to intimidate.

How To Use it: Encroaching on others spaces can be used in order to build intimacy or to intimidate.

In a dating context, encroaching can be a way to test tolerance to space intimacy. Men can approach women and thereby test their reaction. If a woman recoils in the face of an advance, it’s a sign that she is not interested or prepared for romantic involvement. On the other hand, if she tolerates an invasion of space, the reverse is true. Women can also encroach on a man’s space to test his interest and even test him romantically.

Invading space in dating can also be done with the use of inanimate objects. Lending a jacket to a girl is a way men can move his property into her territory. Acceptance of this intrusion is a signal that interest and trust is developing.

Out of a dating context, men can use encroaching to invade the territory of other men. Usually more submissive men will tolerate the advancements of alpha or dominant men. Men can also use closeness on other men in a more fleeting way to build friendships, but rarely tolerate persistent encroachment. When men wish to bond to other men, therefore, it’s best use in handshakes, pats on the back, and when deep friendships form, hugs.

When encroaching is done to the extreme however, people usually see this as overbearing and a sign of social awkwardness.

Women can use encroachment on other women, as it tends to be more mutually accepted and a way for them to create social bonds.

Context: a) General b) Dating.

Verbal Translation: a) “I’m going to move closer to you so you feel awkward and heed to my power and dominance.” a) “Because I lack social skills I’m approaching you too closely.” b) “I’m feeling your attraction so I’m being drawn into your personal space.”

Variant: See Leaning In and Leaning Out, Becoming Loud, Touching or Increase In Touching.

Cue In Action: a) In an attempt to gain affection, Dave snuggled up to Mary. She was taken aback as she thought of him more as a friend than a lover. She leaned back awkwardly. b) The boss typically pulled people in after shaking hands with them. He was a tall man and used his height advantage to intimidate others.

Meaning and/or Motivation: Encroaching involves standing too close, standing over someone by exploiting height differences, touching when un-welcomed, and even raising voices or the volume of music to violate the privacy and comfort of others.

Encroaching is any body language that takes advantage of proxemics to violate a person’s personal space and territory and create defensive body language in others. When someone encroaches it usually indicates a power play to assert dominance and authority.

Other times it is due to inappropriate socialization, such that a person doesn’t understand the social norms and requirements of other people. People from highly populated areas typically require less personal space than those who live in sparsely populated areas. When city people and country people come together there may differences in personal space requirements causing issues. The person from the city might move in close to create connectivity forcing the country person to step backwards. The person from the city feels rejected and the person from the country feels violated.

Getting close to someone else might also spell romantic interest. When women or men wish to send a strong signal, they will approach each other and enter their respective personal space zones in effort to build intimacy.

Cue Cluster: The cue clusters by which encroachment presents itself will be related to the intent of encroachment as well as the feelings surrounding it. When encroaching, a person will lean in, their head will move forward and their toes will point and extend toward. When being encroached upon, a person will lean out, their head will move back, their toes and torsos will point away and their feet will move back. The context will decide the intent of the message, be it sexual in nature or a power play.

Body Language Category: Arrogance or arrogant body language, Aggressive body language, Distancing or moving away, Dominant body language, Escape movements, Hostile body language or hostility or anger, Negative body language, Threat displays.

Resources:

Aranguren, Martin. “Nonverbal interaction patterns in the Delhi Metro: interrogative looks and play-faces in the management of interpersonal distance.” Interaction Studies. 2016. 16(1) forthcoming.

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*No Photo, Aggressive body language, Arrogance or arrogant body language, Authoritative body language, Confident body language, Dominant body language, Enthusiasm (nonverbal), High confidence hand displays, Intimate touching, Leadership body language, Palm power, Power play, Social touching

Body Language of Double Gripper Politician Handshake

by Chris • October 20, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Double Gripper Politician Handshake

Cue: Double Gripper Politician Handshake

Synonym(s): Double Hander Handshake, Two Handed Handshake.

Description: A regular handshake except both hands are used to sandwich the other person’s hand.

In One Sentence: The double gripper handshake tells others that you wish to form an intimate business relationship.

How To Use it: Use the double gripper handshake to build and maintain a strong business or political relationship. The handshake is best used between two high ranking officials, or between one high ranking official and a person he wishes to form a partnership with. When done correctly, the handshake can create warm feelings in the lower ranking person.

Context: Business, General.

Verbal Translation: “I like you a lot, let me wrap your hands up with mine in a hand embrace and show you how much I think we should do business together.”

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: a) When the politician met the business man, he used the double gripper politician handshake to show him how much support he was prepared to offer his business venture if he was elected. b) The junior associate shook hands with the boss, whom he felt close with, but the feeling, he discovered, was not mutual. When the junior worker enveloped the hands of the boss in a double handshake, his boss pulled away and grimaced. The junior member felt they had developed a connection through their golf outing.

Meaning and/or Motivation: It is an intimate handshake but in the wrong company can be taken as insincere and create negative feelings. The person doing the double hander is the top-dog and is acting superior to the single hander so this handshake should be reserved for people who are of equal or lower status.

Cue Cluster: Someone who is willing to perform the double gripper politician handshake is likely one that is boisterous and outgoing, they may use touch a lot to dominate others, they might come in closer than usual, and invite people into their personal space, they might strive for attention through dramatics stories, loud laughter, and plenty of gesticulation.

Body Language Category: Arrogance or arrogant body language, Aggressive body language, Authoritative body language, Confident body language, Dominant body language, Enthusiasm (nonverbal), High confidence hand displays, Intimate touching, Leadership body language, Palm power, Power play, 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.

Bohm. 1997. Effects of interpersonal touch, degree of justification, and sex of participant on compliance with a request. The Journal of social psychology. 137: 460-469.

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.

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.

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.

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/

Guéguen, N. (2007). Courtship compliance: The effect of touch on women’s behavior. Social Influence, 2, 81-97.

Guéguen, Nicolas. Nonverbal encouragement of participation in a course: the effect of touching Social Psychology of Education. 2004. 7: 89–98.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/a-touching-way-to-encourage/

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.

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).

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

Peck, J., & Shu, S. B. (2009). The effect of mere touch on perceived ownership. Journal of Consumer Research, 36(Oct), 434–447.

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

Remland, M. S. and T. S. Jones 1995. Interpersonal Distance, Body Orientation, and Touch: Effects of Culture, Gender, and Age. Journal of Social Psychology 135(3): 281-297.

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/

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, Aggressive body language, Arrogance or arrogant body language, Dominant body language, Low confidence body language, Low confidence hand displays, Masked body language, Negative body language, Power play, Social touching, Threat displays

Body Language of The Death Grip Handshake

by Chris • October 20, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of The Death Grip Handshake

Cue: Death Grip Handshake.

Synonym(s): Bone Crusher Handshake.

Description: A handshake that employs a macho bone crushing grip.

In One Sentence: The death grip handshake signifies the need for dominance.

How To Use it: Use the bone crusher to show your physical strength through aggression. The application is suited to situations when you want or need to maintain authority over another person. A boss should use a higher than average amount of force over junior managers and low ranking employees especially when he wishes to assert himself.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I’m really insecure and I’m displaying this by crushing the life out of your hand in hopes you will submit to the pressure of my strength and dominance.”

Cue In Action: Uncle Steve was always the guy you had to watch out for. He was a short, but stocky kind of guy, that worked out all the time and when he shook your hand – you knew he meant business. His grip was strong, firm, and often overbearing.

Meaning and/or Motivation: Those that employ a macho bone crushing grip have aggressive personalities and intend to try to dominant you from the start. However, the true origins of this handshake, usually lies in insecurity. The underlying negative feelings foster a need to prove themselves at every instant.

It says “I have the power over you and can cause you pain if I so desire.” They have no regard for how others perceive them and use pain to put people in their place.

Rings on the fingers can make matters even worse, and they know it! You can put these people in their place by verbalizing your pain, and drawing other people’s attention to it jokingly. Most people wont have enough confidence to be vocal about it, which is how the death gripper gets his power, but if done properly can make others laugh and set yourself apart.

Cue Cluster: Watch for cues of insecurity coupled with aggression such as encroaching on personal space, leaning in, elbow and finger jabs, playful punching, boisterousness, loud talking, pranks, and so forth.

Body Language Category: Arrogance or arrogant body language, Aggressive body language, Dominant body language, Low confidence body language, Low confidence hand displays, Masked body language, Negative body language, Power play, Social touching, Threat displays.

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.

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.

Bjorkqvist, K., Osterrnan, K. and Lagerspetz, K.M.I. (1994) ‘Sex Differences in Covert Aggression among Adults’, Aggressive Behaviour 20: 27–33.

Da Gloria, Jorge ; Duda, Danièle ; Pahlavan, Farzaneh ; Bonnet, Philippe. “Weapons effect” revisited: Motor effects of the reception of aversive stimulation and exposure to pictures of firearms. Aggressive Behavior. 1989 15(4): 265-271.

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

Freedman, Norbert ; Blass, Thomas ; Rifkin, Arthur ; Quitkin, Frederic Lanzetta, John T. (editor). Body movements and the verbal encoding of aggressive affect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1973. 26(1): 72-85.

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

Hines, N.J. and Fry, D.P. (1994) ‘Indirect Modes of Aggression among Women of Buenos Aires, Argentina’, Sex Roles 30: 213–24.

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

Lagerspetz, K.M.J., Bjorkqvist, K. and Peltonen, T. (1988) ‘Is Indirect Aggression Typical of Females? Gender Differences in Aggressiveness in 11- to 12-year-old Children’, Aggressive Behavior 14: 403–14.

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).

Nell, Victor. Crueltys rewards: The gratifications of perpetrators and spectators. Behavioral and Brain Sciences. 2006. 29(3): 211-224.

Ostrowsky, Michael K. Are violent people more likely to have low self-esteem or high self-esteem? Aggression and Violent Behavior. 2010. 15(1): 69-75.

Parker, G. A. (1974). Assessment strategy and the evolution of fighting behaviour. J. Theor. Biol. 47, 223-243.

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

Pailing, Andrea ; Boon, Julian ; Egan, Vincent. Personality, the Dark Triad and violence
Personality and Individual Differences. 2014. 67: 81-86.

Szamado, S. (2008). How threat displays work: species-specific fighting techniques, weaponry and proximity risk. Anim. Behav. 76, 1455-1463.

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, Aggressive body language, Arrogance or arrogant body language, Authoritative body language, Dominant body language, Frustration or frustrated body language, Hostile body language, Negative body language

Body Language of Counting On Fingers

by Chris • October 20, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Counting On Fingers

Cue: Counting On Fingers

Synonym(s): N/A

Description: It is done by rhythmically bringing the index finger over the opposite hand as if to anchor each point being delivered.

In One Sentence: Counting rhythmically on the fingers denotes a person who is condescending or trying to be clear about various points.

How To Use it: Use the gesture in order to appear superior to another person or that you are frustrated with having to repeat orders, steps, or points you have already made. By belittling others, you may achieve superiority if they do not supersede or dismiss your arrogance. In other words, avoid counting on the fingers, at least in a way that is not genuinely helpful.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: “I’m going to really slow things down for you and make my points deliberate by counting out each point by number.”

Variant: The Baton Gesture is similar in that each point is emphasized rhythmically, but this is more of an artifact of passion. See Baton Gestures.

Cue In Action: After going over the issues five times, his wife decided he just wasn’t going to get it. She started over with her fingers “ONE, I’m not going to pick up Jimmy, TWO, I expect you to fix the garage door, THREE…”

Meaning and/or Motivation: A cocky, arrogant and sometimes confident gesture implying that a person needs to keep up with the various points that are being made. The sender does not feel the receiver is intelligent enough to keep up. Think of counting out loud in order to give a child a fair warning to obey you.

Cue Cluster: Counting on fingers is often coupled with leaning in, a condescending voice, arms akimbo, invasion of space, palm down displays, erratic gesticulation and angry, sneering, or disgusted facial expression.

Body Language Category: Arrogance or arrogant body language, Aggressive body language, Anger, Authoritative body language, Dominant body language, Frustration or frustrated body language, Hostile body language, Negative body language.

Resources:

Austin, Elizabeth E. and Naomi Sweller. Presentation and Production: The Role of Gesture in Spatial Communication. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. 2014. 122: 92-103.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/gestures-help-children-but-not-adults-in-recall-study/

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.

Bailenson, J. N. & Yee, N. 2005. Digital Chameleons: Automatic assimilation of nonverbal gestures in immersive virtual environments. Psychological Science, 16: 814-819.

Cook, Susan Wagner; Terina KuangYi Yip and Susan Goldin-Meadow. Gesturing Makes Memories That Last. Journal of Memory and Language. 2010. 63: 465-475.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/gesturing-really-work-improve-memory

Ekman, Paul ; Friesen, Wallace V. ; O’sullivan, Maureen ; Chan, Anthony ; Diacoyanni-tarlatzis, Irene ; Heider, Karl ; Krause, Rainer ; Lecompte, William Ayhan ; Pitcairn, Tom ; Ricci-bitti, Pio E. ; Scherer, Klaus ; Tomita, Masatoshi ; Tzavaras, Athanase. Universals and Cultural Differences in the Judgments of Facial Expressions of Emotion
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1987. 53(4): 712-717.

Goldin-Meadow, Susan; Susan Wagner Cook, and Zachary A. Mitchell. Gesturing Gives Children New Ideas About Math. Association for Psychological Science. 2009. 20 (3): 267-272.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/gesturing-helps-children-learn-math/

Goldin-Meadow, S. Widening The Lens: What The Manual Modality Reveals About Language, Learning and Cognition. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 2014; 369-1651. 20130295 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2013.0295
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/spontaneous-hand-gestures-help-children-learn-study/

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.

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.

Kendon, A. 1994. Do gestures communicate? A review. Research on Language and Social Intraction. 27(3): 175-200.

Lindemann, Oliver ; Alipour, Ahmad ; Fischer, Martin H. Finger counting habits in Middle Eastern and Western individuals: An online survey. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology. 2011 42(4): 566(13).

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

Parrill, F. and I. Kimbara. 2006. Seeing and hearing double: the influence of mimicry in speech and gesture on observers. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior 30(4): 157-166.

Renninger, Lee Ann; T. Joel Wade, Karl Grammer. Getting that female glance: Patterns and consequences of male nonverbal behavior in courtship contexts. Evolution and Human Behavior. 2004; 25: 416–431.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/part-i-how-to-read-male-sexual-body-language-a-study-for-women-and-the-men-who-wish-to-cheat-the-system/

Singer, Melissa A. and Susan Goldin-Meadow. Children Learn When Their Teacher’s Gestures and Speech Differ. American Psychological Society. 2005. 16(2): 85-89.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/children-learn-better-when-teachers-use-gesture/

Simone, Pika; Nicoladis, Elena; Marentette, Paula, F. A cross-cultural study on the use of gestures: Evidence for cross-linguistic transfer? Bilingualism Language and Cognition. 9(3): 319 -327

Sun Jung, Hyo Sun and Hye Hyun Yoon. The Effects of Nonverbal Communication of Employees in the Family Restaurant Upon Customers’ Emotional Responses and Customer Satisfaction. International Journal of Hospitality Management. 2011. 30: 542-550.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/effect-body-languagel-cues-family-restaurant/

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/

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.

Aggressive body language, Anger body language, Arrogance or arrogant body language, Authoritative body language, Barriers, Dominant body language, Hostile body language, Ownership gesture, Power play, Space invasion, Territorial displays, Threat displays

Body Language of Cornering and Blocking

by Chris • October 20, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Cornering and Blocking

Cue: Cornering and Blocking

Synonym(s): Door Frame Proper (The), Doorway Intimidator (The), Blocking Someone In, Hand Against The Doorway, Blocking Someone In, Preventing Someone From Leaving, Cornering Someone.

Description: The act of eliminating exits by preventing people from leaving or moving about freely. Leaning against the doorway to prevent someone from exiting or cornering someone so they can’t leave are examples. Cornering can be done with the arms, legs, tables and so forth.

In One Sentence: Blocking the exits such that people can not escape is a signal that one wishes to control and dominant a person.

How To Use it: It is generally not advised to corner and block other people as it will usually cause others to feel controlled.

One exceptions exist. Here, men can use the cornering tactic on women in a dating context to arouse. However, this should only be done under conditions where trust has been built. When done properly, cornering, such as by moving a girl into a controlled situation including for example, the corner of a room, against a countertop, table, desk, and so forth, can create sexual excitement through dominance. One should be careful to heed any verbal or nonverbal signals of disapproval, as if done against another’s wishes, will result in sexual harassment charges.

Bullies often use cornering tactics to control other people. However, I can not advise such tactics. In the right context, though, as mentioned, cornering can produce desirable sexual excitement – in fact, sexual intercourse physically requires cornering.

Blocking, on the other hand, can be used to nonverbally demarcate territory. When unwanted solicitors arrive at my door, I usually prop myself against the door jam so they understand that I am not prepared to welcome them inside. Arms and legs can be used to create boundaries and private space for which you do not want others to enter.

Context: a) Dating b) Business c) General

Verbal Translation: “I’m going to stop you from exiting the situation with my body until I’m through with you.” “I’m trying to intimidate you by blocking you in.”

Variant: See Encroaching.

Cue In Action: a) She wasn’t happy and wanted to leave but he wrapped each arm around her and pinned her against the bar so she couldn’t leave. a) In effort to seduce her, he worked her into the corner and began to make out with her. His use of force turned her on.

b) Another door-to-door salesman had just solicited him at the house. To prevent this salesman from entering, he propped himself up against the jam of the front door.

c) She was set to confront her husband about his work around the house. She cornered him while he was sitting at his desk with her arms akimbo in the doorway. She used the posture to make it clear that she was prepared to barricade his exit.

Meaning and/or Motivation: The intention of the “doorway intimidator” is to control the situation through dominance. This person will habitually corner a subject and then subject them to confrontation and intimidation.

In some cases, those who corner have sexual interests. They wish to corner in effort to seduce, but the primary motive is to prevent escape and then subject them to a high level dominance.

a) A common mistake done especially by men in dating situations whereby they cut off exit points and block women. It signals aggression, dominance and a desire to control if it’s unwanted. If it is welcomed and she finds him attractive, blocking can excite her and build intimacy through closeness and dominance.

b) In business and other general context, blocking and cornering is an exercise in control and dominance. However, when people become cornered, they become nervous or aggressive due to the fight or flight response. While dominance is achieved in the short-term, the long-term results can be toxic and produce undesirable results. This person is trying to prevent escape while they espouse their thoughts upon others. It is a high confrontation posture because it traps people.

Cue Cluster: Cornering is accompanied by an invasion of space, head lowered in a judgment posture, arms pointing, physical touching, sometimes aggressive and loud or forceful voices, encroaching on space liberally, use of the index fingers to point while speaking, and holding the arms akimbo when not propped against the exit.

Body Language Category: Arrogance or arrogant body language, Aggressive body language, Anger, Authoritative body language, Barriers, Dominant body language, Hostile body language, Ownership gestures, Power play, Space invasion, Territorial displays, Threat displays.