Category: Intention movements

Autoerotic touching, Boredom body language, Closed body language, Courtship display, Disengagement body language, Energy Displacement, Indicators of disinterest (IOD), Indicators of sexual disinterest (IOsD), Intention movements, Metronomic signals, Microgestures, Nervous Body Language

Body Language of Foot Fidgeting

by Chris • October 22, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Foot Fidgeting

Cue: Foot Fidgeting

Synonym(s): Fidgeting Feet, Foot Bouncing, Bouncing Feet, Leg Bounce, Foot Jiggling

Description: Foot fidgeting is a repetitive motion of the foot. It will move up and down, back and forth, or in a circular manner usually while seated with the legs crossed. The feet might also cause the leg to bump up and down while seated with the legs uncrossed. Feet can also tap up and down while standing, or move in, out, and away, while seated.

In One Sentence: Foot jiggling signifies that a person has extra energy that they need to burn off.

How To Use it: Use foot jiggling to relieve the tension of being nervous and also to help deal with the discomfort of being sessile for long periods of time. Women can also jiggle their feet while wearing high heel shoes and a skirt to draw attention to sexy legs that are crossed tightly. Putting the body in motion draws attention to the parts which are moving.

Context: a) General b) Dating.

Verbal Translation: a) “I’m jiggling my leg because I have so much extra energy and you are boring me and I want to leave.” b) “I’m bouncing my leg up and down to draw attention to my sexy legs and capture your attention.”

Variant: See Cooperative Feet, Toe Pointing or Pointed Toe, Frozen Hands or Frozen Feet, Happy Feet.

Cue In Action: The lecture just kept dragging on and on. You could tell by the amount of leg jiggling that the students were ready to get out of there.

Meaning and/or Motivation: a) Feet kick when escape is not possible as a way the body prepares for action. Women have been known to do the same thing, even bouncing a leg up and down and squeeze their upper thighs tightly together which can even result in orgasm. Not every leg bounce with tight leg crossing produces orgasm though, yet this form of soothing still produces comfort, and quite likely a dose of oxytocin to boot!

b) Other times, a woman will bounce her foot up and down with legs crossed to draw attention to her sexuality. Legs in motion draw the eyes in and captures the attention of men. The foot fidgeting, in this case, is due to sexual excitement and the readiness to take action.

Cue Cluster: Foot fidgeting is usually coupled with face touching, arm touching, smoothing clothing, eyes averted, chin supported by the hand, tapping the pen to the mouth, fidgeting with papers, looking at watches and other boredom signals. To read leg bounce as sexual energy, watch for additional sexual cues in cluster.

Body Language Category: Autoerotic touching, Boredom, Closed body language, Courtship displays, Disengagement, Energy Displacement, Indicators of disinterest (IOD), Indicators of sexual interest (IOsI), Intention movements, Metronomic signals, Microgestures, Nervous body language.

Resources:

Almerigogna, Jehanne; James Ost; Lucy Akehurst and Mike Fluck. How Interviewers’ Nonverbal Behaviors Can Affect Children’s Perceptions And Suggestibility. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. 2008. 100:17-39.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/get-children-tell-truth-using-body-language/

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.

Clifford, Ruth. Development of masturbation in college women. Archives of Sexual Behavior. 1978. 7(6): 559-573.

de Bruijn G. From masturbation to orgasm with a partner: how some women bridge the gap–and why others don’t. J Sex Marital Ther. 1982. 8(2):151-67.

Farley, James; Risko, Evan F; Kingstone, Alan. Everyday Attention And Lecture Retention: The Effects Of Time, Fidgeting, And Mind Wandering. Frontiers In Psychology, 2013; 4: 619
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/mind-wandering-fidgeting-and-attention/

Gregersen, Tammy S. Nonverbal Cues: Clues to the Detection of Foreign Language Anxiety. Foreign Language Annals. 2005. 38(3): 388-400
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/what-anxious-learners-can-tell-us-about-anxious-body-language-how-to-read-nonverbal-behavior/

Hatz, Jessica L. and Martin J. Bourgeois. Anger as a Cue to Truthfulness. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 2010. 46: 680-683.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/anger-nonverbal-cue-truth-telling/

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
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/first-12-minutes-flirting-using-nonverbal-communication-study-reveals-26-body-language-cues-attraction/

Kinsey, A. C., Pomeroy, W. B., Martin, C. E., and Gebhard, P. H. (1953). Sexual Behavior in the Human Female, Saunders, Philadelphia.

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.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/reading-nonverbal-behaviour-child-abuse-cases-encourage-children-divulge-information-truth-telling

Leanne ten Brinke; Dayna Stimson and Dana R. Carney. Some Evidence For Unconscious Lie Detection. Published online before print March 21, 2014, doi: 10.1177/0956797614524421.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/to-spot-a-liar-trust-your-gut-not-your-eyes/

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

Rothman, Naomi B. Steering Sheep: How Expressed Emotional Ambivalence Elicits Dominance in Interdependent Decision Making Contexts. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. 2011. 116: 66-82.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/ambivalent-facial-expression-form-dominance-study/

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

Sporer, Siegfried L. ; Schwandt, Barbara Penrod, Steven D. (editor). MODERATORS OF NONVERBAL INDICATORS OF DECEPTION: A Meta-Analytic Synthesis.
Psychology. Public Policy, and Law. 2007. 13(1): 1-34.

Seli, Paul; Jonathan S. A. Carriere; David R. Thomson; James Allan Cheyne, Kaylena A. Ehgoetz Martens, and Daniel Smilek. Restless Mind, Restless Body Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition. American Psychological Association. 2014. 40(3): 660-668. 0278-7393/14/$12.00 DOI: 10.1037/a0035260
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/fidgeting-body-language-really-mean-fidget-bored-mentally-taxed/

Van Der Zee, Sophie; Ronald Poppe; Paul J. Taylor; and Ross Anderson. To Freeze or Not to Freeze A Motion-Capture Approach to Detecting Deceit.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/detect-lies-whole-body-nonverbals-new-lie-detector-successful-using-body-language-70/

*No Photo, Arousal, Courtship display, Indicator Of Sexual Interest (IOsI), Intention movements

Body Language of Fondling A Cylindrical Object

by Chris • October 22, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Fondling A Cylindrical Object

Cue: Fondling A Cylindrical Object

Synonym(s): Playing With A Glass, Phallus Play, Rubbing A Pen Or Glass, Stroking A Cylindrical Object, Object Caress.

Description: Rubbing, stroking up and down, or rimming the edge of a cylindrical, or phallic object in a dating context. One might see a person moving a ring off and on, playing with a pen or the arms of eye glasses by putting it in the mouth, tap their fingers to their lips, rub the stem of a whine or beer bottle or rub a pen.

In One Sentence: Fondling a cylindrical object is phallic in nature and is revealing of sexual thoughts.

How To Use it: Women can effectively rub cylindrical objects including the stem of a wine glass in a dating context to arouse the sexual appetite of men. Other phallic displays that work effectively in teasing men includes mouthing a pen and slowly moving a ring off and on a finger. When done slowly and deliberately and anchored with eye contact, it is an effective way to show underlying sexual feelings. When done properly, the cue is read subconsciously by men thereby initiating a desire in them to pursue.

Context: a) Dating b) General.

Verbal Translation: a) “I’m sexually aroused and I’m subconsciously acting out my fantasies with this inanimate object.” a) “I’m rubbing this object as if it were you, because I like you and want to rub you.” b) “I’m rubbing an object because it’s providing a tactile release to help pacify my negative pent-up emotions.”

Variant: See Neck Exposure, Self Stroking or Auto Contact.

Cue In Action: a) At the bar she and he enjoyed good conversation and as dessert was completed their mutual liking grew. By the time drinks had arrived they were in deep mutual gaze as she rubbed the stem of her wine glass up and down with her thumb and index finger. b) To pacify himself, he rubbed the pen back and forth through the webbing of his fingers.

Meaning and/or Motivation: a) In a dating context, the phallus is a replacement for the penis and represents an intended subconscious sexual act. It is often the case that a person who strokes the object is not aware that they are doing it, but are instead driven by primitive wiring. In a dating context the object becomes a phallic replacement and so the cue signals sexual interest to whomever the cue is directed toward. Fondling a cylindrical object is a cue that must be anchored through eye contact to a specific person to have sexual meeting. “Object caress” indicate a desire to be touched or touch in the way in which the object is touched. The object is a substitute for actual touching

b) Many times people will stroke objects to pacify themselves as it releases soothing hormones inside the body. As with all body language, a reader should look for at least four independent cues before true meaning can be assessed. When men do it, it’s likely linked to having a need to pacify, to sooth, and looking for tactile stimulation. Usually it is motivated by boredom or stress.

Cue Cluster: This cue must appear in cluster to have full sexual meaning including eye contact in order to anchor the cue to a specific person. Watch for the head to bow with upcast eyes, wrist, palm, and neck exposure, self touching, licking the lips, stroking the hair, grooming, head turned at forty five degrees and so forth. When these cues are absent, the fondling a cylindrical object likely indicates a pacifying purpose.

Body Language Category: Arousal, Courtship displays, Indicators of sexual interest (IOsI), Intention movements.

Resources:

Argo, J. J., Dahl, D. W., & Morales, A. C. (2006). Consumer contamination: How consumers react to products touched by others. Journal of Marketing, 70(April), 81–94.

Aggarwal, P., & Mcgill, A. (2007). Is that car smiling at me? Schema congruity as a basis for evaluating anthropomorphized products. Journal of Consumer Research, 34, 468–479.

Argo, J. J., Dahl, D. W., & Morales, A. C. (2006). Consumer contamination: How consumers react to products touched by others. Journal of Marketing, 70(April), 81–94.

Chandler, J., & Schwarz, N. (2010). Use does not wear ragged the fabric of friendship: Thinking of objects as alive makes people less willing to replace them. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 20, 138–145.

Claus, B., & Warlop, L. (2010). Once bitten, twice shy: Attitudes towards humans spill over to anthropomorphizable products. Jacksonville, FL: Association for Consumer Research.

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.

Epley, N., Waytz, A., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2007). On seeing human: A three factor theory of anthropomorphism. Psychological Review, 114, 864–886.

Givens D. The nonverbal basis of attraction: Flirtation, courtship, and seduction. Psychiatry. 1978. 41: 346.

Hadi, R., and Valenzuela, A., A meaningful embrace: Contingent effects of embodied cues of affection. Journal of Consumer Psychology. 2014. http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/whats-in-a-nonverbal-object-caress/

Krishna, A., & Morrin, M. (2008). Does touch affect taste? The perceptual transfer of product container haptic cues. Journal of Consumer Research, 34(6), 807–818.

Lastovicka, J. L., & Sirianni, N. J. (2011). Truly, madly, deeply: Consumers in the throes of material possession love. Journal of Consumer Research, 38(2), 323–341.

Meier, B. P., Schnall, S., Schwarz, N., & Bargh, J. A. (2012). Embodiment in social psychology. Topics in Cognitive Science, 4(4), 705–716.

Moore, Monica M. Nonverbal courtship patterns in women: Context and consequences. Ethology and Sociobiology. 1985 6(4): 237-247.

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/

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

Peck, J., & Wiggins, J. (2006). It just feels good: Consumers’ affective response to touch and its influence on persuasion. Journal of Marketing, 70(Oct), 56–69.

Sigall, H., & Johnson, M. (2006). The relationship between facial contact with a pillow and mood. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 36, 505–526.

Williams, L. E., Huang, J. Y., & Bargh, J. A. (2009). The scaffolded mind: Higher mental processes are grounded in early experience of the physical world. European Journal of Social Psychology, 39, 1257–1267.

*No Photo, Closed body language, Distancing or moving away, Escape movements, Idiosyncratic body language, Intention movements, Shy nonverbal, Social touching, Space invasion

Body Language of The Country Handshake

by Chris • October 20, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of The Country Handshake

Cue: Country Handshake

Synonym(s): N/A

Description: A handshake where people lean in, sometimes extremely, rather than move closer.

In One Sentence: The Country handshake is one where each person keeps a significant amount of space in between themselves.

How To Use it: Use the Country handshake when greeting people who are not accustomed to close proximity.

Context: Business.

Verbal Translation: “I need a lot of personal space so I’m going to plant my feet at a distance, or back up, and away from you. To make up this gap, I’ll then lean forward and extend my hand out and away from myself. Personal space is important to me.”

Variant: A variant to the country handshake is the city handshake which includes greater proximity and represents people who are require less personal space in order to feel comfortable.

Also 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 salesman was accustomed to working with city folk, but when he was put on duty to speak with farmers about their choice in fertilizer, he was met with suspicion. When greeting farmers he shrunk the distance to try to build intimacy, but he found it difficult. The farmers would always seem to be running away or turning away as if they were too busy to talk. When the farmers shook hands, they would usually extend their hands way out, if they would at all, and when he approached closely they would lean back awkwardly. After a short meeting with his boss, the salesman resorted to waves from the edge of the laneway and dropped the handshake altogether. He found that the farmers were much more receptive.

Meaning and/or Motivation: People who live in the country are accustomed to having a high amount of space around them, so shaking hands is usually a breach of their personal space. A long distance wave is preferred.

When a handshake is tolerated, country men will extend their hands away from their bodies so as to protect from encroachment. Even city people who have high needs for personal space, will maintain their territorial bubble by thrusting their hand out. During a handshake that violates personal space, a person my thrust their arm forward during the handshake in efforts to push the other person back. This shows dominance and authority coupled with a desire for much larger personal space.

The country handshake represents a greater desire for personal space and a larger personal space bubble than normal.

Cue Cluster: The country handshake will be coupled with other cues such as turning the head away, angling the torso away, moving the body back after shaking hands and less frequent eye contact.

Body Language Category: Closed body language, Distancing or moving away, Escape movements, Idiosyncratic body language, Intention movements, Space invasion, Shy nonverbal, 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.

Beaulieu, Catherine. Intercultural Study of Personal Space: A Case Study. Journal of Applied Social Psychology. 2004 34(4):794-805.

Argyle, M., & Dean, I. Eye contact, distance and affiliation. Sociometry, 1965, 28, 289-304.

Cook, M. Experiments on orientation and proxemics. Human Relations, 1970, 23, 61-67.

Coutts, Larrym. ; Ledden, Maribeth. Nonverbal Compensatory Reactions to Changes in Interpersonal Proximity. The Journal of Social Psychology. 1977 102(2): 283-290.

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.

Dolphin, Carol Zinner. Beyond hall: Variables in the use of personal space in intercultural transactions. Howard Journal of Communications. 1988. 1(1): 23-38.

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.

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

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/

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/

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

Greenberg, Carl I. ; Firestone, Ira J. Greenwald, Anthony G. (editor). Compensatory responses to crowding: Effects of personal space intrusion and privacy reduction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1977. 35(9): 637-644.

Graziano, Michael S.A. and Cooke, Dylan F. Parieto-frontal interactions, personal space, and defensive behavior. Neuropsychologia. 2006. 44(6): 845-859.

Gifford, Robert ; O’Connor, Brian. Nonverbal intimacy: Clarifying the role of seating distance and orientation. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 1986 10(4): 207-214.

Gardin, Hershel ; Kaplan, Kalman J. ; Firestone, Ira J. ; Cowan, Gloria A. Lanzetta, John T. (editor). Proxemic effects on cooperation, attitude, and approach-avoidance in a Prisoner’s Dilemma game. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1973. 27(1): 13-18.

Holt, Daphne J ; Cassidy, Brittany S ; Yue, Xiaomin ; Rauch, Scott L ; Boeke, Emily A ; Nasr, Shahin ; Tootell, Roger B H ; Coombs, Garth. Neural correlates of personal space intrusion. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience. 2014. 34(12): 4123-34.

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).

Mcelroy, James C. ; Morrow, Paula C. Personal space, personal appearance, and personal selling. Psychological Reports. 1994 74(2): 425(2).

Mcgurk, Barry J. ; Davis, John D. ; Grehan, John. Assaultive behavior personality and personal space. Aggressive Behavior. 1981. 7(4): 317-324.

Newman, Robert C. ; Pollack, Donald Holzberg, Jules D. (editor). Proxemics in deviant adolescents. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 1973 40(1): 6-8.

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.

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/

Scherer, S. E., & Schiff, M. R. Perceived intimacy, physical distance, and eye contact. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1973, 36, 835-841.

Sommer, R. Studies in personal space. Sociometry, 1959, 22,247-260.

Sommer, R. The distance for comfortable conversation: A further study. Sociometry, 1962, 25, 111-116.

Sommer, R. Personal space: The behavioral basis of design. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall. 1969.

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).

Werner, Carol ; Brown, Barbara ; Damron, Gary Steiner, Ivan D. (editor). Territorial marking in a game arcade. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1981. 41(6): 1094-1104.

Attentive body language, Body pointing, Courtship display, Honest body language, Indicator of interest (IoI), Indicator Of Sexual Interest (IOsI), Intention movements, Liking, Open body language, Orienting reflex or orienting response, Undivided attention (nonverbal)

Body Language of Cooperative Feet

by Chris • October 20, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language of Cooperative Feet

Cue: Cooperative Feet

Synonym(s): Feet Pointed Toward A Person.

Description: Cooperative feet are ones that are oriented toward a speaker rather than away. Their proximity is increased rather than decreased.

In One Sentence: When feet are pointed and are oriented toward a speaker, they indicate through direction and proximity, that a person is willing to cooperate.

How To Use it: Use feet to show the direction in which you are thinking and feeling. Feet can be pointed and extended toward the door if one wishes to leave. On the other hand, should a person or their ideas be of interest you should aim and extend your feet in their direction. While many people will only subconsciously be aware of your tactic, it will help reinforce your vocal words and help you maintain congruence. Matching your words with your body language will make you appear more honest and trustworthy.

When one wishes to show disinterest, simply turn the feet away. This can show others that you wish to leave or that you are not interested in what they are saying. This can serve you by increasing the chances they will make the conversation more interesting or if negotiation, advance a better offer.

Context: a) Dating b) Business

Verbal Translation: “I agree with you and my primitive mind is showing it by moving my feet toward you and pointing at you.”

Variant: See Toe Pointing or Pointed Toe, Buttress Stance or Foot Forward Leg Stance.

Cue In Action: a) Jill and Bill were really hitting it off, you could tell just by looking at their feet bellow the table. Both his and her feet were extended toward one another. b) At one point in the conversation the client was about to leave with his body aimed toward the door. Noticing his negative body language, the salesman quickly dropped his price 30%. The client pulled his feet back in and aimed them squarely at the salesman. The salesmen used his knowledge of body language to salvage the deal.

Meaning and/or Motivation: The direction that feet point coupled with their extension or withdrawal tells us much about how a person really feels about the situation. Feet move toward things they like and away from things they don’t like.

Feet are either cooperative or non-cooperative depending on how close they are to the stimulus and which way they point. In other words, as feet move closer, they are in agreement and when they are withdrawn, they are in disagreement. Also, feet usually point toward people and ideas they agree with and away from people and ideas they disagree with.

Millions of years ago, we gave up quadrupedalism to walk upright leaving our feet “to the dirt.” While our hands busied themselves with other complex tasks like building fires, making clothing and shelters and throwing spears our legs were relegated to more primitive activities like locomotion. The feet on the other hand, carried out more traditional tasks like escaping predators, avoiding hot sand or coals from the fire, leaping from slithering snakes or poisonous spiders, or navigating rough rocking river bottoms. The feet were therefore connected more to the reptilian brain that reacts to stimuli directly instead of contemplating higher order tasks that require planning.

When we’re frightened it doesn’t take much to put our feet in gear. For example, feet are quickly tucked under our legs and coiled up ready to flee with any indication of danger. For example, the shadow of a mouse scampering across the room forces our feet to instantly freeze, or be pulled onto a chair.

Our feet carry the flight or fight reaction to the letter making them honest.

Our feet and legs can display boredom through repetitive motions, joy by lifting the body up and down, fear by being tucked under a chair, depression by laying lazily or motionless and sensuality by being uncovered and flaunted.

Cue Cluster: Cooperative feet are accompanied by other agreement indicators such as palms up rather than down, arms uncrossed, head tilted at forty five degrees, eye contact, ventral fronting and head nods.

Body Language Category: Attentive, Body pointing, Courtship display, Honest body language or honesty, Indicator of interest (IoI), Indicators of sexual interest (IOsI), Intention movements, Liking, Open body language, Orienting reflex or orienting response, Undivided attention (nonverbal).

Resources:

Astrom, Jan. Introductory greeting behavior: a laboratory investigation of approaching and closing salutation phases. Perceptual and Motor Skills. 1994. 79(2): 863(35).

Aiello, J. 1977. A further look at equilibrium theory. Visual interaction as a function of
interpersonal distance. Environmental Psychology & Nonverbal Behavior, 1: 122-140.

Argyle, M., & Dean, I. Eye contact, distance and affiliation. Sociometry, 1965, 28, 289-304.

Brault, Sébastien ; Bideau, Benoit ; Kulpa, Richard ; Craig, Cathy M ; Gribble, Paul L. Detecting Deception in Movement: The Case of the Side-Step in Rugby. PLoS ONE. 2012. 7(6).

Boucher, Michael L. Holzberg, Jules D. (editor). Effect of seating distance on interpersonal attraction in an interview situation. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 1972 38(1): 15-19.

Broth, Mathias and Lorenza Mondada. Walking Away: The Embodied Achievement of Activity Closings in Mobile Interaction. Journal of Pragmatics. 2013. 47: 41-58.
http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/nonverbally-negotiate-conversation-walking-away/

Baxter, James C. ; Rozelle, Richard M. Lanzetta, John T. (editor). Nonverbal expression as a function of crowding during a simulated police-citizen encounter. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1975. 32(1): 40-54.

Cacioppo, J. T., Hawkley, L. C., Crawford, L. E., Ernst, J. M., Burleson, M. H., Kowalewski, R. B., et al. (2002). Loneliness and health: Potential mechanisms. Psychosomatic Medicine. 2002; 64: 407-417.
Cook, Mark. 1970. Experiments on orientation and proxemics. Human Relations 23 (1): 61-76.

Cook, M. Experiments on orientation and proxemics. Human Relations, 1970, 23, 61-67.

Clack, B., Dixon, J., & Tredoux, C. (2005). Eating together apart: Patterns of segregation in a multi-ethnic cafeteria. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 15, 1-16. doi:10.1002/casp.787

Castelli, Luigi ; Carraro, Luciana ; Pavan, Giulia ; Murelli, Elisa ; Carraro, Alessia. The Power of the Unsaid: The Influence of Nonverbal Cues on Implicit Attitudes. Journal of Applied Social Psychology. 2012 42(6): 1376-1393.

Coutts, Larrym. ; Ledden, Maribeth. Nonverbal Compensatory Reactions to Changes in Interpersonal Proximity. The Journal of Social Psychology. 1977 102(2): 283-290.

Dolphin, Carol Zinner. Beyond hall: Variables in the use of personal space in intercultural transactions. Howard Journal of Communications. 1988. 1(1): 23-38.

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Barriers, Blading, Body pointing, Disengagement body language, Escape movements, Intention movements, Orienting reflex or orienting response, Ventral displays

Body Language Of The Body Cutoff

by Chris • October 18, 2014 • 0 Comments

Body Language Of The Body Cutoff

Cue: Body Cutoff

Synonym(s): N/A

Description: A body cutoff happens when someone turns their shoulders and torso away from someone in order to end a conversation.

In One Sentence: See Description.

How To Use it: Use the body cutoff by turning the shoulders away from your speaking partner to show that you are about to leave. This tells them to hurry up and finish what they have to say or conversely, work harder to maintain your attention. When used like this, the body cutoff is a power play because it shows that you are busy and have other things to do – even when you don’t. If you do this, it shows that you are in control and that you are more important. Men can use this effectively in a dating scenario to trick women into thinking that they are about to leave and that they value their time. This may make her think or feel that she needs to work harder to maintain his attention. The main aim is to threaten to leave at any moment. This signals a high social value. The signal can be used in other context such as in business or amongst friends with similar perceptions likely.

Context: General, Business.

Verbal Translation: “I’m going to go now, so I’m turning my shoulders away from you and toward the door, you should really be wrapping things up now.”

Variant: See Blading Body Language, Body Angling or Ventral Displays.

Cue In Action: Mark and Ben had been talking for a long time when Ben suddenly realized he needed to be someplace. Ben quickly checked his watch, seemed to glaze over and turn his shoulders and feet toward the door. He needed to go, and used his body language to show his intent.

Meaning and/or Motivation: When people wish to exit a situation they will cut their centerline off from the conversation as if getting ready to leave.

In the body cutoff, the body orients toward and away from stimuli it agrees with, and disagrees with, respectively. Also the greater the angle, the less interest or more dislike is present (See Blading Body Language, Body Angling or Ventral Displays).

A body cut off is an orienting reflex designed to end conversations and express an interest in leaving a situation.

Cue Cluster: The body cutoff cue is accompanied by feet pointed away, increased separation by taking a step back, reduced eye contact, eyes glazing over, fewer agreement indicators such as head nods and other cues indicating a desire to leave.

Body Language Category: Barriers, Body pointing, Blading, Escape movements, Intention movements, Orienting reflex or orienting response, Disengagement, Ventral displays.

Resources:

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Chance RMA (1962) An interpretation of some agonistic postures: the role of “cut-off” acts and postures. Symp Zool Soc Lond 8: 71–89.

Cook, Mark. 1970. Experiments on orientation and proxemics. Human Relations 23 (1): 61-76.

Davis, Flora (1971). Inside Intuition: What We Know About Nonverbal Communication (San Francisco: McGraw-Hill).

Dolphin, Carol Zinner. Beyond hall: Variables in the use of personal space in intercultural transactions. Howard Journal of Communications. 1988. 1(1): 23-38.

Friesen, C.K., & Kingstone, A. (1998). The eyes have it: Reflexive orienting is triggered by nonpredictive gaze. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 5, 490–493.

Felipe, N. Interpersonal distance and small group interaction. Cornell Journal of Social Relations, 1966, 1, 59-64.

Felipe, N. Connotations of seating arrangements. Cornell Journal of Social Relations, 1967, 2, 37-44.

Friesen, C.K., & Kingstone, A. (1998). The eyes have it: Reflexive orienting is triggered by nonpredictive gaze. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 5, 490–493.

Remland, Martins. ; Jones, Tricias. ; Brinkman, Heidi. Interpersonal Distance, Body Orientation, and Touch: Effects of Culture, Gender, and Age. The Journal of Social Psychology. 1995 135(3): 281-297.

Gifford, Robert ; O’Connor, Brian. Nonverbal intimacy: Clarifying the role of seating distance and orientation. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 1986 10(4): 207-214.

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Scott, J. A. Comfort and seating distance in living rooms: The relationship of interactants and topic of conversation. Environment and Behavior, 1984, 16, 35-54.

Sommer, R. Studies in personal space. Sociometry, 1959, 22,247-260.

Sommer, R. The distance for comfortable conversation: A further study. Sociometry, 1962, 25, 111-116.

Sommer, R. Personal space: The behavioral basis of design. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall. 1969.

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Underwood, M. K.. Glares of Contempt, Eye Rolls of Disgust and Turning Away to Exclude: Non-Verbal Forms of Social Aggression among Girls. Feminism & Psychology. 2004 14(3): 371-375

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Werner, Carol ; Brown, Barbara ; Damron, Gary Steiner, Ivan D. (editor). Territorial marking in a game arcade. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1981. 41(6): 1094-1104.

Attentive body language, Barriers, Courtship display, Defensive body language, Dislike (nonverbal), Escape movements, Indicator Of Sexual Interest (IOsI), Indicators of disinterest (IOD), Indicators of sexual disinterest (IOsD), Intention movements, Liking, Orienting reflex or orienting response

The Hidden Meaning of Blading Body Language, Body Angling or Ventral Displays

by Chris • October 18, 2014 • 0 Comments

The Hidden Meaning of Blading Body Language, Body Angling or Ventral Displays

Cue: Blading Body Language, Body Angling or Ventral Displays

Synonym(s): Ventral Displays, Ventral Fronting, Ventral Denial, Ventral Distancing, Body Orientation, Body Angling, Seated Body Pointing, Turning The Body Away From Someone, Turning The Body Toward Someone, Chest Orientation, Facing Away, Facing Toward.

Description: The turning of the body, the shoulders and chest, either toward or away from stimuli.

In One Sentence: Bodies turn toward ideas and people they agree with, and turn away from ideas and people they disagree with.

How To Use it: The application of blading body language is simple in practice. To show or feign agreement simply turn your shoulders toward the speaker. To show or feign disagreement simply turn your shoulders away from the speaker. Feigning either condition can force other people to chase you, despite your general agreement. This can be effective in a dating context as your counterpart will work harder to placate your interests. This can also be effective in negotiations. Simply blade away to show that the offer advanced does not meet your conditions. Your “disinterest” will create an incentive to boost their offer in your favour.

Context: General.

Verbal Translation: a) “I like what I’m hearing so my body is angling toward you so we’re facing each other even more” b) “I don’t like what I’m hearing so my body is angling away from you so I can leave.”

Variant: Bodies might be angled or leaned in toward someone that is liked the most rather than for any form of agreement or disagreement.

Cue In Action: a) Jill turned her shoulders toward Bill when he paid her an honest compliment. b) When the much more successful associate, Frank arrived, Jill slowly turned away from Bill to focus her attention on Frank. After turning toward Frank, she made eye contact and began preening herself by fixing her hair. Her interest shifted from Bill to Frank which was obvious to onlookers by her shift in orientation.

Meaning and/or Motivation: Torsos house important vital organs that are responsible for keeping the body alive. Heart, lungs, liver, intestines and so forth are all easily accessible through a thin layer of skin, fat, muscle, ribs and a sternum and exposing our ventral side means that we trust we won’t be attacked and is therefore a signal of openness and liking. Ventral sides are usually oriented toward people we like and away from those we dislike.

Torsos will turn and angle away more and more as an encounter becomes more disagreeable. On the other hand, torsos will angle and turn toward as an encounter becomes more agreeable. When torsos face each other head-on, however, this can indicate direct confrontation or, contrarily, high intimacy (and engagement).

“Blading away” is to “turn the back on someone.” This demonstrates dislike, disagreement and disengagement.

“Blading toward” is to “turn to face someone.” This demonstrates liking, agreement and engagement.

Think of a knife, a “blade” that is turned on an angle so as to slice more or less sharply.

The greater the angle the greater the relative nonverbal meaning.

Cue Cluster: a) Ventral fronting or blading toward can be accompanied by leaning in to increase proximity, removing objects to create a clear view and various agreement indicators such as head nodding, eye contact, and touching. b) Ventral denial can appear with slouching, lean backward, orienting the torso away, or placing objects in front of the body such as clothing or books.

Body Language Category: a) Attentive, Courtship display, Liking, Indicators of sexual interest (IOsI), Intention movements, Orienting reflex or orienting response b) Barriers, Defensive, Dislike (nonverbal), Escape movements, Indicators of disinterest (IOD), Indicators of sexual disinterest (IOsD), Intention movements, Orienting reflex or orienting response.

Resources:

Allison, T., Puce, A., & McCarthy, G. (2000). Social perception from visual cues: role of the STS region. Trends in Cognitive Neurosciences, 4, 267–278.

Argyle, M., & Dean, I. Eye contact, distance and affiliation. Sociometry, 1965, 28, 289-304.

Boucher, Michael L. Holzberg, Jules D. (editor). Effect of seating distance on interpersonal attraction in an interview situation. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 1972 38(1): 15-19.

Belhiah, Hassan. Tutoring as an embodied activity: How speech, gaze and body orientation are coordinated to conduct ESL tutorial business. Journal of Pragmatics. 2009. 41(4): 829-841