Understanding Body Language

• The fifth lecture discusses body language.

What is Body Language?

• Body language involves movements, facial expressions, vocal tones, and gestures used to convey information.
• Cautious individuals can mask facial expressions, but their feelings can still be detected through other means.
• A study found that communication is 7% words, 38% tone of voice, and 55% body language.
• People tend to believe body language over words.
• Nonverbal communication has been around for a long time, but it has only been studied since the 1960s.

Importance of Body Language

• Body language is used consciously and unconsciously.
• Teachers use it to help convey information to students.
• Doctors use it with patients.
• Engineers use it to give instructions.
• Leaders and employers use it with subordinates.
• It is especially important for those with hearing impairments.
• Women are generally better at reading body language than men, due to their ability to pick up and interpret nonverbal cues and notice small details.
• Women are better at concealing the truth.
• Scientists believe women's superior emotional sensitivity stems from their social role, encouraging them to be sensitive to and expressive about emotions.
• Mothers rely on nonverbal cues to communicate with infants.
• Women are often better negotiators, especially in financial matters.

Three Rules for Accurate Reading

• Do not assume that what you see and hear reflects a person's true feelings.

• Three guidelines will help you understand a situation correctly.

• Rule 1: Read in Groups:

  • Interpreting a single gesture in isolation from other gestures or circumstances is a common mistake.
  • For example, head-scratching can mean various things, like sweat, uncertainty, dandruff, forgetting, or lying.
  • Body language mimics spoken language with words, sentences, and punctuation.
  • A group, needing at least three cues, is essential to accurately interpret body language.
  • A keen observer reads "sentences" in body language and compares them to verbal communication.

• Example of a Common Group of Signals:

  • Negative critical evaluation can be used by a person feeling unimpressed or unamused.
    • The key sign is a hand-on-face gesture with the index finger pointed upward toward the cheek, while the mouth is covered by another finger, and the chin rests on the thumb.
    • Other indicators include a leg over the other, arms crossed (defensiveness), and head/chin pointed downward (negativity/hostility).
    • These all say, "I do not like what you are saying," "I disagree with you," or "I have negative feelings."

• Rule 2: Look for Harmony:

  • Nonverbal signals have a greater impact than spoken language.
  • When the two are not in harmony, people rely on the nonverbal message.
  • To determine the truth, assess whether the body language aligns with the verbal statements.

• Rule 3: Read Gestures in Context:

  • Interpret gestures within the specific context in which they occur.
  • If in a cold environment one may be crossing their arms simply because they are cold.
  • Yet if someone is using the same gestures while you are trying to convince them in a discussion, they do probably have negative feelings or are rejecting your proposal.

Why is Body Language Misinterpreted?

• Illness can cause involuntary gestures such as tremors.
• Some professions limit the use of gestures like handshakes.
• Social customs and traditions, as well as clothing that is too loose or tight, can affect body language.
• Physical restrictions impact body language.

Why is it Easier to Read Children?

• Reading children is easier than reading adults because they have less muscle activity in their faces.
• The speed and clarity of gestures correlate with age.
• A five-year-old who is lying may cover their mouth with one or both hands.
• A teenager who is lying will perform the same action but more subtly, lightly rubbing their fingers around their mouth.
• An adult, when lying, their brain directs their hand to cover the mouth to block the deceiving words.

Can Body Language Be Faked?

• It is difficult to fake sincerity because of the disharmony between essential gestures, micro gestures, and spoken words.
• For example, open palms are associated with honesty, but a liar may display open palms while having smaller unconscious gestures.
• Contradictory signals lead to distrust.