The SCIENTIFIC study of body
language
Professor Ram lakhan meena, central university of rajasthan, ajmer
The study of body language is a real science. It may come as a surprise to
some to learn that approximately two-thirds of human communication is
nonverbal. With that in mind, it follows that to get to the truth of the
matter, a person should pay more attention to the way the body moves than they
do to the words spoken. Some people are naturals at reading others, but for
those who are not, here are a few body language secrets that may help. Too
often, people judge on appearances alone, and one may make up his minds about
others based on hairstyle or the brand name of their clothing. But those are
only the surface details, and they reveal very little about the real person
underneath. The study of body language is about noticing the tilt of the head,
the direction of the gaze, the position of the arms, posture and other elements
of movement. Unlike that designer bag or perfect orthodontia, the body language
will reveal what is really underneath the facade.
Body Language Basics: When it comes to reading body
language, the eyes truly are the
windows to the soul. It is possible to tell a great deal about a person, simply
by watching their eyes. Wide eyes mean the person wants others to view them as
innocent and childlike. Squinting
signifies that the person doubts what is being said. Looking up when someone else is speaking signifies boredom. This
move is basically one step away from an eye roll. Raising the brows indicates
that the person wants to appear sincere.
Square the shoulders. Try and take up the maximum amount of physical
space (without overdoing it, of course).
Running the fingers through the hair says, "Look at me!" in a
way that is either too obvious or too demanding. Keep and maintain eye contact. This takes practice to get right
(always err on the side of not making others uncomfortable). There are some
body language actions that should be avoided, including. Don't
tuck the hair behind the ears, or make repeated attempt to smooth the hair.
This communicates anxiety and lack of confidence. Don't tap the foot or fidget – this gives the appearance of being
ill at ease. Don't let the
shoulders curl forward, as these broadcasts a critical lack of self-confidence. Don't offer a limp hand for a
handshake. This is submissive behavior and communicates loud and clear that
others are in charge of the situation.
While some eye movements may be learned (and
used either consciously or subconsciously to manipulate others) they still
reveal a great deal about the person's motivations. For example, batting the
lashes is a learned behavior, but the woman who does this is most definitely
expressing interest. The same goes for tilting the head to the side – this is a
move used by both men and women to signify a submissiveness and interest at the
same time. People, who wish to be successful, both personally and
professionally, understand the importance of body language. First and foremost,
the key to projecting a successful image is to project a sense of confidence.
While true confidence must be earned, it is possible to fake it with a few
simple moves. For too long, the study of body language has been dismissed as
being silly or inconsequential. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Understanding body language is the first step to mastering those first
impressions, and projecting confidence and good intentions in every
interaction.
A gesture
is a form of non-verbal
communication made with a part of the body, used instead
of or in combination with verbal communication.
The language of gesture is rich in ways for individuals to express a variety of
feelings and thoughts, from contempt and hostility to approval and affection.
Most people use gestures and body language in
addition to words when they speak; some ethnic groups and
languages use them more than others do, and the amount of such gesturing that
is considered culturally acceptable varies from one location to the next. Hand
gestures, i.e., gestures performed by one or two hands, is the most numerous category of gestures
due to the ability of the human hand to acquire a huge number of clearly
discernible configurations, the fact of importance for the sign languages.
Type of
gesture: Although some gestures,
such as the ubiquitous act of pointing,
differ little from one place to another, most gestures do not have invariable
or universal meanings, having specific connotations only in certain cultures.
Different types of gestures are distinguished. The most famous type of gestures
are the so-called emblems or quotable gestures (see the examples below). These
are culture specific gestures that can be used as replacement for words.
Communities have repertoires of such gestures.
People should know that their level of
confidence affects body language, very much like how real words are pronounced
and stressed. Each action, subtle or emphasized, should properly compliment the
idea, whether or not you choose to use it with words. People will understand
your body language only if you confidently present and project. Body language
can be used to manipulate
people into believing you or agreeing with your way
of thinking, so use it wisely.
Positive body language is defined as showing
gestures or facial expressions that convey an optimistic or positive response,
or simply meaning "yes". The most obvious form of teaching yourself body language
would be to simply nod your head in agreement. Other notable facial expressions
would be smiling, brightening, or opening your eyes wider and showing
enthusiasm and interest with a gaping mouth. Open arms, an openly expressed
torso and widely spaced legs are also known as positive forms of body language,
which means that you are welcoming the thought or you are positively responding
to the conversation. Mirroring is another technique where you tend to imitate
at least one gesture that the other person is doing to show agreement.
Negative body language is the opposite, where
you show disagreement or refute part or the entire idea of any given
conversation. When you teach
yourself body language, you can show negative responses without
words by shaking your head, frowning, gritting your teeth, putting your
eyebrows together, or raising them high. These are classic facial expressions
that will immediately show your objection. You may use these when trying to
counter ideas verbally.
Body language is a powerful concept which
successful people tend to understand well. The study and theory of body
language has become popular in recent years because psychologists have been
able to understand what we 'say' through our bodily gestures and facial
expressions, so as to translate our body language, revealing its underlying
feelings and attitudes. Body Language is
also referred to as 'non-verbal communications', and less commonly 'non-vocal
communications'. The term 'non-verbal communications' tends to be used in a
wider sense, and all these terms are somewhat vague. For the purposes of this
article, the terms 'body language' and 'non-verbal communications' are broadly
interchangeable. This guide also takes the view that body language/non-verbal
communications is the study of how people communicate face-to-face aside from
the spoken words themselves, and in this respect the treatment of the subject here
is broader than typical body language guides limited merely to body positions
and gestures.
