The SCIENTIFIC study of body language

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.