#Body language psychology how to

People lined up along the roadside to welcome the American President who greeted them with raised fingers in the form of 'V' with the back of his hand toward the onlookers. The argument became fierce when the singer pulled out a gun and killed one of the men. After the bar was closed, the singer followed the two men to a parking lot where they got into an argument about how the men pointed their feet at the singer's face. The men sat at empty spaces near the front with their feet pointed straight to the singer. In 1988, two Laotian men walked into a Los Angeles bar where a singer, who was also from an Asian country, was entertaining patrons. Misuse of body language can be an unpleasant or even dangerous experience for message encoders. People in other parts of the world, especially Asians, are more perceptive to body language than the North Americans. Hall (1959), a well-recognized social anthropologist, maintained that in a normal conversation more than 65 percent of social meanings are transmitted through the non-verbal channel. This article will use the terms 'body language' and 'nonverbal communication' interchangeably.Įdward T. The pressure of body language can especially be felt in emotional situations where body language usually prevails over words. This can include how we greet others, how we sit or stand, our facial expressions, our clothes, hair styles, tone of voice, eye movements, how we listen, how we breathe, how close we stand to others, and how we touch others. 'Body language,' includes all the communication through the non-verbal channel. Misunderstanding of body language may not only cause a long-lasting embarrassment but also be a life threat.

#Body language psychology how to

It is therefore important that educators understand not only how to receive messages through body language but also what messages they may be sending even when they are not talking. But training in body language is still relatively new for educators even though most American campuses include faces from different parts of the globe.

Since 9/11, airport and transit police have been trained on body language recognition. A signal for 'yes' in one culture may mean 'no' in another a gesture for 'good-bye' in one culture can be interpreted as 'come here' in another.īusiness people and politicians have long recognized the importance of body language or non-verbal communication many receive training in nonverbal communication before serving overseas.

Body Speaks: Body language around the worldĮach of us knows how to use our body parts to send messages but not many of us realize that people in different parts of the world 'speak' different body languages.