Body language is a coded message about how a person feels, in what state he is. Knowing the basics of non-verbal communication helps you to better know yourself, your companion, and psychologists tune in to your client, which helps build trust.
What does body language mean?
Body language is psychology, as science attaches great importance to this phenomenon. During the evolution of mankind, the body language changed depending on the ethnos, but many gestures and facial expressions are common to people of the entire globe. What is the name of the body language? Psychologists gave the name to this phenomenon - non-verbal communication. Body language is the transmission of information through non-verbal signs: gestures, facial expressions, gait.
The difference between body language and verbal language
The nonverbal body language is an honest and open language, it is difficult to forge it to the fullest, and if a simple person with minimal knowledge may not notice a trick, the lack of synchronism will not go unnoticed by a specialist. The difference between the nonverbal sign system and the verbal one:
- Body language and gestures are more ancient.
- Verbal communication uses sound, speech, and the non-verbal communication contains a rich spectrum and includes:
- facial expressions;
- gestures;
- pantomime ;
- visual contact;
- cry;
- tonality, timbre, voice range (paralinguistics);
- pauses in conversation, laughter, crying (extralinguistics).
Body language and gestures - psychology
Body language and gestures are adopted by psychologists, NLP specialists focusing on non-verbal information emanating from a person "read" a person as a card. The famous gypsy hypnosis and surprising predictions are based on the fact that Gypsies are masters of reading the body language. This kind of knowledge is needed for every person who aspires to know himself and others, this can help avoid mistakes, "shed light" on many things.
Rules for the interpretation of body language
What does the body language tell us? About many things, but you need to remember that pulling out some kind of pose, gesture, mimic expression from the general context can not make a true impression, there will be something "about". There are rules for reading the body language:
- Age of a person, profession, position impose their imprints on the body language - the child has few gestures, more mimic manifestations, in an adult person, gesticulation is very developed.
- Abundant gesticulation or lack of it does not always mean that the person is too emotional or vice versa cold. Highly educated people with a large vocabulary do not need excessive gesticulation, to express themselves, so they can look emotionally indifferent in a rich speech, but this is not always the case.
- Full congruence of speech, facial expressions, postures, gestures - lack of synchronicity indicates that a person, something that hides, does not want to expose, lies.
Body language - postures
Non-verbal communication reveals a person better than a verbal interpreter, communicating with others, our subconscious much faster gets personal data, but this is not always monitored by consciousness, because many people know the feeling when something like a good person with whom a dialogue occurs, but something there is repulsive or inappropriate in it - all this because the subconscious mind noticed what the mind did not notice. By consciously studying the elements of non-verbal communication, one can interpret a person's personality.
The meaning of a person's position in space:
- the head is "embedded" in the open palms, elbows are on the table - the body language of the girl who wants to be seen by the man in the room wants to look more attractive;
- crossing hands on the chest "pretzel" - fencing, introverted, manifestation of uncertainty;
- cowering - a person in a state of protection;
- back to the interlocutor - unwillingness to communicate;
- hand propping his chin - boredom, lack of interest;
- the head is inclined towards the interlocutor - feels sincere interest in conversation.
Body language - facial expressions
How to understand the body language, sometimes it is very important to get reliable information about a person, you can hone it so that no one doubts the sincerity of the speaker, but do not forget that the body "lives" in its rhythm and very clearly shows the true state of a person. What demonstrates facial expressions:
- the eyes are wide open, the eyebrows stretch upward, and the corners of the lips tend to go down - the person is surprised;
- narrowed eyes, lips tightly compressed - a sign of anger;
- an extinct eye, eyebrows are brought together, the head is lowered - sadness, grief consumes a person;
- a smile at one end of the lips - a grin, unbelief;
- smile with one's lips without eye involvement - insincerity.
Body language - movements
Body language and body are very interesting to observe in dynamics - it can tell a lot about many things. Elements of body language, interpretation of movements:
- the game with thumbs, the desire to thrust them into the pocket of a jacket or trousers - so often men do when they want to show their superiority, a sign of sexual aggression, arrogance;
- touching yourself, decorating - anxiety, uncertainty, trying to calm down;
- glancing at the clock, mobile phone, footing - boredom, impatience, desire to leave;
- rubbing of the eyes speaks of fatigue;
- stroking the chin - concentrating, thinking about something;
- the edge of the palm is "cutting" movements - impatience, aggression.
Body language in dance
In dance, as nowhere is the language of the soul and body manifesting the state. Since ancient times, the dance contained in itself that it was forbidden to speak and it was possible to encode the message in the form of body movements. Very vividly demonstrate the rich range of emotions Indian dances, where a woman expresses her feelings through thousands of micromovements with her eyes, hands, and turning her head. The dance will tell a lot. Representatives of the beautiful half of humanity and men are also often interested in the question: how to recognize the body language in a pair dance and understand a partner or partner?
There is a "hidden" body language in the dance:
- shaking his hands, pulling his fingers out of the grip - signals that the partner holds his hand tightly;
- hand is removed from the partner's shoulder when close contact - discomfort, you need more space, it is important to loosen the embrace;
- body of the partner's body to strive for a close embrace - the desire to be closer;
- the song is over, and the contact persists - it's like being with a partner, wants to still dance.
Body language and character
Books about the body language are written by specialists engaged in research of human behavior, mostly psychologists, bodily-oriented psychotherapists, NLP-ers - they are experts in the non-verbal manifestation of a person who say that the body language is associated with the state, feelings at the moment, and some poses and mimicry is a manifestation of character.
For example, a person is constantly dissatisfied with something, often annoyed, a characteristic facial expression for him will be: the reduction of the eyebrows, even the wrinkle on the forehead is formed, the lowered corners of the lips, the face as a frozen mask - so the character is imprinted on the face. Demonstrated posture: shoulders lowered, bent back. Cheerful person - his facial expression is open: a sincere smile, not stretched "from ear to ear", but to strive for the corners of the eyes. The shoulders are open, the back is straight, the look is kind and even the eyes are smiling.
Female body language
The general picture of non-verbal language is both in men and women, which manifests itself in stressful situations, everything is universal here. Specific language of the female body becomes, when the fair sex in the field of view comes across an attractive man for her and then the body language involves the disclosure of female sexuality . How it manifests itself:
- behavior becomes cutesy or flirtatious (not always);
- during the gait shakes his hips;
- tosses leg to leg - characteristic posture;
- shoots his eyes;
- languid look, eyes shine, pupils dilated;
- plays an earring in the ear, a shoe on his leg;
- touches the hair, winds the strand on the finger;
- touches accidentally;
- slightly reveals parts of the body (lifts up the sleeve, the edge of the skirt);
- often licks his lips, looks in the mirror.
How to learn the language of the body?
Observation is an everyday practice that will help to see how a person, apart from words, positions himself. Even with superficial observation, you can see that the female language of the body and gestures is different from the male. What else is important? Without knowing yourself, your body language, it's hard to learn to interpret others - it all starts with self-discovery. In the future, when talking with other people, it is worthwhile to focus on the person's non-verbal manifestation of himself: position in space, smile, gesture.
Body language - books
For those who are seriously interested in how a person expresses himself through body movements, facial expressions and gestures, one can study the relevant literature and begin to closely monitor people. Body language and gestures - psychology, books recommended for reading:
- " Body language ". The ABC of human behavior J. Fast. The book is interesting for self-knowledge, you can track how the body reacts to different situations, see its "clamps", the author also brings differences in gestures of different peoples, which will be useful for those who like to travel to other countries.
- " I see what you're thinking about. " D. Navarro. The author of the book has a long record of work in the FBI and knows almost everything about human behavior. Much attention is paid to how to recognize falsehood through non-verbal communication.
- " Sign language. How to read thoughts without words. 49 simple rules "O. Sergeeva. In different situations, a person reveals himself from different angles, and his body speaks eloquently about what is now its owner. The words that are pronounced are 20%, the tip of the iceberg, and gestures and movements of 80% - in them the whole truth.
- " Body language for leaders " G.K. Kinsey. For those who want to develop confidence in themselves and evoke trust in their surroundings, how to behave in an interview, in a company, to see others what kind of person they are, this is the best-selling book.
- "The new language of gestures ." Extended version A. Pease, B. Pease. The authors of the book, famous psychologists for a 20-year-old practice have studied many people in very different situations, therefore the language of the human body has long been a mystery to them.