Gestures give you away

There are many languages in the world. We use language for communication. If we try to use the language without learning its grammar and idiomatic expressions, our communication fails. Body language is of recent origin but its value in non-verbal communication is immeasurable. Unlike any other language, we cannot learn body language in the classroom or by merely poring over books on the subject. There is, in fact, a plethora of books written on body language. However, theories alone cannot make anybody an expert on the subject.

Basically, body language is a form of non-verbal communication consisting of body posture, gestures, facial expressions and eye movements. The strange fact is that almost all human beings use body language without being aware of doing so. John Borg, an authority on the subject, says that our communication consists of 93 percent body language. That means we use only seven percent of language. Others have challenged John Borg’s statistics but the fact remains that body language has a major share in human communication.

Universal gestures

Most of the basic communication gestures are universal. For instance, we smile or laugh when happy. When we are sad or angry, we frown or scowl. Nodding of the head indicates “Yes” or affirmation in many parts of the world. Similarly, shaking of the head from side to side indicates “No” or negation. Even infants use these gestures. Yawning is another universal gesture which reveals sleepiness or lack of interest. Experts say that women have an innate ability to decipher body language signals. This appears to be true because few husbands can lie to their wives and get away with it easily. On the other hand, most women can pull the wool over their husbands’ eyes without their realising it.

People use various forms of non-verbal communication such as touching, pinching or even gazing at another person when verbal communication is not possible. Such physical expressions reveal many aspects of a person’s character.

Threat gesture

Today, smiling or showing the teeth partially is a gesture to indicate pleasure. However, the primitive man took it as a threat gesture. Another expert says that we should not look at or show our teeth to stray dogs because they might take it as a threat gesture.

Winston Churchill’s “V” sign for victory

The shoulder shrug is a common universal gesture that shows somebody’s lack of understanding. Such a gesture usually has three main parts: Exposed palms, hunched shoulders and raised eyebrows. When somebody asks us for directions to a certain place, we usually shrug our shoulders even without using any words. Even a foreigner would understand what it means.

Eye signals are quite common in non-verbal communication. If a person is gazing at a woman, he is probably interested in her or is admiring her beauty. Sometimes such gazing can be pretty embarrassing to the woman. When a woman is walking ahead of a man, he usually looks at her buttocks. Even the woman knows about it!

Another powerful body language signal is when a person crosses his arms across his chest. This is common when people attend public lectures. If the speaker sees this, he will at once realise that you are putting up an unconscious barrier between you and him. It can also mean that the listener is thinking deeply about what the speaker says. But this is a sign of opposition.

Ring gesture

Non-verbal signs may vary from country to country. For instance, the ring gesture made with your thumb and index finger is an “OK gesture” in the United States. However, if you make this sign in France, it means “Zero” or “Nothing”. Quite interestingly, the ring gesture means “Money” in Japan. In some Mediterranean countries it would mean that somebody is a homosexual!

The “V” sign was popularised by the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill during the World War II. Today, it is used by sportsmen, politicians and contestants in TV shows. Like animals we also have our own “personal space” or the “portable bubble” to be carried around. We allow only those who are emotionally close to us to enter our “Intimate zone”. At social gatherings we maintain a “personal zone”. When we attend a public meeting, we maintain what is called the “public zone.”

We often see how groups of protesters become aggressive when their numbers increase. On such occasions the police would use force to break up the “temporarily welded human chain” before they commit a breach of the peace.

Body language or non-verbal communication is a fascinating subject to study. By observing people at work in offices. universities and factories, you can learn a lot about their behaviour. While studying the gestures of other people, be aware of your own body signals. This will make you a better judge of human behaviour.