Have you heard about the secrets of our body language? Do you know the importance of learning other people’s body language? Body language refers to the nonverbal signals we use to communicate including the movements and gestures a person makes while speaking and the minor details and expressions on his face. It may account for 60% to 65% of all communication.
Sometimes our facial expressions may tell our true feelings about a specific situation. When you smile, it can indicate approval or happiness. On the other hand, a scowl can signal disapproval or unhappiness. However, if you say everything is ok and you are feeling fine, your facial expressions may tell people otherwise, such as happiness, sadness, anger, disgust, fear, confusion, desire, and contempt.
Most of us wrongly believe that words and sentences represent the most significant part of the ways that individuals communicate with each other. Many studies indicate that words and sentences represent only 7% of the ways we share with our world. That means the more significant part of communication depends on our movements and gestures. These movements and gestures translate into the minds of the recipients without their awareness.
Body language differs from one person to another. Each body has its language and is simply the person’s natural state. Suppose the person is away from any kind of pressure, fear, anxiety, sadness and all the factors that may push him to hide a specific fact or feelings, so he uses his body language. Analysing body language is the process of comparing the rest of the person’s behaviour and this standard we draw through our knowledge of the person.
Your knowledge of how to read body language through knowing the secrets of this language will change the world around you. How you live, the time you spend with others, and how you communicate with them will also change.
It will make you see the world from above and feel that you are more intelligent and correct in dealing with situations, and it will help you to reach new friends and improve your life. Come with us to learn how to reading body language, from facial expressions to body movements.
Eye gestures are the essential thing we rely on in reading body language. Our eyes can reveal a great deal about our feelings or thoughts. As we converse with another person, eye movement is essential to communication. Some signals you may notice are: directing eye contact, eye gaze, eyes’ pupils dilating, and blinking. When evaluating body language, pay attention to the following eye signals:
If the pupil of the eye dilates indicates that the person is happy with what he heard, and vice versa. If a person looks to his right (your left) during his speech, this indicates the sincerity of what he says, by remembering specific words, actions or feelings.
Also, the pupil size of the eye can be a remarkably nonverbal communication signal. The light levels in the surroundings control pupil dilation, and emotions can sometimes cause slight changes in pupil size.
Have you heard about the phrase “bedroom eyes“? It describes the look someone gives when they are attracted to another person. For example, Highly dilated eyes can indicate that a person is interested.
If the eyes of the person you are interviewing or you see turn to his left (your right), then know that he is not truthful in what he says, but if his eyes turn to the left, staring at the ground, then see that he is arguing with himself.
On the other hand, looking directly into the eyes while shaking hands indicates trust and respect for the person standing in front of you. Also, frequently looking away and stopping eye contact may show that the person is distracted or trying to conceal his real feelings.
Although eye contact is essential, staring excessively and looking into the eyes continuously may reflect the opposite. The language of the eyes in psychology explains that constantly looking in the eyes while talking may be interpreted as a type of threat or intimidation.
“Highly eye gazing on animals is different from humans” Do you know why?? The New Zealand Medical Journal reported that one of the reasons many young children become victims of dog attacks is the intense eye gazing on animals, which causes them to feel threatened and defensive.
Blinking is natural, but sometimes a person blinks too much or too little, which is unnormal. Our emotions and feelings towards the person we are talking to can cause us to change the rate of blinking subconsciously. We can blink more than average 6 to 10 times a minute when we speak to the person we are attracted to him.
On the other hand, people frequently blink more rapidly when they are feeling uncomfortable. Also, irregular blinking may indicate that a person is trying hard to control his eye movements.
Mouth and lips are full of unique secrets. Their expressions and movements are essential in reading body language. Do you know what swollen lips mean? What does lip-sucking mean, and what about gasps of air or opening the lips? These are all signals through which the lips and mouth send messages to others to express our emotional and psychological state.
Our lips change according to our emotional state. When we are relaxed and comfortable, they are red and full. When we are under pressure, blood flows from the lips to other body parts, and our lips seem paler and more minor.
Bitting our lower lip hard may indicate that we are trying to express something, but we can’t or shouldn’t.
Bitting the upper lip may indicate that we are experiencing feelings of worry, fear, stress, nervousness, or insecurity.
The person tightens his lips without knowing and tries this movement to calm him down if he finds himself in an embarrassing situation or under pressure. It may indicate that you are trying to control your facial expressions. It might show distaste, disapproval, or distrust.
We cover our mouths when we want to hide a specific emotional reaction. You might cover your mouth to avoid showing smiles or frowns. It also may be an action to be polite when you are yawning or coughing.
Our mouth movement indicates what a person is feeling. So a slightly down-turned mouth might show disapproval, sadness, or grimace. On the other hand, a slightly turned-up mouth, it might mean that the person is feeling satisfied or optimistic.
Push-out lips are a sign that the person does not accept something.
An English proverb says, “Keep your upper lip stiff”? That means stopping lip-trembling while facing trouble or challenge. Lip trembling is our fear response. When we feel upset, anxious, afraid, or have other problems, our lips may tremble automatically, and this happens because our facial muscles are tightening in preparation for fight or flight.
Most people can make their lips disappear in a straight line. It is not a good sign, which indicates high stress and anxiety.
Tongue rubbing of the upper lip may indicate positive emotions because the tongue rises and defies gravity. However, it can also mean that someone is under stress.
To denote superiority among others or distinction from them. And also it is a sign of pride. Also, it may use when a person is mysterious and wants to hide information “this is seen with many politicians when they think about their answers before speaking”.
Sharp-closed lips indicate that the person is furious. So when you speak with this person, try to be careful and accurate. For example, when your teacher has sharp-closed lips, he is angry. These lips also mean to say what you want, but be careful. The end of the dialogue may be unhappy, so speak carefully and accurately.
It means an invitation to continue what you are doing. For example, if you feel that your teacher disagrees with your request and these lips appear, this does not mean rejection but rather a normal response. It is good to continue what you are doing. On the other hand, this lip movement with friends or loved ones may mean that they are unhappy, hopeless, angry, depressed, or stressed.
A smile is a way to express a person’s feelings. Here are the essential types of smiles in body language:
This smile has an unusual movement: lower the head down with a smile with closed lips that looks delightful.
This smile is characterised by a vast mouth movement and the cheekbones’ direction. This smile appears in certain situations, such as rewarding a child for good behaviour, the teacher rewarding the student or the manager for the employee.
This smile is characterised by being broad and not showing teeth in it. It is also called the smile of sympathy and is used to express recognition or sincere feelings such as tolerance.
It is characterised by raising the eyebrows with one side of the mouth raised to the top to give a smile and a sense of irony. It is the evilest smile and is used to demonstrate power and strength.
It is characterised by moving the lips towards the ears without revealing the teeth. That smile indicates the desire to win the approval and approval of others.
This smile reflects the feelings of psychological pain that the person feels and his thinking about something, and often the look in the eye coincides with sadness.
The sitting position is a term that symbolises a person’s body and external form by which we can understand their attributes and determine their self-confidence as in the following movements:
This type of sitting indicates a person’s complete focus and attention on what is happening around him.
To join arms with legs and bend the body forward signifies a sense of aggression or anxiety and fear of the unknown.
To sit freely. This type of sitting indicates openness, friendship exchange and the other person’s willingness to speak or create a friendship with the other person.
This type of sitting indicates the other side’s feeling of indifference, boredom and lukewarmness.
Have you ever heard about the importance of personal space? There is a science concerned with studying the importance of leaving personal space between individuals in social interaction and communication called prognosis. There are four types of personal distances in body language:
The intimate distance ranges from 6 to 18 inches, which is less than (14-45 cm), and this distance indicates the extent of closeness between two individuals. They often have an emotional relationship, and communication occurs in closeness, such as whispering, touching, or hugging.
The physical distance reaches from 1.5 to 4 feet, equivalent to 1 to 1 1/2 meters. It usually occurs between family members, relatives, or close friends.
This level of physical distance often uses with individuals who are acquaintances, such as a client or co-worker, with an area of about 4-12 feet, equivalent to 3 meters. This distance is recommended for dealing with rapidly spreading epidemics, such as the Coronavirus crisis.
The physical distance at this level ranges between 12-25 feet, equivalent to 7 meters. It is used in public speaking situations, such as the distance between the teacher and his students or talking in front of a class full of your classmate.
Our face is the best indicator of someone’s feelings. Knowing how to read and interpret subtle facial expressions is essential to understanding nonverbal behaviour. A facial expression that appears on a human face depends on the emotions they are experiencing.
By raising one side of the mouth.
Eyebrows rise and bow with stretching in the skin below the eyebrow. Horizontal wrinkles across the forehead appear. The eyelids open, and the whites of the eyes appear above and below. The jaw drops open, and the teeth appear.
The eyebrows rise and link, usually in a straight line. Forehead wrinkles appear in the middle between the eyebrows, not across. The white of the top of the eye occurs, but not the white of the bottom. The upper eyelid raises, but the lower eyelid stretch and pulls up. The mouth is open, and the lips are slightly extended and pulled back.
Nose and forehead wrinkles appear in the middle between the eyebrows: the upper eyelid and the lower lip raise. Cheeks raise, and the lines appear under the lower eyelid. This is the expression on your face when you smell a nasty odour.
The skin below the eyelid turns into a triangle, with the inner corner rising. The inner corners of the eyelids converge and then rise. The ends of the lips move down, the jaw rises upward, and the lower lip extends outward.
The edges of the lips pull back and rise to the top. The mouth may or may not open, and the teeth are exposed. A wrinkle appears from the ends of the nose to the outer ends of the lips.
Cheeks rise, and the lower eyelid may appear wrinkled or tight—the wrinkled lines around the eyes near their outer edge.
The eyelids drop and link, vertical lines appear between the eyelids, and the lower eyelid becomes tight. Eyes are staring fixedly or bulging out, and the nostrils may widen. They are pressing hard on the lips as in the case of shouting.
The non-verbal language of body language is one of the essential requirements that each of us desires to possess because of its ability to read the thoughts of others and predict their behaviour. Arms are the most important organs used as body language, indicating the spontaneity and sincerity of the speaker or his lie and deception.
We sometimes put our hands behind our heads when we feel defeated, which indicates surprise and inability to respond. For example, football players put their hands above their heads after being defeated by another team.
If a person touches us with his other arm while shaking hands, this expresses sincerity, appreciation, and trust. People usually respect, love and appreciate each other during meetings.
This position usually indicates that the situation is reprobate and the person is ready to reply. When we put the arms on the waist area, it suggests a state of frustration, dissatisfaction, and willingness to respond.
Putting the arms crossed as the letter X in English indicates discomfort or displeasure. This movement considers having connotations that suggest anxiety or insecurity.
When we put our arms behind our backs, that refers to self-confidence and lack of fear of others.
Putting our hands on our stomachs refers to self-confidence, but we must remember that this movement may sometimes indicate illness.
Expanding or strikingly opening the arms indicates confidence. This movement also shows the ability to take responsibility and not be afraid of others.
We all use our arms while talking, which indicates honesty and trying to prove our point.
Body language expresses the nonverbal signals we use to communicate. According to many experts, these signals form a large part of the daily communication process between humans, whether through body movements or facial expressions. There is a large amount of information that communicates through this non-verbal language.
Undoubtedly, learning the secrets of body language is very important. Still, it is worth noting that it is necessary to pay attention to other signs when studying this body language, such as context or surrounding circumstances. Many specialists and psychological experts help train us about body language because of its importance.
Why not subscribe to our LearningMole Library for as little as £1.99 per month to access over 1400 fun educational videos.
Leave a Reply