Body Language Dictionary

Body Language Dictionary ::B::

Written by Christopher Philip

Topics: B

B – Non Verbal Body Language Dictionary:

Did we forget a nonverbal term? Suggest it in the comment box or e-mail it direct, and we’ll be ecstatic to add it! With well over 500 terms, the BLP dictionary is growing to be the largest free nonverbal dictionary in the world! Brought to you exclusively by The Body Language Project! Visit our homepage for more free learning.

Back channel signals: A set of body language that indicates that a speaker is being heard. They include noises such as “mhum” and “uh-huh”, gestures such as nodding and expressions such as smiling in agreement.

Bandler, Richard, W.: Born February 24, 1950. Bandler is an American author on personal development and is best know for his work on NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) in association with John Grinder.

Barriers: Postures, gestures or inanimate objects that are placed in front of someone which are used to block off other people. They are usually employed when someone is uncomfortable and wishes to control the space around them. Barriers function much like security blankets, as they have an emotionally protective feature.

Baselining: Probably one of the most important and often overlooked aspects of reading body language. It refers to the “normal” body motions that populate the repertoire of each person. “Normal” is defined as the body language that happens when a person is relaxed.

Baton gestures or hand chop gesture: A motion done with the hands to emphasize points in speech. A baton or chop adds emotion to the words it is attached to.

Beckoning: Using the index finger, hand, head and even the eyes to draw another person nearer.

Bedroom eyes: Eyes who’s pupils are large and fully dilated. Found in those who are reacting subconsciously to sexually stimulating imagery such as attractive mates.

Beady little eyes or snake eyes: Eyes that are squinted or constricted who’s pupils are small and undilated. It indicates fear, aggression and dislike.

Beards: Facial hair on the chin, cheeks and sometimes the neck. It is a nonverbal message signifying wisdom and is scholarly unless left to grow untrimmed. In this case, it is seen as unwieldy and primitive.

Bernieri, Frank: Professor of Psychology at Oregon State University. His primary focus of research is social perception and judgment, nonverbal behavior and communication, face-to-face interactions, multi-channel communication, interpersonal synchrony, empathy and research methodology and has published over 40 scientific articles and chapters.

Beta males and females: Beta males and females are normally classified as anyone who does not fall into the “alpha” category, however in reality, beta is much less broad. Betas are second in command, and the term refers to contenders or subservient who’s purpose is to serve alpha’s. Beta’s can, at anytime, challenge the alpha for dominance and dethrone the alpha’s. Beta’s are identified by their body language. They can sometimes hold dominant language, but only when other alphas aren’t present. It is important to note that alpha and beta, in humans, is a floating concept as nearly everyone is alpha and beta at one time or another, as our company which includes our culture and sub-culture varies significantly. Beta body language includes leaning in while speaking, fidgeting, touching the face, taking on smaller body forms such as hunching the shoulders and pressing the legs together.

Bipedalism: The human form of locomotion that involves two (bi), feet (pedal). Bipedalism in humans produced the condition that allow men and women to use their hands to manipulate tools and communicate. Because the feet where relegated to more rudimentary tasks, they hold more of the visceral reactions (such as running from predators, or being pulled under the table when in stressful negotiations) and so tend to be more honest. The hands and arms are more controlled by the conscious mind, rather than the primitive mind, and so tend to be more deceitful. In other words, bipedalism kept feet honest.

Blepharoplasty: A very popular surgery for Asian women is to create the double eyelid. Asian people lack the fold or eyelid crease and so their eyes are narrowed and oval in appearance. The surgery adds a second fold or crease in the eyelid from an eyelid without a crease, producing a rounder westernized eye. It is proof of how important large eyes are in terms of creating attractiveness and neoteny.

Blocking: A term used to describe when a person wishes to distance themselves from a distressing stimulus by erecting barriers. Blocking is a part of the fight or flight response, and takes the form of the flight element because it creates distance between things we wish to avoid. It includes crossing the arms or legs, turning a shoulder so the body faces away, pulling the feet and arms inward, or pointing the feet toward the doorway indicating a desire to leave.

Blowing off steam: Done by forcefully exhaling air through a compressed mouth and indicates frustration.

Blushing: Blushing is linked to the release of adrenaline and cortisol which courses through the body when people get excited, feel pressure or are nervous. The hormone also diverts blood flow from the digestive system and shunts it to major muscle groups giving them a burst of energy. As a side effect, our blood vessels that deliver blood to our faces dilate, meaning they relax or open, allowing more blood to reach the surface of our face causing them to turn red.

Body language reader: A person who is receiving and decoding hidden meaning from nonverbal channels.

Body lowering: A technique whereby a person takes a lower position relative to another to show that they wish to submit. One such example is the curtsey which is done to show respect and taking a knee when interacting with someone else who is seated is another. Dropping the head can also be a form of body lowering.

Body orientation: A subset of posture that is important in conveying information such as the desire to leave as when the body faces away or when weight is applied to one side over the other, disinterest when bodies lean away or liking when bodies create proximity.

Body rocking: A technique used to show a desire to leave a conversation. It is also meant to indicate a nonverbal “time constraint.” It is a body language expression done by design to show others that one must be someplace else in order to appear more important. The body is rocked from weight forward to weight back, from side to side, or turning the shoulders slightly away as one does naturally when exiting conversations. This can tell people to warp up their conversation, or when done in dating, tease women inducing them to pursue.

Body size reduction: Whenever the body is less erect and less spread than normal. Happens by pulling the arms and legs inward, lowering the head, tucking the chin inward. Body size reduction shows submission, timidity and shyness.

Boredom: An emotional state whereby an individual displays disinterest in the activities or the people around them. Boredom is indicated by fidgeting, tapping the fingers or toes, appearing to have no emotion on the face, supporting the head on the hand and leaning against walls or tables.

Brain-body interplay: As it relates to body language, the brain-body interplay says that they are linked making it difficult to “untie” body expressions from the underlying emotions that compel them. For example, it is difficult to have a negative attitude while dancing spryly. The actions the body performs tends to bleed through into the mind and create positive or negative feelings as the case may be. Even laughing, done for no good reason, can put someone in a good mood because it helps release all sorts of positive hormones.

Broad smile: In this smile the upper and lower teeth are made visible and the gaze is relaxed and the smile is intended to convey joy and pleasure. This is a true smile and not one that is easily faked because the corners of the eyes display crow’s feet.

Business gaze: Eye contact in a business gaze that is held about 80-90% of the time to avoid feelings of discomfort. They eyes follow a pattern whereby they never leave the face and spend the majority of the time between the forehead and the eyes, never below.

Buttress stance: A standing posture where the leg bearing the body’s weight is straight, while the other leg is extended forward and outward away from the body. It indicates a readiness to depart.

Buy signals: These are nonverbal signals that indicate that a person is ready to commit to a sale. They include eye increased eye contact, moving in and shrinking distance, touching the chin and greater relaxation.

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The Body Language Project is the result of a decade of personal research including a thorough review of over 60 primary scientific research journal articles. Learning body language forms the perfect foundation for success in ALL your communication.

If you are only picking up on what is being said, you are missing more than half of the message.

For more information on BodyLanguage be sure to check out: BodyLanguageProject.com and the Ebook – The Body Language Guide to Dating, Attraction and Sexual Body Language.