Tag Archive for Gestures

Non Verbal Body Language Dictionary ::S::

by Christopher Philip • March 28, 2010 • 0 Comments

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.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Sadness: A raise of the inner eyelids into an inverted “V” accompanied by a lift of the lower eyelids. Often accompanied by lines across the forehead with the mouth pulled downward and a droop in the eyelids. Sadness also sees an overall depletion of energy, enthusiasm, trembling, slowing of metabolism and crying.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Salute or obeisance: A gesture done by raising the hand with fingers outstretched rigidly to the side of the head near the temple. It is usually done in a military context, but can also be done in ordinary context. The gesture is designed to show respect among rank.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Sarcasm or sarcastic: These are body language signals that show mock approval or enthusiasm. An example showing sarcasm is a distorted or uneven smile where the mouth is raised only on one side.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Scanning eye movements: An eye pattern used when gathering information from the surroundings. It is characterized by raised eyebrows and wide eyes to provide the maximum field of view.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Scorn: Sometimes flashing as a microexpression. It is a combination of anger and disgust that happens by wrinkling of the nose, raising and tightening of the upper lip. To visualize this expression think of a bad smell.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Scratching: In proper context indicates uncertainty and a lack of knowledge such as when being asked a question. The scratching behaviour is a pain inducer which causes painkilling hormones to be released to create relaxation in the face of emotional discomfort. Other times, scratching is simply to alleviate an itch.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Scratching the neck: This is a stress related behaviour aimed at pacifying and also protecting since the neck is a vulnerable part of the body. Scratching the neck is done when under stress and when faced with uncertainty.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Screaming or shouting (a): When motivated by anger, screaming or shouting says that a person has lost their dignity and resolve and says that a person has lost control.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Screaming or shouting (b): When motivated by happiness screaming signals ecstasy and good fortune. A person might scream when they win a match or are reunited with loved ones.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Seated body pointing: Directing torsos, legs, feet, arms, hands and head toward those we are most interested in, or agree with the most.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Seated readiness: A body postures that indicate a desire to take action which is especially useful in sales and negotiation. Examples include placing the hands on the thighs in the sprinters position and leaning forward onto the balls of the feet as if ready to spring up.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Secretiveness body language: When a person wishes to withhold information from other people. Secretive people often reveal very little about themselves and their personal lives or may keep certain facets of their life private. Secretive body language includes maintaining distance both emotionally and often physically, whispering, guarded posture with shoulders hunched, covering the mouth, body oriented away, pursed lips, tight jaw, frequent glancing down during conversations, eye avoidance, routinely hiding tracks and removing personal belongings from view.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Security blankets: Any object that is stroked our touched when someone is under pressure. They arise out trying to keep our hands busy or perhaps as a tactile response. Even those that spend a lot of time in front of large numbers of people feel the need for a security blanket. The cuff link is a common choice when crossing an open room or when coming up on stage to perform a speech or accept an award. Other security blankets can include handbags, bracelets, watches, shirt buttons or brief cases.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Seducer eyes: An intimate gaze that produces attraction in the opposite sex.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Seduction: The behavioural process resulting in sexual intercourse.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Self administered hug: When the arms are crossed and wrapped around the body. At times, the hands will pacify by rubbing the shoulders. Hugs, done in this way, indicate a need for reassurance as a mother would sooth a child.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Self-awareness: The consciousness of how ones self is viewed by others through nonverbal channels. Nonverbal self awareness includes overall attractiveness, marketability, capacity to impress, and having a lack of objectionable characteristics.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Self branding: The creation of a polished self image such that it increases its marketability. Branding says that in all facets of life, a person is selling themselves, be it to friends, family and at work.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Self monitors: Defined as the desire or ability to regulate oneself to fit into any given environment. “High self monitors” are more likely to change their behaviour in lieu of the situation and seem to be less consistent across context. This personality type is more likely to mirror others. “Low self monitors” are just the opposite, and remain almost the same across situations.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Self slapping: When the open palm is quickly slapped against the head and have various meanings depending on its location. For example a forehead slap means that a person realizes they’ve made a mistake and a hand slapping the back of the neck indicates that they feel someone is being a pain.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Self-motivating gestures: Gestures that indicate an attempt to create better functioning such as tapping the head, drumming the fingers, the chin or a pen, tapping the keyboard, or making circular motions with the hands.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Sex-coloured-glasses: Because men have twenty times more testosterone than women, they tend to view all cues put out by women as displaying sexual interest. This makes their ability to read proper interest in women clouded.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Sex flush: A measles-like rash appearing as women (and sometime men) nears orgasm. It appears on the breasts and chest and is found in nearly seventy-five percent of women and twenty-five percent of men. This sex flush is not found at any other time and is not a reaction to temperature.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Sexual hair play: Hair play is done by women who intent to show off their luxurious hair to men. Hair tosses can be done by flicking the hair over the shoulder, twirling or rolling it and placed on top of the head, running it through the fingers or wrapping the hair around the neck.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Sexual harassment body language: Any nonverbal body language that offends another person in a sexual manner such as unwanted come-ons, crude sexual joke, eye contact, touching, and so forth. There is much controversy about sexual harassment stemming from the fact that it is defined differently between the sexes. Women feel that any man is grounds to harass whereas men feel that it can only come from women in more powerful position than them (bosses, managers). Women also define harassment from its origin. Meaning that touch from more attractive men is not harassment, but when the same form of touching coming from less attractive men is deemed otherwise.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Sexual suggestiveness attire or fashion: A person who chooses dress that is exceptionally sexy and revealing. This type of fashion can be worn by a person who is either confident or insecure, but in either case, is trying to gain the attention of others. This type of person is usually self-centered, vain and extroverted. When worn out of context, sexy attire reveals a lack of good judgment. The sexy dresser is also often sexually liberated, but also can be a confident tease.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Sexy son hypothesis: Women favour men who are more dominant for random “one-night-stands” because they will receive no parental care but will foster “sexy son” as offspring. Women will seek men who are sexier during peak ovulation and “softer” men who make good fathers at other times.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Shake and wait approach: A technique that helps decide the level of liking that is present. It is done by shaking hands as usual then taking a step backwards and seeing what transpires. Someone that likes the other person will shrink the distance, while those that don’t, will maintain distance and even aim their bodies away. Other times distance is maintained for cultural or personal reasons.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Shifty eyes or darting eyes: Happens when the eyes dart all over the room to focus on anything but someone else’s eyes and is habitually associated with lying. However, research has shown that most practiced liars hold gaze even more strongly than normal.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Shoe play: An indicator of comfort and agreement, usually found in a courtship setting done by a woman where the heel of the shoe is removed or the entire shoe dangled from a toe. When agreement and comfort is not established the shoe will be put back on so as to be more prepared to escape.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Short grabber/finger grabber handshake: A handshake whereby only the fingers make it into the hand. Short grabbers are usually insecure but often try to hide this by coming off as dominant.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Shoulder embrace: A nonverbal signal of affection where arms are put around another’s shoulders. This might occur between adult men, or between a mother and her child and is therefore non-sexual in nature.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Shoulder shake: A conspicuous vibration, hunching and raise and lowering of the shoulders in secession accompanying laughter. It is also termed “shaking with laughter.”

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Shoulder shrugs or shoulder rise: A universal expression of doubt and uncertainty. They are done by moving the shoulders upward toward the ears. Shoulder shrugs can signify ignorance, indifference, helplessness, or resignation.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Shoe play: A cue put out by women who wish to draw men’s attention to their sexiness. It is done by dangling a shoe by the toe or bouncing the leg up and down.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Sideways glance or sidelong glance or glancing sideways: Done by shifting the eyes to the left or right without moving the head. It indicates hostility when accompanied by appropriate cues in a cluster or attraction/interest when it is done so as to avoid detection.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Sideways glance over raised shoulder: A sexual signal done by women to draw attention to their desire to be subordinate. It is usually done by lowering the head slightly and “peering up” at the man of her interest.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Sighs: An exhalation of air accompanied with a low huff or tone. This signifies frustration, being overwhelmed or weighted down, burdened and thoughts of powerlessness. Other times sighs are done at the completion of a difficult task spelling relief. Sighs can be so low as to be barely distinguishable from ordinary exhalation.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Sign language: A set of visual expressions of the hands, arms, body and face designed specifically to convey meaning from one person to another. Sign language is the primary language for deaf people and is a form of body language.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Silent language: The set of information which transferable from person to person of which there are no sounds whatever. Silent language is a set of gestures, postures and facial expressions emitted all of the time, by all people regardless of their intentions.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Situational awareness: Having a sense of where one is at all times with respect to the environment and the people in it. It is a total picture of what is happening with every, or most of the facets going on around a person. A nonverbalist must have a high situational awareness to be a proficient ready of nonverbal communication.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Skepticism (nonverbal): A trait that serves the body language reader well especially those interested in detecting lies. Being skeptical is what makes readers aware of their surroundings and question other people’s true motives. Taking to elevators with strangers without looking them over, ignoring disheveled or inebriated homeless men, or even the well kept, yet out of place business man, can lead to unwanted results. The skeptical nonverbalist is someone who reads everyone all the time and expects that until proven otherwise, are up to no good. He or she reads people as if they are hiding their true emotions from others for direct gain, or to protect themselves from looking disadvantaged in one form or another. The skeptical reader, seeks to uncover these features in others through reading their total self including their postures, gestures, fashion, facial expressions, eye patterns, and movements.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Skirt hike: The skirt hike happens completely subconsciously with little, and usually no awareness at all. The “skirt hike” happens by fingering and play with the bottom ridge of the skirt. Other times, the skirt hike happens in a more pronounced way by grabbing the bottom of the skirt and pulling it up a few inches or more, to reveal more leg.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Slow speech or slow talking or slow talker: A speech trait where the speaker talks at a rate that is slower than ordinary. Can be due to comfort and relaxation, or discomfort. Slow speech can be due to trying to make an important point, anxiousness, confusion, lying, grief, fatigue, deep thought, illness or the influence of drugs or alcohol.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Smells or olfaction or odors: A very powerful area of nonverbal communication that is rarely given the importance it deserves. This area of body language covers all aspects of odor from those consciously perceived to those which are not such as pheromones. A person can read very distinct habits from a person’s odor. They can detect their hygiene such as if they’ve recently washed their hair, the types of soaps they use, if they’ve brushed their teeth recently or used mouth wash and it has been postulated that a man can detect a women’s ovulation cycle. Studies also show that women prefer men to carry scents of other women as a means of attraction. Scents can tell you if a person smokes, what they’ve eaten and so forth. Environmental scents are also important to the nonverbalist. They tell of recent rain such as wet grass, fresh baking, lingering cologne signaling a foreign presence, pollution or cleaning chemicals and so forth which provide hints as to activities occurring nearby.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Smiles: Many biologists think the smile had roots as a fearful gesture as a sort of “fear grin”. Smiles are controlled by two sets of muscles which are the zygomatic major muscles, that run down the side of the face to connect to the corners of the mouth and the orbicularis oculi muscles that pull the eyes back. Today though, human smiles are a universally submissive gesture to show we are non-threatening and they also symbolize pleasure, amusement, or anxiety (grimace).

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Smooth movements: Controlled and conscious movements of the hands, arms, feet, head and torso that do not dart or jerk in any way. The voice is steady, low and in control, it does not raise, yell or scream. This fluidity demonstrates confidence, control, authority, trust, and commands respect from others. It says Alpha.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Sneering or sneer (the): Sneers activate the buccinator muscles located on the sides of the face to draw the corners of the lips sideways toward the ears. Sneering is universal signal of contempt, arrogance, disapproval and disrespect.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Social dynamics: The study of the interaction humans have with each other inside society at large. To the realm of nonverbal behaviour, social dynamics represents the influence body language has on a group of people inside a given situation.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Social gaze: Non-threatening eye contact that travels in a triangular pattern from eye to eye then to the mouth making some but infrequent trips to the rest of the body. This gaze is brief, lasting only a few seconds followed by breaks in eye contact.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Social touching: Touching between friends and family including hand holding, hugging, offering a hand to steady, helping someone with their coat.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Sociology: Is a realm of study that looks at society and how it functions using very broad disciplines. To the nonverbalist, sociology looks at the effects of body language on social order, its maintenance and its effects.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Social space zone: A distance of five to twelve feet which we employ as a buffer between people we interact with for everyday relationships that we do not know well.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Soft voice: A voice that is so quiet it is difficult to make out what is being said. This voice trait is sometimes used to manipulate others who strain to hear what is being said or mean that the speaker lacks confidence and assertiveness. Other times a soft voice implies a quiet confidence from a person who lacks a desire to control a conversation. Other meanings of soft voice includes a withdrawl from a conversation due to confrontation, discomfort or nervousness, grief or sorrow, that a person is lying, forcing a person to move closer (power play), to limit what is being heard, tiredness or illness.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Sommer, Robert: Distinguished professor of Psychology Emeritus at the University of California, Davis who began researching the use of space in the 1950’s. He’s best known for his book “Personal Space: The Behavioral Basis of Design” published in 1969. He also authored “Expertland”, “Personal Space”, “Design Awareness”, “Tight Spaces”, “Street Art”, “Sidewalk Fossils”, “The End of Imprisonment”, “The Mind’s Eye”, “A Practical Guide to Behavioral Research”, among others.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Song-like laughs: Also called voiced laughs and are typically sounds such as “ha,ha,ha” or “he,he,he”. Song like laughs are seen as more attractive in both sexes rather than unvoiced laughter.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Space invasion: Happens when people come to close to another such that it creates anxiety and defensive body language.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Spatial awareness: The ability to properly control and use space to a person’s benefit. This includes respecting (or disrespecting as in a power play) space zone, their touch restrictions, and even voice volume. It also includes the relationship of the body to nearby objects and a person’s position in a room. To have a poor sense of spatial awareness a person lacks a sense of their surroundings. To the nonverbalist it includes a cognition of how space is used with the people around them so as to read hidden messages of like, dislike, intimacy, etc.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Spatial empathy: An informal term used by expatriate workers in Hong Kong and then later into Japan and China who were typically from Australia, England, France and the United States. Even though the city itself was very westernized, the walkways and public transport system were very crowded by comparison. Preventing intrusion into their personal space was proven difficult and at times impossible. Spatial empathy therefore describes a state or mind whereby people are either aware of the needs of peoples space or are not.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Spatial needs: The relative amount of area that is reserved for a person of which no one else is permitted to enter.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Speech hesitation: Differing from pauses, speech hesitations are time wasters imparted by people who lack the knowledge to properly and directly address concerns. They usually use filler words such as “hmms” and “ahhs” or “like.” Speech hesitation says that a person lacks confidence.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Speech-independent gestures: A deliberate body language cue that is a replacement for a specific word or short phrase which are usually culturally specific. Examples include shoulder shrugs for “I don’t know”, waving for “Hello” or “Goodbye”, Index finger to lips for “Be quiet”, etc.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Speech-related gestures: A deliberate body language cue that accompanies speech serving to punctuate, emphasize and to regulate the flow of speech.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Splay or splaying: When the body is made to appear larger by spreading out the arms and legs, leaning back and puffing out the chest. It is a high confidence and high dominance display. It often indicates territoriality and in the wrong context disrespect and indifference.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Spontaneous body language: Body language that occurs automatically, unintentionally and without conscious awareness. These include various visceral fear responses as well as other nonverbals which are leaked. Throughout life, people are taught to manage these naturally occurring gestures, postures and signals but they are usually readily occurring in young children and teenagers such as when the stare and point at unique looking people. Extroverted individuals also emit more spontaneous body language when compared to introverted individuals. Spontaneous nonverbal language is the most useful type since it represents true underlying emotions rather than deliberate body language.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Spreading body language: When the body takes up more space rather than less space. For example, the arms might be placed over the back of the chair rather than crossed and the legs might be spread apart. It indicates dominance and comfort.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Square jaws: A masculine facial feature that has been tied to female preference for one-night-stands. It is also rated by women as a feature predictive of less stability in child rearing (fatherhood) and so men with square jaws are chosen more often during lustful affairs, rather than for long term relationships.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Square table seating: Square tables can form defensive, competitive and cooperative arrangements depending on seating location. Cooperate by sitting side by side across a corner and competitive by facing head on across the table. They are ideal for short meetings, or to create superior or subordinate relationships.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Stalling body language or stalling tactics: Body language that delays decision making. It is usually found as the time nears to sign contracts, fill out paper work, or purchase orders. It includes behaviours such as cleaning glasses, taking a smoke break, sipping a drink, adjusting clothing, or chatting about topics that are insignificant.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Stammering eyes: The action of keeping the eyes closed for prolonged periods of time. Can sometimes give liars away.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Standing at attention: A standing position where the legs are together, neither one in front of the other. It signifies “no comment” and a person who has neither committed to stay or go. It is used more often by women than by men, and it happens when meeting with higher ranking people indicating subordination.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Standing square: When people who speak to each other stand facing each other directly. It is a confrontational orientation similar to those nearing, or in physical conflict.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Stardust chairs or stardust seating positions: These are the seats flanking the head of the table which are those with the second most powerful. They are called stardust because they are close enough to the leader that his star power or “dust” is likely to rub off on them. When these chairs are usurped it signifies that a person is a wannabe leader rather than one deserved based on performance.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Stare or gaze fixation or eye threat: An offensive eye pattern where the eyes often remain unblinking and threatening or leer at another person for an uncomfortable length of time. It is as if the eyes are assaulting and of which the eye contact is done without permission and of which violates the moral looking time and so produces, and is the result of, negative (but sometimes sexual) feelings.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Stare test: A test to verify if a person is purposely overstepping the moral looking time. It involves making eye contact initially with a stranger, then frequent and randomly looking back to see if the stranger is still looking.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Starter’s position (the) or Sprinter’s position or knee clasp (the) or Sitting at the edge of the chair: A readiness gesture and an intension movement indicating a desire to end a conversation and leave, or take some other form of action. It is done by placing both hands on the knees when seated and leaning forward. While standing it happens by placing the hands on the hips.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Stature and height: One of the most important physical qualities in maintenance and creation of dominance especially in men. Studies show that the relative height of a man translates directly into earning potential and sexual attractiveness as defined by women. Women are also affected by height, except in a much different way. Women who are taller are seen as less desirable by men, but also as more dominant.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Steinzor effect: When larger groups meet in the competitive arrangement with many people facing one another across a rectangular table, it is most often the person to the front of the speaker directly across the table that talks next, and rarely the person to their side. This has been termed the “Steinzor effect” and was named after the researcher Dr. Bernard Steinzor in 1950 who first discovered the occurrence.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Stealing looks: A look that is stolen is one that happens by looking to the sides without turning the head. Both sexes do it to check out a sexual prospect, a rival while at the same time remain safe from detection.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Step to the right handshake technique: A method of thwarting the palm-down dominant handshake presented by a power player. It involves stepping forward with the left foot as you reach to shake hands, then stepping forward with the right foot so as to move across the body and into the other person’s personal space while twisting their hand from downward facing, to even and then upward facing. Finally, the left leg is brought forward. The goal, and the result of this technique, is to turn what would have been a submissive palm up handshake into a palm even or palm down dominant handshake.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Stiff arm: A defensive arm distancing posture that happens by thrusting the arm forward and away from the body with the palm face vertical in a “stop” type signal in order to indicate to another person that they have overstepped personal space boundaries.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Stiff arm and thrust forward handshake: A handshake that occurs by thrusting forward after meeting so as to put another off balance. Comes from people who require more space than ordinary.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Stiff upper-lip (the): Done by compressing the lips tightly and indicates thought process when someone is trying to come up with an alternate idea.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Stroking body language: Gestures that include touching the face, cheek, head, neck, shoulder, arm, hand or leg in response to negative stimulus in order to create comfort and to pacify.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Stride (the): A cool but dominant gait type characterized by unusually long strides.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Strutting: A swagger while walking that displays confidence, dominance and usually sex appeal. Men are said to strut when trying to appear masculine in the eye of women.

Women can also strut, but it’s not as typical as it is for men. Shoulders back, head up, as if swimming through the air moving the upper body back and forth.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Stubborn or stubbornness: An emotion delineating a lack of desire to cooperate conveyed through body language by gestures and postures. The cues include arm crossing, a closed leg posture, staring eyes or down-turned head, a tight mouth and sometimes even pouting.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Submissive body language: Any body language that forces the one to take up less space. It can include shoulders hunched, arms folded inward or crossed, or legs together. The tighter the body position the more submissive the body language.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Substituting: One of the six main categories of body language. This is body language that is used to directly replace verbal words. A person might use body language rather than words when the words are embarrassing to speak, too difficult to speak, a person can’t find the right words so uses gestures or wishes to avoid conflict. Substitution includes such body language as turning the toes and torso away from a person when wishing to end a conversation.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Sub-typical: A person or group of people who fall on the left side of a gradient or bell curve in terms of their actions or popularity. They are below average.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Suckling: The mouth and lips are full of nerve endings which, when stimulated, provides tactile gratification and comfort. However, anytime the fingers go to the mouth or play with the side of the mouth or lip, it’s a retrogressive action indicating insecurity since the gesture is an attempt to pacifying as an infant would.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Sudden nonverbal changes: Are nonverbal patterns that, in a moment’s time, change. They indicate the presence of a telltale stimulus and one worth noting to the body language reader.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Supplication: Refers to body language that is designed to lower inherent self value in the eye of someone else who holds something desirable in hopes of obtaining it from them. Nonverbal supplication involves leaning forward to show interest while speak with someone, rather than leaning back, forcing them to chase. There are some cases where supplication is warranted such as conceding to higher ranking officials or employers, but others where it is ill advised, such as in dating, where the creation and maintenance of social value is paramount, especially in men.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Suprasternal notch or neck dimple: The dimple located just below the neck between the Adam’s apple and the breast bone which women habitually cover when nervous, distressed, threatened, insecure, fearful or uncomfortable.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Super female signals: The exaggeration of features that are characteristic of the female sex, and of which men find particularly appealing. For example, super sexual signals include breasts that are not only large, but very large, feet that are not only small, but very small, hips that are not only wide, but very wide. This extends to long hair, long eyelashes, long legs and hairlessness (except the head).

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Super-typical: A person or group of people who fall on the right side of a gradient or bell curve in terms of their actions or popularity. They are above average.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Suppressed expressions: Facial expressions that appear subconsciously, but are quickly impeded or modified so as to conceal them from view and present a more desirable expressions. Reading these cues can indicate honest feelings.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Surprised body language: A state of mind usually accompanied by fear, excitement or pleasure. Body language indicating surprise include stepping backwards or away to avoid the stimulus, ducking or head covering, extending the arms and legs outward, jumping upwards, dropping the mouth, widening the eyes, gasping or screaming.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Surprised facial expression or surprised: Characterized by an upward curve of the eyebrows, widening of the eyes to reveal the whites and a drop of the jaw.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Suspicious body language or suspicion: Nonverbal cues that indicate that a person is wary of another’s motives and so is pensive. Eye squinting and having focused eyes that track a target are two ways suspicion is conveyed. Other body language indicating suspicion includes furrowed brows, turning the head sideways then upwards as if thinking, peering over glasses and tightening of the lips.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Swagger: A way of carrying the body that emits extreme confidence and self esteem, strength, charisma, a sense of masculinity, and even danger. Having swagger implies that a person has excellent and attractive body language including posture and movement, eye patterns and voice tonality such that it creates envy in men and awe in women.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Sweating: A limbic response due to high stress or anxiety. It usually occurs in the armpits, hands and often the forehead.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Symbolic stripping: Includes loosening ties, removing jackets or over-shirts, rolling up the sleeves, undoing buttons and so forth. The nonverbal message it entails is mixed since it depends on context. It can deliver a sexual message in a romantic situation, getting down to business at work, or comfort when done around friends.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Symbols: Learned gestures that represent particular sentiments.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Symmetry: Having equal proportions from the right to the left side. Extensive scientific research shows that symmetry is a key element to beauty, especially as it applies to the face.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Synchrony: When the body’s of two people seem to have a flow or to be moving in unison. Synchrony happens when the arm and leg movements mirror or echo the person or persons they are interacting with, when verbal cues are copied, or even when attire is matched building commonality. Synchrony indicates agreement of ideas and that a common ground has been established.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

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.

Share and Enjoy:

Non Verbal Body Language Dictionary ::R::

by Christopher Philip • March 27, 2010 • 0 Comments

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Radical hair styles: A person who’s hair is far beyond ordinary. This person is usually rebellious, adventurous, trendy, a nonconformist, artistic, expressive, is trying to fit in with certain peers, has no regard for personal appearance, has a need to be different or is being affect by their culture.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Rapid speech: A voice trait when the rate of speaking occurs at an above average rate making what is being said difficult to follow. Talking fast can be due to lying (fast talking salesman), a reaction to growing up in a house where it was hard to get a word in, a basic insecurity, poor self-esteem, efforts to gain attention, nervousness, impatience, anxiety, insecurity, excitement, fear, drugs or alcohol use, anger, desire to persuade or being caught in a lie.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Rapport or rapport building: When bodies flow in unison while in conversation as if in a dance, they have achieved perfect rapport. Good rapport includes, proper turn taking in speech, matched pace, tonality and volume, mirroring or echoing with respect to posture, matched gesturing and agreement indicators are present and used appropriately to create a seamless and synchronous conversation between two or more people. Rapport is a nonverbal necessity in forming social bonds in friends, in sales to produce comfort and agreement. In all situations, rapport produces liking. It is good rapport that is felt when people feel relaxed and comfortable with others.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Raspy voice: A raspy voice is a trait usually found in people who smoke, but it can also be due to a cold, bronchitis or physical ailment. Other times a raspy voice is due to overuse or misuse of the vocal cords.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Readiness to submit postures: Cues that can eliminate, or significantly reduce the possibility of confrontation usually done by making the body smaller and lowering the eyes.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Ready language: Postures or positions that indicate a desire to leave or take action. Putting the weight forward on the toes, extending a foot in the direction one wishes to exit and putting the hands on the knees are a few examples.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Reading readiness: When a nonverbal reader has the foundation, understanding and awareness to predict behaviour in other people. It involves knowing the catalogue of body language cues in addition to their meaning, and then carefully observing them in others with an unbiased, objective eye to decipher hidden meaning.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Recognition gestures: An indication that a person has identified someone familiar. The signals include a smile, eye widening, eyebrow flash, waving and so forth.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Rectangular table seating arrangements: A table dimension that makes it possible to structure power. The head of the table gains the most power except when it puts their back to the door. Power trickles down as one moves down the table from the head. The person sitting opposite the head is in a competitive arrangement with them.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Regal stance: A standing body position whereby the arms are placed behind the back. It signifies a desire not to be touched and a haughty attitude. Royalty and those of high rank will be seen performing this stance.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Regulating: One of the six main categories of body language. This category of body language carries all that is aimed at controlling the pace of a message. It includes all body language used in proper turn-taking such as head nodding, mouth gapping to indicate a desire to speak, eye contact, and so forth.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Regulators: Used to modulate and maintain the flow of the speech, or turn taking, during a conversation. They include kinesic such as head nods or nonkinesic such as eye movements as well as verbal utterances such as “mhums” and “yeses.”

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Reinforced arm crossing: A full arm cross in combination with clenched fists in a cluster. This cluster indicates hostility and defensiveness. When arm crossing is combined with a tight-lipped smile or clenched teeth is signifies that a verbal or physical confrontation is immanent.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Rejection body language: Cues used to repel others such as turning the head away and body away, holding an expressionless face, staring blankly, bringing the hand up to stifle a false or real yawn, sneering, fidgeting or picking the fingernails, open rejection of conversation, and so forth.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Regional style: Fashion and apparel that provides cues to a person’s heritage. They can include male bikini style bathing suits, cowboy hats, distinctive jewelry or other accessories, big hairdos and so forth.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Register: Is the range of the voice from its highest of highs to it’s lowest of lows.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Relaxed body language: Relaxed includes a letting down of defensive and closed body language that is typically guarded and rigid for a more open or loose form body language as a person becomes more comfortable. Examples of relaxed body language include a loose body, leg spreading, removing attire, increasing proximity and gesticulation. More extreme relaxation includes laying down or throwing a leg over the arm of a chair.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Relaxed body postures: Found in people that feel they belong or “own” a situation. They include a loose and open body.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Remotivating or remotivate: Nonverbal gestures used to control the reaction of others. When a women displays sexually to gain an advantage she is said to be remotivating her target. Acting submissive to dominant individuals is also a form of remotivating.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Repeating: One of the six main categories of body language. Repeating says that body language is used to convey the same meaning as what was just iterated verbally. If one says “move that over there” then, after a moment pointing in the direction to which one wants something moved, then body language has served to repeat a thought.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Reptilian brain (the) or the honest brain: The reptilian brain produces visceral bodily responses such as heart rate, blood pressure, circulation, respiration, digestion, and reproduction. The reptilian brain is the brain stem. It produces nonverbal body language that is deemed more truthful than that generated by the neocortex which is capable of producing conscious movements. When a person defense their territory and competes for dominance it is due to the reptilian brain.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Resentment body language or resent: A set of signals that forms the backdrop to anger or jealousy that happens when someone has had something taken away from them of which creates envy and negative feelings toward that person. The body language of those with resentment habitually involves some form of distancing from the stimulus which has caused the emotion. Resentment body language includes crossing the arms, stiffening of the body, grimacing, pouting, avoidance, looking away and various anger signals.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Resonance: An aspect of voice cause by vibrations in the vocal chambers such as the mouth or pharynx. An authoritative voice resonates from within the chest whereas thin and tight vocal cords produce resonance through the head creating a higher resonance. Low resonances are deep, mellow and earthy, whereas high resonance appears nasal and at times annoying.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Restraint, restrained, restraining or restricted behaviour: Nonverbal language and movement that is more limited than a person’s baseline. It often indicates a fear response due to anxiety and sometimes predicts lying.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Rictus: A term stemming from the Latin word meaning “open mouth.” A fixed grimace resulting from extreme shock or nervousness.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Risorius: Muscles located at the corners of the lips which stretch the mouth toward the ears in the false smile.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Ritual gestures: Movements that are created between two or more people to build a connection. They can include blowing kisses from mother to infant, silly dance moves, or secrete handshakes. These can extend into adulthood through sports such as end-zone celebrations and other elaborate signals. These gestures are aimed at building relationships and connectivity since they are formulated between close knit people in an exclusive setting.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Rocking: A rhythmic motion of the torso from side to side or from front to back. Usually rocking signifies a negative thought and based on its intensity and persistence spells to what degree it is felt. High intensity rocking is found in the mentally ill, and low grade rocking can be found in infants who are bored. Rocking also indicates nervousness and can be found in people preparing for sporting events, or to take stage. In this case, rocking is a substitute for pacing.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Rogatory posture: When the arms are completely outstretched with palms up we call it the “rogatory” posture, or prayer-like. It is a posture used to signify a desire to be believed and trusted however it also tells of a person who lacks conviction.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Rolled up sleeves (on men): Most powerful when done in a shirt and tie, this gesture symbolizes a desire to get down to business in a less formal manner. Barack Obama can be seen doing this when speaking on change and action. Women usually perceive this body language as masculine and sexy since it puts the forearms on display.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Room encompassing glance: Occurs when a women first casts her eyes around the room for 5 to 10 seconds. If she spots someone she is interested in, she will take a second look. This second glance is directed toward a specific man. It will be short, and she will rotate her head 25 to 40 degrees to the side then look away (usually downward) within about 3 seconds. Women usually continue this behavior until they meet their target’s eyes. At this point, the target and the woman will hold a mutual gaze lasting about 3 seconds with eye contact broken most often by the women.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Rotation of the pelvis: While sitting or standing, a woman may subtly roll her pelvis to draw attention to her sexuality.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Roving eyes: Eyes that wander all over the room making a person seem disinterested and superior.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Round table seating arrangements or team style seating: A relaxed informal way to sit that promotes discussion among people and creates egalitarian relationships.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Rituals: Habitual gestures that repeat within a culture including ceremony, idiosyncrasies or social norms.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Rituals of nervousness: Person specific patterns that outline tension in a person. They can include stroking the arm of a chair, playing with a pen, playing with the hair, or adjusting clothing.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Rubbing the eye: Usually signifying doubt or disbelief although sometimes indicating fatigue or to alleviate an itch.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Rubbing the forehead: An evaluative body language gesture but also one that signals an internal struggle where slight to severe discomfort is being experienced.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Rubbing the hands gestures: A universal signal indicating that someone is prepared to receive something and is figuratively like washing or cleaning them. In an evolutionary sense it is mean to keep the gift which is about to be received clean. We often see those closing important contracts or sales rubbing their hands.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Rule of four: States that to get an accurate reading of people’s body language you need to find at least four congruent signals at the same time.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Rule of mixed signals (the): This nonverbal rule says that when there is a mismatch between someone’s body language and their words, rely more heavily on the body language when trying to accurately read a person.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Rule of negative body language (the): This nonverbal rule says that when a person mixes positive and negative body language rely more on the negative cues than the positive cues. The rule is designed to account for the fact that a person is habitually hiding negativity so as to appear more in control and less abrasive in the eyes of others.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

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.

Share and Enjoy:

Non Verbal Body Language Dictionary ::P::

by Christopher Philip • March 26, 2010 • 0 Comments

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Pat (the): Done near the end of a hug when a person wishes to “submit” and break away – ending the hug.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Patterning: A rapport building speech technique that involves mirroring the types of words used by another person within a category, meaning either, visual, auditory or kinesthetic. For example, if your target used sentences like “I see that” implying they are a visual learner, one would pattern them by asking them “how does that look to you?” or “You’d really look good doing such and such.”

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Pacifier: A nonverbal cue that is done to produce calm such as stroking the hair, mouthing a pencil, smoking a cigarette, licking the lips, rubbing the chin, and so forth.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Pacifying or pacify or self-stimulating gestures: Gestures done specifically to sooth or calm underlying stress, anxiety and emotional discomfort, as a child would do by sucking on a pacifier. They include sucking on a pen or finger, stroking the hair or arm, touching the neck, and any myriad of other person specific cue. By watching for pacifiers the nonverbalist can uncover sources of anxiety in real time as pacifiers follow closely with their originators.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Pace: A speech related term referring the relative speed with which communication takes place. The speed of speech tells us about the character of a person through nonverbal channel. Those who speak quickly are thought to be of lower confidence, while those that speak too slowly – of lower intelligence. Having “good pace” is when there is proper balance between quickness and slowness where confidence is conveyed. Pace covers appropriate pausing, and rhythm.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Pacing (a): A classic of anxiety and a form of energy displacement because it gives us something to do and burns extra calories and releases positive natural pain killers to create relaxation.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Pacing (b): When two people match speech patterns exactly or nearly, we can this “pacing.”

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Pale face or Blanching: Terms used to describe a white appearance that is cast over the face during periods of high anxiety or illness. When the body enters its flight or fight response, blood is diverted from the body’s periphery to its large muscle groups including the legs and arms. This draws blood away from the face and neck to make them appear white.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Pale skin or pale complexion: When the skin is very light due to lack of UV exposure. This is due to having few outdoor activities and lacking vanity to use artificial tanning machines like tanning beds. Other reasons include a health conscious attitude leading a person to protect the skin against harmful rays, a cold climate keeping a person indoors or when sun exposure is limited to geographic location.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Palmar sweat glands: Sweat glands that are found in the grip lines in the palms that respond directly to stress rather than to an increase in temperature. Interestingly, while sleeping and under relaxed conditions these glands are not activated, however as stress increases, palm sweating increases, so these provide a good indicator of stress. If palms are bone dry, one is relaxed.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Palm down: Palm down displays show emphatically that a position is held confidently. Hands usually are palm down on a table when speaking on a topic or issue.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Palm flash or palm display or palm up: In evolutionary terms, the palm display is an important gesture signifying honesty because it is a way to make evident to others that no threat or weapon is present (such as spear, sword or bow and arrow). Palm flashes are essentially what would have happened thousands of years ago when two foreign tribes met. Palm and wrist displays have also been noted to be sexual in nature and more frequently flashed by women during courtship likely because it is such a vulnerable part of the body.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Palm down handshake: A palm orientation where it faces downward and is dominant in nature.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Palm up handshake: Where the palm is oriented to face upward meant to show submissiveness.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Palm even handshake: Where the palms of both handshakers are perfectly vertical (neither up, nor down) indicating an egalitarian relationship.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Palm finger stroke: A gestures that happens by stroking the inside of the palm with the fingers. Palm finger stroking is due to doubt or mild confidence issues.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Palm power: The harnessed ability to convey diverse meaning with use of the palms alone. Palm-up, palm-down and palm even all represent different things, from authority to submission.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Pan faced or stone faced: A term with similar meaning as “poker face” that describes a face devoid of emotional expression.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Panhandler’s approach (the): Making eye contact is a way to personify other people and by the same measure, avoiding eye contact makes people insignificant. This is why eye contact is avoided between masters and their servants, bosses and certain employees, and regular citizens and panhandlers. It says “I don’t recognize your existence.”

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Parade: Women emphasize their hips with a walk called the “parade” which happens when a woman walks with exaggerated swinging or rolling of the hips, back arched, stomach flat, breasts protruding, and head held high. Studies show us that women out of committed relationship naturally walk in this manner to attract attention.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Paralanguage or paralinguistic sounds or paralingual: Those elements of speech that are “para” (beside) the words which are spoken such as pitch, tone of voice, rate of speech, intensity or emphasis and volume. These all convey additional meaning that is on top of the meaning conveyed by words. Tone of voice can convey emotions, personality can come through voice quality and speech errors can provide indications of mood.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Parallel legs: Happens when the legs are crossed one leg over the knee, but with the legs pressed together. One leg pressed against the other makes the legs sexier and more youthful in appearance. The legs parallel is a sign of femininity because men aren’t able to perform this posture.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Paraverbal and verbal cues in deception: At times verbal and paraverbal cues betray the liar and these are cues tied directly to the words in which they speak. Although they fall outside the realm of body language at large, they do define cues associated with deception. They include vocal tension, hectic speech, faltering speech, expressing self doubt, negative complaints or statements, defensiveness or aggressiveness, changes in pitch (high low or monotone), shaky or soft voice, stuttering, false starts, silent pauses, filled pauses, delayed response, appearing to be thinking, admitted lack of memory, tentative construction of sentences, , improper structure or grammar, implausible story, inconsistent story, superfluous details, clearing the throat and spontaneous corrections.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Parted lips: A sexual attraction signal done by women.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Partial arm cross: Includes holding the opposite elbow in the hand, with that hand dropped to the side. It can also happen by reaching across to grab the opposite shoulder. Both postures form a barrier across the core of the body and signals to others that they don’t wish others to come close.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Passive listening: The opposite of active listening where a person does not reflects on what is being said and lacks nonverbal indicators. A passive listener holds poor or no eye contact, is sometimes unblinking as if glazed over, orients away from the speaker with their torso despite facing them, and fails to nod their head at all or nods inappropriately.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Pat on the behind: A sexual, but sometimes friendly slap done to the rear end. When done by men on women it usually takes on a sexual meaning, but sports athletes commonly use the gesture to build comradery.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Patting: A reassurance gesture done by repeatedly and rhythmically applying the hand to the back, head, thigh or other.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Peacocking: A term used by the pick-up artist community that describes the dress or fashion designed specifically to attract attention from women and initiate conversations. It usually involves wearing something unique, sometimes ridiculous, such as an interesting hat, or something flashy like a glowing necklace. Peacocking also describes a state of mind that is willing to stand up to pressures from outside forces stemming from other alpha males who might try to put the pick-up artist off with his unique attire.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Pease, Allan: An Australian author and motivational speaker who has studied for almost four decades in the field of body language. His book “The definitive book of body language” is a multi-million seller. Pease began life as a musician, who later moved on to life insurance sales before embarking on a career in training and education. Allan Pease’s original book “Body language” brought him international recognition inspiring him to co-write “Why men don’t listen and women can’t read maps”, “Why men don’t have a clue and women always need more shoes”, “Why men want sex and women need love”, “Easy Peasey: people skills for life” with the help of his wife Barbara Pease.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Peering over glasses or looking over glasses: A disdain, contempt, haughty and judgmental attitude is felt by the bearer of this posture. Sometimes the head is lowered and the eyes peer over top of the glasses, other times the glasses are pulled down the bridge of the nose in accompaniment with a glare.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Pecking forward: A term stemming from the PUA (pick up artist) community that describes men who, in dating situations, tend to lean forward to appease women they are attempting to attract. It makes men appear needy rather than dominant and instead of showing interest, shows that men aren’t chase worthy in the eyes of women.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Peek-a-boo game: An adult game where eyes are hidden from view with objects such as menus, drinking glasses, and even other people. It is often sexual in nature where the absence of the eyes is made better with their resurgence.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Penis sheath, koteka, horim, or penis gourd: It is an ornamental phallic object (a dried gourd) worn over the penis by native males in New Guinea. The penis sheath is significant as nonverbal cue because it shows the ubiquity of male genital displays. Western men will draw attention through finger pointing by placing fingers in belt loops and aiming them downward toward the penis, or by spreading the legs while sitting.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Pensive displays: Gestures that indicate thought is occurring such as fingers stroking the chin, cheek stroking, taping a pen against the chin and temple rubbing.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Perception: The ability to see and read another person’s body language coupled with the ability to translate it to accurate and useful descriptors that help decipher otherwise hidden intentions, emotions and thought patterns. A person is perceptive when they see an entire person by summing up all of its silent communication and when they are able to spot contradictions between spoken words and their body language.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Personal space: Generally there are four common distances by which people interact. They are intimate distances which includes is about 18 inches or less, personal distance from 18 inches to 5 feet, social distance which is from 5 to 10 feet and public distance which is from 10 feet to 25 feet.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Personal space threats: Encroachment upon the boundaries of a person causing a visceral fight or flight response.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Personal space zone: A distance of interaction that is from 18 inches to about 5 feet which we use to communicate to friends and those we trust or have a history with. All others are denied access. Our personal space has been referred to as a “bubble”, since it encircles us, but it more closely resembles a cylinder. Personal space zones vary from culture to culture.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Personalities: A dynamic and organized set of characteristics held by a person that influences their motivation, cognition and body language. The word “personality” has origins in the Latin “persona” meaning mask. Personality plays an important role in the body language that typifies individuals. It is these signals that make everyone unique and predictable.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Persuasive appeal: Described by Aristotle in On Rhetoric as Ethos, who addresses persuasive appeal based on character and the qualities that make him credible, Pathos who appeals to emotion and Logos who addresses the logic behind given arguments. The nonverbalist requires all three elements to appeal to those around him.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Phallic displays or crotch displays or genital presentation or genital displays: Gestures which flaunt the genitals and draw emphasis toward them. Framing the genitals with the hands or fingers by placing the thumbs in a belt look and aiming the fingers downward is a sexual display of dominance. Other times, the legs can be spread wide open while seated or standing to draw attention to the midsection.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Phallic mimicry or phallic symbols or phallus: Referring to objects appearing like a penis and meant to replace them commonly called phallic symbols. In nonverbal communication phallic symbols that imitate the male sexual organ are incorporated in attraction by females to create interest. For example, stroking the stem of a whine glass, patting the fingers to the mouth, eating a banana with enthusiasm, or mouthing a pen or cigarette shows sexual intention and desire.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Pheromones: Chemicals emitted by the body of a unique signature usually associated with sexual attraction. Women and men emit these scents naturally through the various parts of their body to peek the interest of the opposite sex.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Physical appearance: The nonverbal signals that are tied directly to the physic of a person such as their body shape and size, height, facial shape, attractiveness, eyebrows, hair and hair colour, hairiness, skin pigmentation or blemishes and so forth. Immutable physical attributes carry many stereotypical implications which influence the perceptions of other people and are particularly important when forming first impressions. Physical appearance liking or disliking is also culturally influenced and variable across generations.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Physiognomy: A concept whereby facial features, expressions and their outer appearance are thought to indicate a person’s character, personality, nature as well as their ethnic origin. The word physiognomy is from Greek “physis” meaning “nature” and “gnomon” meaning “judge” or “interpreter.” Recent research has linked traits such as trustworthiness, social dominance and aggression to levels of testosterone during development signifying an underlying biological origin. Physiognomy says that aggressive people have wider, more angular faces, whereas nice people have rounder and less sharp faces.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Pick-up artist: A man (usually) or women who is committed to attracting and seducing members of the opposite sex through specific tailored methods. The culture is highly technical and loosely connected through a community. The PUA is learned in sociology, biology, zoology, evolution and psychology.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Pigeon toes: Having the toes pointed inwards, often called pigeon toes or anatomically “tibial torsion” shows meek body language. Children and women who are smitten will point their toes inwards. It signals that they are willing to follow more dominant individuals. It is reminiscent of making the body appear smaller and less threatening.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Pinching the bridge of nose: An evaluative gesture. Indicates deep thought or a negative emotion.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Pinocchio effect: Derived from the popular fairytale about the boy who’s nose grew when he told lies, the Pinocchio effect has roots in biology that says that a person’s nose actually does increase blood flow during high stress, anxiety or during lying and so it “grows” and swells. This increase in blood flow produces a sensation which creates a desire in a person to touch or scratch their nose giving them away.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Pitch: Pitch is a voice quality describing the number of vibrations emitted from the vocal cords in a unit of time. The greater the vibrations, the higher the pitch, and therefore the higher the note achieved. The rate of vibration is in turn controlled by the length and thickness of the vocal cords and how they are contracted or relaxed. In most cases, men’s voices are of lower pitch than women’s, but even men can tighten their vocal cords enough to achieve comparable pitch so is therefore partly under conscious control. The highness and lowness of natural voices is affected by the body chemical androgen which is the male sex hormone. The same hormone is tied to physical prowess and aggressiveness and also loosely tied to a competitor’s health and vigor making a low voice attractive to females when it is found in men. To the nonverbal world, meaning is conveyed through pitch as when emotions run high the voice can raise such as when screaming, and be lowered when trying to sound authoritarian. Pitch also tells us what kind of person we are dealing with, be they subordinate with higher pitch or dominant with lower pitch. When authority is concerned a lower pitch is preferred to a high pitch. A high pitch says ineffective no matter how capable the person. A low pitch can also signal depression and weariness.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Pituitary gland: The pituitary gland or hypophysis is structure about the size of a pea weighing only 0.02 ounces located at the base of the brain. It is an endocrine gland which is under the direct control of the hypothalamus. The pituitary gland produces many hormones but the most important in body language is oxytocin and endorphins which are released to produce a calming effect and reduce pain. Various patterns of nonverbal behaviour can be seen in accompaniment with the desire to release calming hormones or lack thereof.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Planes of the eyes: A body language technique to built trust and equality or the exact oppose where the eyes are kept at the same level as someone else or raised higher. If a person is sitting or standing, then body lowering or rising is used to maintain or not maintain even planes. When equality is sought, eyes are kept level, when dominance is desired, eyes are kept higher and when subordination is desired, eyes are lowered.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Poker face or block face: This is a term originating from the card game which describes a face that shows no expression or emotion. Block face is another word with the same meaning, in this case, it relates the face to an expressionless object.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Pointing: The pointer is akin to a spear thrower. Every time they thrusts their finger forward, it is as if they are jabbing their ideas into their audience. We see this most often during aggressive verbal fights where the accuser is making strong personal attacks against the other.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Pointing knee: A sitting posture whereby the leg is tucked under and sat on. It indicates high comfort because it prohibits a quick escape.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Pointing toes: An intention indicator. The toes point in the direction the mind wants to “travel.”

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Polygraph or lie detector machine: A machines that reads changes in heart rate, blood pressure and increases in perspiration or respiration in order to detect deception.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Polite smile: Used with people we only know in passing or not at all. The teeth are shown and the lips are curved upward modestly.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Position of invisibility: The chairs found alongside the wall in a boardroom setting. These are the second-tier chairs and ones in which no participation is required at all.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Position of neutrality or seating position of neutrality or neutral sitting position: The seating positions located on either side of the stardust chairs (which flank the head seating position). This seating position is commonly overlooked and is rarely expected to participate in the conversation since they are surrounded by alphas who are seeking attention.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Position of secondary influence: The seating position which falls dead center of the table immediately after the position of neutrality. This is a position which lends to active participation since it is easier to cast eyes on the middle yet not as powerful as the stardust chairs.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Postural tonus: A term referring to the relative rigidity and erectness of the body and its overall posture. A “slopper” holds his shoulders rounded and head hanging downward proving to be depressed, drowsy or ill whereas “the scout” carries himself fully erect with shoulders back and head held high depicting confidence and good spirit.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Postural patterns: Define the movement and positioning of the body such as closed or open body positions, rigid or loose torso, rounded shoulders or upright and so forth.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Posture: A term derived from the Latin verb “ponere” meaning “to put in place” and refers to the way the body is held including the arms, legs and spine. Posture refers not only to the erectness of our bodies, but also to our body orientation, direction of lean, and the degree to which our bodies are open and inviting. Good posture happens when the joints are not bent, the spine is aligned and not twisted and the person is able to optimally balance the mass of the body over its framework without stress. Posture tells us a lot about a person and their history and feelings about themselves and how they feel about others. For example, shoulders hunched carries negative sentiments whereas shoulders back mean confidence. Posture can give way to feelings of like or dislike, interest or disinterest as well as many other sentiments.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Pouting: A facial gesture done by pressing the lips together and pushing them forward and crunching the eyebrows downward and inward as if in grief. This gesture is usually done by small children or by adults resorting to juvenile characteristics trying to secure affection, privilege, resource, or reward of some kind from another person. The gesture signifies a negative emotion due to the grief element of the puckered lips and scrunched eyebrows.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Pouting lips or puckering: A desire to be kissed when done by women in dating situations. Sometimes occurs only very slightly or barely perceivable.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Power dressing: A term originating with the feminist movement as women began to enter to workforce. With it came padded shoulders, male-type attire such as dark business suites. Eventually power dressing turned more feminine with elaborate colours and styles, and then only briefly more sexual attire such as short skirts. Power dressing today is more of a universal term for men and women who wish to rise in the ranks by looking stylish.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Power player (the) (a): One of three types in business. They are someone that arrive slightly late, spends most of their time with other leaders, interrupts others more often, and will try to sit where they can influence the most people possible.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Power player (the) (b): A person who is usually versed in nonverbal communication or else one who is proficient at using it so as to gain the advantage and manipulate people subconsciously into serving their needs.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Power plays: Nonverbal communication that takes advantage of the channel so as to yield desirable results in a zero-sum game. Zero-sum refers to only one (or several) winners and one (or several losers), but of which there is no mutual benefit between those interacting. Using height differences to control, using touch to manipulate, using smiles to gain favours and flirting to gain access to resources are all nonverbal power plays.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Power lift (the): A technique used to control the eyes of another person usually in a business situation. It is done by using a pen to point toward information of interest then lifting the pen and holding it in between your eyes and their eyes to creates a magnetic effect.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Power sitting: Most dominant sitting position are ineffective for women because it inadvertently increases their sexuality (leg spreading – crotch display, full body steeple). One way they can reverse it is by power sitting. It is done by sitting with the legs crossed, leg over knee and point the heel horizontally at someone they wish to intimidate.

The heel acts like a dagger against its prey – it emasculates men.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Power stare (the): A technique that builds strength by using an unblinking eye while maintaining eye contact followed by narrowed eyelids and increased focus. Eyes can also be moved from one person to another without blinking for added effect – usually done by first moving the eyes, then following with the head. When done correctly, the power stare recreates a predator-prey relationship causing emotional discomfort.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Power tie: A term referring to a particularly fashionable necktie that brings with it confidence and the ability to close deals.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Power venting: Dramatic and sometimes violent outburst of nonverbal behavior stemming from anger and frustration. They include temper tantrums, throwing things, passive aggression, punching walls, storming off, crying, and other forms of drama.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Practical dresser or practical fashion: A type of style which is more focused on functionality and utility instead of extravagance. People who wear practical attire are at ease with themselves, are not self-centered, are willing to go against the grain so as to feel comfortable in their clothing, and are frugal.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Prance (the): A playful gait which is peppered with unnecessary leaps and bounces.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Pregnant pause (the): A sudden cessation of free-flowing conversation. It usually accompanies a provocative or threatening topic. The pregnant pause signifies that a person has been taken off-guard or has been derailed and is taking some time to collect his or her thoughts. The pause is due to a fear reaction from a “deer in the headlights.” Brief pauses mean something different and can signify anger, frustration, or disgust as a person takes a moment to cool off before speaking.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Pressing the flesh: Descriptive term given to intimate handshakes which are usually reserved for politicians.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Pretend fear or sadness: A facial expression where there is no accompanying forehead movement.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Primary emotions: First identified by naturalist Charles Darwin which include the six main universal facial expressions and their root causes – happiness, sadness, disgust, anger, fear, surprise.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Professional touching: Touching in a business setting including shaking hands with a client, a dentist working on your teeth or a doctor checking for discomfort.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Prolonged eye contact: When eye contact continues for longer than normal. This extended eye contact can be due to sexual interest, hostility, aggression or defensiveness.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Protective reflexes: Instinctive movements of the body which guard vulnerable areas such as the head, neck, groin and ventral side. Protective reflexes includes crossing the arms and legs to protect the heart and lungs and the genitals from attack, or turning the body away and head down. Protective reflexes often arise due to emotional threat rather than physical threat which is unexpected indicating that these movements are evolutionary throwaways to a time when physical harm was much more common than it is today.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Proxemics: The study of how people use space. First introduced by anthropologist Edward T. Hall in the 1960’ to describe the implications distances play between people as they interact.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Proximity: An important aspect of nonverbal communication that indicates liking and agreement. When agreement is formed, people will move closer to one another by leaning forward or extending body parts such as feet and hands. When disagreement is present, the reverse will happen, arms will be drawn inward and people will tend to step away. One of the key elements of dating, is increased proximity.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Provine, Robert: Born in 1943, Dr. Provine is a professor of psychology at the University of Maryland Baltimore County who has published over fifty research papers within developmental neuroscience and neural mechanisms of behaviour over a span of thirty years. He is the foremost researcher of laughter with other focus on the development, evolution and neural mechanisms of behavior. He uses human social behaviour in an interdisciplinary method to understand the development and evolution of the nervous system as well as human social behaviour. Recent studies have focused on nonverbal aspects such as laughter, yawning, tickling, and behavioral contagion.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Pseudo-infantile gestures: Nonverbal signals stemming from childhood that create submission and produce sympathy, compassion, attention and avoid attack. Ducking or bowing the head, cowering, rolling the shoulders and slumping are a few examples.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Psychology: Is a realm of study that looks at human and animal behaviour related to mental functions such as neurology and physiology. Psychologists study topics such as perception, cognition, emotion, motivation, personality and interpersonal relationships through various studies that examine cause and effect, versus correlational relationships. They look at family, employment, education and treatment of mental health issues. Body language fits into psychology by tying human behaviour with underlying motivation and emotions. Body language plays an important factor in interpersonal relationships and psychologists tackle these issues.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Public space zone: A distance of 12 feet or greater which we use when addressing a large crowd as is the case when presenting or performing.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Pulling punches: A playful fighting gesture where false punches are applied to another person to strengthen bonds.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Pupil dilation or papillary constriction: Pupil dilation is an aspect of nonverbal communication which outlines when arousal is taking place. Under stress or arousal of any kind, be it liking or visceral disliking, the pupils expand so as to allow more light in. This can include stress and fear due to lying, any other fearful situation and even attraction.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Pupillometrics: The study of pupil size in relation to emotion such as liking, interest, fear and dislike.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Putdown humour: Putdown humour is any humour that derives amusement at the expense of others. It can be demeaning jokes, teasing, sarcasm or even a self-deprecating remark. Laughter at the expense of others and their misfortunes can create togetherness and solidarity.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Puts, David: An anthropologist at Penn State University. Dr. Puts studies the neuroendocrine and evolutionary bases of human behavior, with special focus on the development and evolution of behavioral sex differences. Puts studies how sex hormones affect psychology, behaviour, effects of menstrual cycle-related changes in ovarian hormones, as well as sexual selection and the evolution of sexual dimorphism, including the evolution sex differences in voices, faces, bodies, brains, and behavior. Throughout his studies, he looks at nonverbal channels of communication and has published several journal articles on the topic.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

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.

Share and Enjoy:

Non Verbal Body Language Dictionary ::M::

by Christopher Philip • March 25, 2010 • 0 Comments

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Macroexpressions: A term that compliments microexpressions. It defines nonverbal signals that are easily seen and persist in time such as arm crosses, leg crosses, shoulder shrugs, and facial expressions so forth.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Man hug or macho hug: Usually a single armed hug flung over the back with the other hand clasped thumb over fist sandwiched in between the chests of each hugger. Usually the fist of the free hand is clenched closed rather than open palmed, but other times it is vigorously slapped over the upper back. The shoulders are also sometimes bumped together with the hands in a thumb over hand shake as the two pull together. The man hug is a less intimate version of the embrace.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Manipulative body language: Body language aimed specifically to sway a person into doing something that is not in their best interest or believing in something that may be harmful.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Manipulator: A gesture that produces self-reassurance or one that performs an instrumental task such as straightening a tie which could indicate nervousness or might actually need straightening.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Masked arm crossing or masked crossed arms: When a person holds a drink across the centerline of the body while seated or standing, hold a drink with both hands or reach across the body to play with a watch or cufflink they are said to have masked an arm cross. These are defensive-protective postures.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Masked body language: Gestures such as crossing the arms across the body to create comfort but that are disguised as necessary, such as to adjust a watch or cufflink, straighten a tie, or other grooming function. They are said to be masked because they appear to serve a true purpose, but in actual fact, do not.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Masking: This is a term used to describe a phenomenon by which people dehumanize themselves when in busy public places. It permits people to remove emotions and feelings, at least on the surface, to navigate an impersonal world full of strangers. In evolutionary terms, masking is like a “poker face” that hides insecurities and weakness which might have arisen on chance meetings with foreign tribes. Cussing, yelling and other carrying on is a way to mask sensitivity and to hide caring which is common in places like New York.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Measurer (the) or measurement gestures or power palms or parallel palms: The hands are moved parallel to one another and juggled up and down as if measuring an object. This signals a desire to project thoughts onto others. A secondary meaning stems from figuratively demonstrating how big an object or idea is. For example, a fish was this big by moving the hands away from each other show just how big.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Mehrabian, Albert: Born in 1939 Albert Mehrabian is a professor of psychology at UCLA. His nonverbal research findings have been often quoted and his 7%-38%-55% rule has received worldwide attention (and misinterpretation). It is commonly misconstrued to imply that nonverbal messages are 55% of the message, while only 7% is what is actually said, with the remaining 38% due to how it is delivered. However, in actual fact, his studies showed that 7% of liking comes from verbal channels, 38% vocal liking and 55% facial liking. For further investigation on Mehribian see his 1967 studies “Decoding of Inconsistent Communications” and “Inference of Attitudes from Nonverbal Communication in Two Channels.”

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Metronome or metronomic signals: Rhythmic movements such as tapping that indicate a readiness to speak, boredom, or though.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Microculture: A subset of a larger culture which can be as small as two people.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Microexpressions: Microexpressions are facial movements or expressions that flash across the face at such a fast rate that they are barely perceivable. Signals are normally used to decipher liars from those telling the truth because they are very small and difficult to control. These cues show up on high speed video cameras played back and persistence from 1/25 to 1/5 of a second. They appear as furrows, smirks, frowns, smiles and wrinkles and can offer an accurate window into emotions. The research are commonly expressed by muscles such as the fontalis, corregator and risorius and they are provoked by underlying emotions that are nearly impossible to control consciously.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Microgestures or microsignals: A brief nonverbal cue that happens due to an attempt to suppress a normal response to a negative stimuli. Because they happens so quickly they are reliable and termed “honest gestures” according the body language reader. These signals can be quick smirks, nose crinkles, or hands that seem move to pacify only to come up short at the last second.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Micromessaging or microsignaling: Describes the subtle form of nonverbals that occurs just over the level of consciousness, but of which is difficult to catch if not aware. These are the mild glares, scornful eyes, subtle ignoring through slightly turned shoulders, tiny eye rolling, and so forth. These signals are aimed at belittling a person without them being perfectly aware of the reason they are being rejected. Micromessaging is prevalent in the workplace as bosses and employees power play each other.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Military man or arms behind the back posture: A posture normally held by dominant individuals and leaders. It occurs by placing the hands, palm in palm behind the back. It can also be held by policemen or the military and can be accompanied by holding the chin up and head held back. Power is the main meaning it delivers, as it exposes the full front of the body to possible attack and also says that a person is so powerful they aren’t to be touched or approached.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Mince (the): A type of gait which is very fast, but with only short strides.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Mind strings: A term with roots in hypnosis. Mind strings are triggers which when set or “pulled on” by a stimuli creates predictable responses in people. The analogy which best describes mind strings is that of a piano which when keys are pressed, a string is pulled creating a predictable result – a sound. The mind, through hypnosis and suggestion and daily life, works similarly such that when certain triggers are hit, a person will yield predictable responses. For example, when a person is suddenly screamed at, they react with surprise, or when presented with images of salty chips, begin to salivate. All people are collections of their past including that created through evolution and it is this framework that produces strings which can be pulled. The value of mind strings to the nonverbalist are those which can be pulled to create desirable results. For example, nearly every person has a mind string which says that stylish people are worthy of attention and those who lack style, are not. Pulling on that attractiveness string yields a halo effect. Men who study social dynamics to seduce women will frequently hit strings to pull women into their frame.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Mirroring or isopraxis: In the simplest form, mirroring is copying the gestures, movements, muscle tension, expressions, voice tonality, breathing, tempo and eye movements of someone else. Mirroring is one of the most important aspects of building empathy with people as it establishes common ground and is akin to a communication dance. Mirroring happens naturally between people we like and with whom have formed a connection. Isopraxis from the Greek iso meaning same and praxis, meaning behaviour.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Mirror neurons: The discovery of the mirror neuron happened by accident at the University of Parma in Italy by researchers Giacomo Rizzolatti and Vittorio Gallese in 1996. They mirror neuron are responsible for our tendency to imitate others gestures such as yawning and keep us in sync with other people’s movements helping us to build rapport, empathy and cooperation. Mirror neurons are found in the right parietal operculum of the brain and fall into the category motor neuron meaning they control muscles and how your body moves.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Mixed signals: When nonverbal signals are not of the same type. Signals can be honest and show deception or happiness with signals of sadness mixed in. In these cases, we usually rely on the negative cues as being more honest.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Moaning: A low songlike musical note or grunt-like sound emitted over a prolonged period of time in repetitive sequence. It can indicate pain, discomfort or displeasure, but also happiness, pleasure and ecstasy.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Mock fighting or play-fight: Physical wrestling that occurs between friends or family, usually children, or between father and son where the aim is to test strength without injury. Mock fighting is an evolutionary throwaway gesture which would have prepared people for real fighting and war in adulthood.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Moistening lips: When done by women in courtship indicates sexual interest. Lips are said to imitate the female labia and licking them draws attention by both making them shinny and also by movement – of the tongue.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Moral looking time: The appropriate eye contact that doesn’t violate someone’s privacy.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Morris, Desmond, J.: Born 1928, Morris is a British zoologist and ethologist who was made famous by his book “The naked ape” in 1967 which examined humans from an unbiased scientific perspective by discussing them in the same respect as other animals. His contention is that humans are no different than animals and carry with them many prehistoric hunter-gatherer features just as all animals do. His publications have attracted much attention. His focus on humans as animals has done a lot for the study of nonverbal behaviour because it enables researchers to boil down gestures and postures to root causes through evolution. He has also published books such as “Manwatching” later reprinted at “Peoplewatching”, “Gestures: Their origin and distribution”, and “Babywatching” among many others.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Mouth guard (the): A gesture done by raising the hand to the cheek, or side of the mouth, or by wrapping a finger around the upper lip. Sometimes the hand does a downward swipe with the mouth, the hand is made into a fist and rested against the mouth, or it seems as if the person is talking through their hand. It is an indication of timidity and sometimes linked to dishonesty and low self esteem.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Movement or motion: Relative movement is an area that is frequently overlooked, but one that is nearly ubiquitous and meaningful. Movement as a nonverbal creates various means such as power, dominance, submission, threat, intimacy, and so forth. Movement can also serve to draw attention and lack thereof signals a desire to blend into the surroundings to go unnoticed. Moving closer to someone signals intimacy and threat, whereas moving away signals dislike and lack of threat.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Moving toward or shrinking distances: When a person closes the gap between another person it signals interest, commonality, liking, intimacy or affection, a desire to hear more clearly or to show ownership.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Mumbling: A voice trait where syllables are often jumbled together or inaudible due to low voice volume. Mumbling can be due to distraction, tiredness, chewing food, inebriation. More negative meanings of mumbling includes a lack of self confidence, insecurity, anxiety, inability to articulate thoughts, self-consciousness, preoccupation, fatigue or illness. A mumbler seldom seeks or is able to take leadership roles and are often judged to be depressed or sad. They also habitually use less gestures and appear less animated and less upbeat, have limp bodies, passive motions and tired demeanor.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Mutual gaze: Happens when two people look each other’s faces which often includes bouts of direct eye-to-eye-gaze.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

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.

Share and Enjoy:

Non Verbal Body Language Dictionary ::L::

by Christopher Philip • March 25, 2010 • 0 Comments

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

La France, Marianne: Professor at Boston University, Dr. La France is a researcher who studies gender and power reflection within subtle communication processes one of which is nonverbal behaviours. She studies how facial expressions, like smiling, or linguistic strategies like apologizing, reveal clear gender differences. She also examines how humour plays out between the sexes.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Laughter: Some researchers pin laughs as a modification of the fear response or as a warning that danger was near. By that same theory, we laugh because our brains are scared or frightened which is why we don’t laugh when we hear a joke for the second time and have predicted its outcome. Laughter usually comes about due to humour and helps clarify emotional context (by defining amusement) between people. Laughs follow a “ha-ha-ha” or “ho-ho-ho” pattern, but never “ha-ho-ha-ho”. We can see other variations though like “cha-ha-ha” or “ha-ha-ho.”

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Laughing cycle: Laughter is very contagious and when full blown can perpetuate itself in an open loop circuit until we are unable to breath or are in tears.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Laissez-faire bosses: The words “laissez-faire” is French for “let be”. Literally, this boss will give an employee free reign, or seemingly so. They have confidence in the ability of others to do a good job, and check in only occasionally to measure progress. They might be friendly, but lack eye contact and expression so as not to become involved with others and take them off task. To work well with this boss, use confident and independent body language. Give off signals that you are working efficiently and are coping with any project given to you. Keep meetings short, update them of your progress every so often, then get back to work.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Leadership body language: Leadership body language is a set of nonverbal postures and gestures that produce a desire to follow in others. It includes things like dominant postures, serious gaze, head held high, frequent use of touching, infrequent smiling or smiling when appropriate.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Leading: A process whereby a person is artificially induced to mirror, or match actions in another. The technique involves matching body movements such as hand gestures and leg postures, facial expression, breathing, voice and blinking in another person, then suddenly moving out of sync to pull a target into following your lead.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Leaked or involuntary body language: Leaked body language is any body language that happens accidentally. It is especially significant in people trying to prevent it from happening as it may indicate a hidden or suppressed emotion. Leaking happens because a person’s conscious mind is only successful at blocking the most obvious gestures and what usually happens is that the gestures are replaced with ones that are slightly less pronounced.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Leaning toward or leaning away: Related to proximity, leaning is a way the body either shows agreement or liking or disagreement and disliking. When people like things, they will subtly or dramatically move toward them and when they dislike them will move away from them. Leaning can be done either when sitting or standing.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Left side advantage (the): The distinct benefit of being on the left side when facing an audience or appearing in photographs especially when shaking hands. The person to the left always gains the upper hand in the handshake making them appear more dominant and in control.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Leg cleansing or leg pacifying behaviour: In response to stress the hands are rubbed against the thigh. It serves three purposes, one, it wipes sweat off the palms, two, it burns off nervous energy and three it pacifies.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Leg crossing: A form of close body posture that signifies liking when oriented toward someone rather than away, sexual interest when entwine and comfort because it disables a person from leaving.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Leg spreading: When done by men it is a dominant crotch display, and when done by women usually construed as a sexual invitation or that they have a crass attitude or are “easy.”

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Leg twine: The leg twine is one of the most appealing sitting positions for women. The posture is done by tightly wrapping one around the other and then twining the foot under the calf. The result makes the legs appear extremely toned.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Liar’s lilt: When a person telling a lie finishes their sentence with an tag question coupled with a high pitched voice nearing the end.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Lie detection devices: Include thermal scanners, eye trackers, pupillometers, stress sniffers and polygraph machines. Each uses an aspect of arousal to determine variations between a regular baseline of a person, and stress, to uncover stimuli that cause it. Therefore, no such test actually measures lying directly. Pupillometers measure changes in the pupils, eye trackers look at eye patterns, thermal scanners look at heat, light and vibrations emitted from the body, stress sniffer machine measures increases in stress hormones on the breath and polygraphs use a combination of increases in sweat and heart rate to uncover liars. While tests such as these provide results at better than chance, they aren’t perfect and present very obvious limitations.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Light social hug: One of two types of hugs. This one is used for acquaintances and friends, and happens when the shoulders come together but the hips remain separated and do not press together.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Liking (nonverbal): Nonverbal communication that shows a person feels a connection and agreement with another person. Liking is conveyed through active eye contact, genuine smiles, nodding, ventral fronting, leaning forward and increased proximity, touching, MISSING?

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Limbically aroused: A state of mind characterized by emotional/fearful body language which is difficult or impossible to consciously remove oneself from. It occurs when stimuli are presented which create a flight or fight response.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Limbic system or limbic brain or midbrain: The limbic system is a set of brain centers or the “reptilian brain” that includes the amygdale, hippocampus, anterior thalamic nuclei, and limbic cortex. These structures in collection handle emotion (from happiness to anger), behavior, long term memory and olfaction or the sense of smell. They are important in body language because they control nonverbal expressions that come unforced or naturally (rather than those coming from the more advanced neocortex) so are an honest representation of true underlying feelings.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Limp fish handshake: A handshake that has far too little pressure and indicates a timid personality who feels that touching is a violation of personal space.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Linear lying: The inability to recall a told lie when it is taken out of sequence. Liars find it easy to tell lies through a progression, but when asking to recall the events back, their imagined activities make it nearly impossible to retell precisely because they have never actually happened.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Linguistic anthropologists: Researchers who study the development of language including body language over thousands of years.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Linking arms: Serves a function similar to handholding by providing a touch based connection between two people. It is done by wrapping one arm into another through the inside of the elbow or by grasping the inside of the elbow with a hand. It can become more intimate by pulling the arm inward and “hugging” it usually by the more subordinate individual. Linking arms are habitual between romantic couples and so is an intimate gesture.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Lint picker: A non-verbal displacement gesture indicating a difference of opinion, disapproval and indifference which is especially salient when lint is entirely absent and eye contact avoided. In dating lint picking is a form of interest through preening to make one appear more attractive, and when done on someone else, is a form of affection.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Lip biting or biting the lip or cheek biting: Biting the lip with the teeth or chewing on the sides of the mouth indicates hidden insecurity, embarrassment, a vulnerability and a lack of self confidence.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Lip licking: An increase in lip licking is due to a decrease in saliva production due to high stress. Repeated licking can also serve to pacify and sooth. In this gesture the tongue can be seen darting out of the mouth, swiping the top lip on the way and curling under to swipe the bottom lip as it reenters.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Lip nibble: When the lower lip is lightly nibbled by the upper teeth and pulled inward slightly. The teeth habitually pull at the corner of the mouth. This is a flirtatious sexual gesture usually performed by women who are using self restraint to stop themselves from acting overtly toward an attractive man. In this case it is shy, innocent and youthful in it’s origin.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Lip pursing or puckering: When the lips form a pout or kiss. Indicates a sexual cue, or desire to kiss, when in context, or a negative thought indicator or that disagreement is present.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Lip touching: A gesture done whenever the fingers touch the mouth. It signifies contemplation, insecurity, and flirtation depending on the context. When the finger is passed inside the mouth it is an overt sexual display or an extreme pacifying display.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Looking askance: Is a nonverbal cue done by tilting the head slightly to the side but stopping short of facing head on where the eyes roll the rest of the way forming a scowl. This face shows disapproval, distrust and suspicion.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Looking away: A signal of comfort when done within context as it shows that a person is lacking fear, but can also show disrespect in extreme cases as it indicate an aloof attitude.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Looking past or looking through a person or looking away: The deliberate avoidance of eye contact by defocusing the eyes seemingly peering through people. This is an intense form of eye contact avoidance especially when done to quell the attention seeking of another person or while in an active conversation with someone. The nonverbal interpretation of such a cue includes dominance, superiority, dismissal, or outright, rudeness.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Looking up through the forehead or the Looking up cluster: Done by tilted the head at a forty-five degree angle and looking upwards. The posture is a reflection back into early childhood as children look up at us as seeking our approval or permission.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Loud voice: A voice that is forceful and overtakes a room or conversation. It can be booming and baritone or a high pitch shrill soprano. The aim of the speaker is to not be missed, hence the loud voice stems from a person who wishes to gain attention and control others through authority and intimidation. Often, loud voices are aimed at speak over others and show egotism and impatience. Sometimes people misread loud voices as confidence which is rarely the case (when it is used courteously), usually it comes from people fearing not being heard. Loud voices can also be used to persuade others, but only via submission, be used to compensate for a perceived personal flaw, a reaction to hearing loss or inebriation.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Loving circle: When lovers sit on a couch together they will orient their legs toward each other forming a loop and their arms will meet over the backs for the couch. This is the loving circle and can happen within families, with close friends, associates and between and amongst the sexes. It signifies agreement.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Low confidence body language: Nonverbal cues that indicate stress, anxiety and discomfort. They include hand hiding behaviours, cowering body postures, shoulders rolled inward, lack of eye contact, feet that are pulled inward or locked around the legs of a chair and so forth.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Low confidence hand displays: Include hands wringing, the fig leaf, hidden thumbs (in pockets), hand rubbing, palm rubbing, hand hiding, entwined fingers while rubbing, hand wringing and sudden frozen hands. These show low comfort and low self esteem and usually have some form of pacifying element.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Luncheon test (the): Unspoken rules dictate that a centerline exists about a table or at equidistance from two people (when side by side) and one must not cross it with hands, arms, or artifacts of any kind, including papers, folders, utensils (boardroom setting), salt, pepper and centerpieces (dinner settings). This experiment involves moving the artifacts over the centerline throughout the course of the meal. Reactions will be predictable, as they will either slowly move them back to regain territory or will lean back in their chairs so as to regain space.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Lying or deceptive body language or dishonesty: Unfortunately for the body language reader there are no set cues that give liars away, however there are cues that signify stress and anxiety or arousal. There are times when lying can be read but it is done only by comparing relaxed body language on a baseline to discomfort body language when presented with a stimuli. The gestures most often associated with liars include increased face touching, pulling the ears, neck scratching or pulling on the collar, hand to eye, mouth or nose, closed body postures, eye avoidance, stammering eyes or shifty eyes, and paraverbal cues. Liars are also often thought to suffer from dry mouth, voice tremors, increases in sweating, jerky movements, and gasping or holding the breath, amongst others. There is no single cue that predicts lying in all circumstances. Most lie detectors are only slightly better then 50% accurate.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

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.

Share and Enjoy:

Page 1 of 3

1 2 3 »