Tag Archive for Torsos

Non Verbal Body Language Dictionary ::V::

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.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Ventilator (the)Ventilator (the): When a person pulls at an article of clothing, usually a shirt collar in and out so as to remove heat.  The ventilator is indicating a desire to cool due to high stress.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Ventral Denial Or Ventral Distancing 5BodyLanguageProjectCom - Ventral Denial Or Ventral Distancing 1 BodyLanguageProjectCom - Ventral Denial Or Ventral Distancing 2 BodyLanguageProjectCom - Ventral Denial Or Ventral Distancing 3 BodyLanguageProjectCom - Ventral Denial Or Ventral Distancing 4Ventral denial or ventral distancing: Is the opposite nonverbal cue to ventral fronting and indicates that a person dislikes or lacks agreement.  Ventral distancing includes slouching, lean backward, orienting the torso away, or placing objects in front of the body such as clothing or books.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Ventral Displays 4 BodyLanguageProjectCom - Ventral Displays 3 BodyLanguageProjectCom - Ventral Displays 2 BodyLanguageProjectCom - Ventral Displays 1Ventral displays: Torsos house important vital organs that are responsible for keeping the body alive.  Heart, lungs, liver, intestines and so forth are all easily accessible through a thin layer of skin, fat, muscle and sometimes ribs and a sternum and exposing our ventral side means that we trust we won’t be attacked and is therefore a signal of openness and liking.  Ventral sides are usually oriented toward people we like and away from those we dislike.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Ventral Fronting 1 BodyLanguageProjectCom - Ventral Fronting 2 BodyLanguageProjectCom - Ventral Fronting 3Ventral fronting: Is the opposite nonverbal cue to ventral denial and indicates that a person likes and is in agreement with another.  Ventral fronting includes orienting the body toward someone directly, leaning toward a person, increasing proximity and removing objects to create a clear view.

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Verbal eloquence: Refers to the method with which people speak and the contents of their sentences.  Eloquence is soothing to listeners.  Eloquence includes characteristics such as deliberate, interesting, concise and articulate.  Frequently verbal eloquence comes with rehearsal rather than naturally although when done properly seems effortless.

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Verbal mirroring: A rapport building technique that involves matching the style of a speaker including some of the words they use and their representational system, be it visual, auditory or kinesthetic as well as other facets such as accent, draw, speed, tonality, volume, etc.  Proper verbal mirroring creates empathy quickly between near strangers.

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Visual learners or visual communicators: Account for around 35% of the population.  They will prefer charts, maps, graphs, data, images and photographs.  Tailoring visual representations to visual learners will make any pitch more effective.  Visual communicators use phrases such as: Can you picture this? Just envision this.  This isn’t what it appears to be.  It’s a transparent deal.  Let me illustrate this.  Here’s what it looks like.  Our goal is in sight.  Can you see what I mean.  It’s crystal clear.  Let’s take a closer look.  Here’s a demonstration to show you.  Look, we have a lot to offer.  Imagine what can be done.

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Virtual body language: Stemming from research by Dr. Yee out of Stanford University in 2007 into the online gaming industry, it was found that even in a virtual world people maintain nonverbal rules.  He found that male characters tended to hold larger distances between other males and females tended to hold less distance between themselves and other females just like real life.  Male characters also maintained less eye contact with other males whereas females did not.

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Vocal emotion: Vocal emotion conveys various feelings such as happiness, excitement, anger, fear, grief, lust and so forth.

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Voice accents: A voice trait reflecting differences in nationality or regionality.  Accents can provide clues to the nonverbalist by dictating a targets origins and upbringing and hence their personalities and personal values.  Misreading those with accents that cause broken language can wrongfully read a person as shy, nervous, lacking in self confidence or unintelligent when they might otherwise hold opposite traits when conversing in their native language.

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Voice breathiness: A voice trait that has an unusual aimed at seduction though can also be due to illness.  Other reasons to add heavy breath while speaking includes anger, excitement, frustration, out of breath (exercise or fatigue), disbelief, nervousness, surprise, or stress.

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Voice clarity: Includes voice qualities such as enunciation, mumbling, precision and distortion.

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Voice contrast: The variability in the voice in terms including volume (loud or soft), speed (fast or slow), and pitch (high or low).

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Voice hesitation: A quality of the voice that includes starts and stops due to difficulty in finding words.

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Voice intonation or voice emphasis or voice intensity: A stressing of syllables and words that function to produce different meanings.  This voice trait is not as important while speaking English, but many language use intonation to communicate various emotions and meanings.

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Voice language: A voice quality that includes slang, proper grammar, use of clichés and colloquialisms.

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Voice pauses: The use of pauses to create emphasis, dramatic effect and to allow a listener to process incoming information.

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Voice pretentiousness or pretension or snobbery in the voice: A haughty voice.  This voice trait signifies a desire to present an image of success, sophistication, intelligence, wealth, or upper class-values.  While the aim is to appear better than others, pretentious voices often signifies insecurity, approval seeking and a desire for recognition.  A person who speaks snobbishly usually believes that they are better and more intelligent than others.

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Voice rate or voice speed: A paralingual feature of the voice describing the speed with which words are delivered.  It can vary from high energy or fast talking to low energy or slow talking.  In terms of emotions, the faster a person talks the more angry or excited they are, and the slower a person talks the more sadness is present.  Studies show that fast talkers are considered more intelligent and more knowledgeable than slow talkers.

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Voice tempo: Refers to the speed, variability, rhythm and pacing of the voice.

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Voice tonality or tone: Refers to the pitch or depth of the voice.  Men normally have a much lower pitch then woman, where pitch refers to the highness or lowness of the voice.  A low tone indicates dominance and is an attractive feature in men.

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Voice traits: Characteristics of the voice of which outline hidden meaning about the speaker such as loud or soft voice, rapid speech or slow speech, halting speech, pitch, intonation and emphasis, flat or unemotional voice, pretension, snobbery, whining, raspy voice, mumbling and accents among others.

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Voice volume: A characteristic of the voice linked to specific meaning.  A loud voice is an indication of confidence, anger, and enthusiasm whereas a quiet voice is linked to shyness, calmness and a lack of enthusiasm.  At other times soft whispers can be used to draw people in closer and control them.

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Von Osten: A 1800’s German based high school teacher who studied phrenology which is a now discredited theory that intelligence, character and personality traits are based on the shapes and bumps on someone’s head.  He later teamed up with a horse named Hans who was able to read body language to solve mathematical problems.

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Vrij, Aldert: Psychology research professor at the University of Portsmouth.  Professor Vrij is a leading researcher in nonverbal and verbal cues of deception and lie detection and has published over 325 articles and book chapters on the subject.  His book “Detecting lies and deceit: pitfalls and opportunities” is “a comprehensive text about deception and lie detection. It describes the lie detection tools used to date and discusses the problems related to these tools. It also gives guidelines on how to improve lie detection.”  Mr. Vrij is also an advisor to police on interviews with suspects and frequently acts as an Expert Witness in court.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - V-sign Or Victory SignV-sign or victory sign: With the palm facing outward toward another, the v-shape is made with the index finger and the middle finger with the rest of the fingers tucking into the palm.  In the West it signifies victory or peach, but when the palm faces inward, it is considered an insult in certain cultures.

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

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

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

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Non Verbal Body Language Dictionary ::S::

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.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Primary Emotions SadnessSadness: 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.

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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.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Sarcasm Or SarcasticSarcasm 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.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Scanning Eye MovementsScanning 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.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - ScornScorn: 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.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - ScratchingScratching: 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.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Scratching The NeckScratching 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.

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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.

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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.

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

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Seated Readiness 1 BodyLanguageProjectCom - Seated Readiness 2Seated 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.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Secretiveness Body Language 1 BodyLanguageProjectCom - Secretiveness Body Language 2Secretiveness 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.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Security BlanketsSecurity 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.

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

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Seduction: The behavioural process resulting in sexual intercourse.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Self Administered HugSelf 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Self SlappingSelf 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.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Self-Motivating GesturesSelf-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.

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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.

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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.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Sexual Hair PlaySexual 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Shoe PlayShifty 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.

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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.

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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.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Shoulder EmbraceShoulder 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.

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

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Shoulder Shrugs Or Shoulder RiseShoulder 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.

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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.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Sideways Glance Or Sidelong Glance Or Glancing SidewaysSideways 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.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Sideways Glance Over Raised Shoulder 1 BodyLanguageProjectCom - Sideways Glance Over Raised Shoulder 2Sideways 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Skirt Hike 1 BodyLanguageProjectCom - Skirt Hike 2Skirt 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.

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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.

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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.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Smiles 1Smiles: 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).

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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.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Sneering Or Sneer (the)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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Speech-Independent GesturesSpeech-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.

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

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Splay Or Splaying 1 BodyLanguageProjectCom - Splay Or Splaying 2 BodyLanguageProjectCom - Splay Or Splaying 3 BodyLanguageProjectCom - Splay Or Splaying 4 BodyLanguageProjectCom - Splay Or Splaying 5Splay 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.

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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.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Spreading Body Language 1 BodyLanguageProjectCom - Spreading Body Language 2 BodyLanguageProjectCom - Spreading Body Language 3 BodyLanguageProjectCom - Spreading Body Language 4 BodyLanguageProjectCom - Spreading Body Language 5 BodyLanguageProjectCom - Spreading Body Language 6Spreading 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Starter’s Position (the) Or Knee Clasp (the) Or Sitting At The Edge Of The Chair 1 BodyLanguageProjectCom - Starter’s Position (the) Or Knee Clasp (the) Or Sitting At The Edge Of The Chair 2Starter’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.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Stature And HeightStature 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.

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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.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Stealing LooksStealing 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.

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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.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Stiff ArmStiff 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.

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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.

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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.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Stroking Body Language 1 BodyLanguageProjectCom - Stroking Body Language 2 BodyLanguageProjectCom - Stroking Body Language 3 BodyLanguageProjectCom - Stroking Body Language 4 BodyLanguageProjectCom - Stroking Body Language 5 BodyLanguageProjectCom - Stroking Body Language 6 BodyLanguageProjectCom - Stroking Body Language 7Stroking 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.

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

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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.

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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.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Submissive Body Language 1 BodyLanguageProjectCom - Submissive Body Language 2 BodyLanguageProjectCom - Submissive Body Language 3 BodyLanguageProjectCom - Submissive Body Language 4Submissive 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.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - SubstitutingSubstituting: 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.

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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.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Suckling 1 BodyLanguageProjectCom - Suckling 2Suckling: 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.

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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.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - SupplicationSupplication: 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.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Suprasternal Notch Or Neck Dimple 2 BodyLanguageProjectCom - Suprasternal Notch Or Neck Dimple 1Suprasternal 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.

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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).

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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.

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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.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Surprised Facial Expression Or SurprisedSurprised 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.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - SurprisedSurprised 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.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Suspicious Body Language Or SuspicionSuspicious 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.

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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.

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

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Symbolic StrippingSymbolic 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.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - SymbolsSymbols: Learned gestures that represent particular sentiments.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - SymmetrySymmetry: 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.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - SynchronySynchrony: 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.

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

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

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

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Non Verbal Body Language Dictionary ::I::

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.

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Idiosyncratic body language: Individual nonverbal cues that are person specific that are built into their character which are repeated as specific stimuli or emotions resurface.  They provide the body language reader with reliable cues to underlying meaning in a particular person, but not necessarily any other.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - IllustratorsIllustrators: Gestures that we use while speaking that are directly linked to words.  We use these gestures in cooperation with the verbal language to help emphases meaning.  Examples of this is the motion of throwing whilst speaking of tossing a ball or using a punching motion to emphasize what happened during a fight, or by describing something, as in, “It was this wide”, then spreading the hands apart to show just how wide it was.

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Impatience: Nonverbal signals that indicate a desire to move to a task that includes fidgeting movements such as drumming the fingers, rocking from side to side, bouncing a leg or foot, slapping the thigh with the hand.  These gestures are substitutes to the actual task a person wishes to perform.

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Impression management:  The desire, motivation and knowledge to control, either consciously or subconsciously how one is perceived by others through the conveyance of information.  It includes acting strong, submissive or muted when required, as exhibited through nonverbal means.

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Inbau, Fred E.: Born 1909, deceased 1998 Fred Inbau was a Professor of Law.  In 1945 he joined the faculty of Northwestern University School of Law and later headed the Criminal Law department.  As his career developed he became more and more fascinated with police interrogation and worked closely with police officers in their training.  He wrote a very popular and influential book by the title “Criminal Interrogation and Confessions” as well as “Reid nine steps” which details various techniques useful in interrogating suspects.

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Inclusion and exclusion technique: Standing or sitting positions that either include or exclude others from conversations based on orientation.  It is usually meant to describe a three person affair that have formed a triangle, but inclusion and exclusion can happen with just two people also based on orientation alone.  When a third person arrives, the technique to exclude involves an orientation where the original two remain facing each other or, if not facing head-on will close the angle between them even further (from a ninety degree angle to zero, or head-on).  This shows that the third person is not accepted.  Usually only the head will turn toward the person who is not included.  Therefore to exclude someone, the technique says that shoulders or torsos face away from the excluded and toward the included.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Incomplete Arm Crossing Or Incomplete Crossed Arms 1BodyLanguageProjectCom - Incomplete Arm Crossing Or Incomplete Crossed Arms 6BodyLanguageProjectCom - Incomplete Arm Crossing Or Incomplete Crossed Arms 5Incomplete arm crossing or incomplete crossed arms: Where one arm crossed over the body to clasp the other arm or elbow.  This posture represents a desire to create safety as one would have experienced when a parent held the arm.

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Incomplete gestures: Gestures such as half shrugs or partial smiles.  These indicate that a person lacks true commitment to what is being said.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Incomplete Arm Crossing Or Incomplete Crossed Arms Incongruent part 1BodyLanguageProjectCom - Incomplete Arm Crossing Or Incomplete Crossed Arms Incongruent part 2Incongruent:  A state or cluster of cues which are not consistent and when they come together formulate a mixed or confusing message.  This state often happens in those who are trying to hide their true feelings.  An example includes open postures with palms up, which is honest, but then return their hands to their pockets as if they are hiding something.  At times, incongruent body language is legitimate including simply being unsure of a position.  Incongruent body language is perceived in a negative light by others who are aware of it.

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Indecision or indecisive body language: Found in people caught between two or more options.  Nonverbal cues of indecision include shifting back and forth in a chair, looking back and forth between objects, tilting the head from one side to the other, opening and closing the hands and opening and closing the mouth without saying anything.

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Independent and opposite position: A seating arrangement where two people face head-to-head across the table, but not directly – rather they are adjacent.  We see this when people sit in busy places with other strangers or wish to work by themselves.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Indicators Of Disinterest IOD 2BodyLanguageProjectCom - Indicators Of Disinterest IOD 1Indicators of disinterest (IOD):  Nonverbal cues or signals put out by men and women that show they aren’t interested in an interaction.  They can occur in a dating context, business context, or any social context.  Turning torsos away, crossing arms, avoiding eye contact, looking away, drumming the fingers in boredom, or picking imaginary lint are all body language cues showing a lack of interest.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Indicators Of Sexual Disinterest IOsDIndicators of sexual disinterest (IOsD):  Nonverbal cues or signals put out by men and women that show they aren’t interested in a sexual relationship or interaction.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Intimate Gaze Or Triangular Gaze Pattern 2Indicators of sexual interest (IOsI):  Nonverbal cues or signals put out by men and women that show they are interested in a sexual relationship or interaction.

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Inebriation body language or drug use or alcohol use: Signals imparted by people who have been exposed acutely or chronically to various types of drugs.  These include slurred speech, rapid speech, exaggerated behaviours such as loud talking, becoming to close or talking too quietly, red eyes, squinting eyes, glazed eyes, bags under the eyes, mood swings, loss of inhibition, shaking, red nose, odor, inconsistent behaviour, poor hygiene and a withdrawal from normal routines.

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Influential body language: Using body language to change opinions, create sales, build relationships that previously didn’t exist, display various strong attributes and reinforce messages while speaking as well as other constructive uses.  This differs from manipulative body language since it does not induce someone into decisions that are damaging.

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Informal meeting environments: Locations where people come together to talk about business or to casually chat as friends.  This type of setting includes round tables, sofas, coffee shops or park benches.  They lack stuffiness and are therefore informal.  These types of environments invite friendship, trust and openness and can serve to build rapport quickly.

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Inner self: That which influences of all nonverbal communication to produce the character that is seen by others.  It is that part of the self that consistently and routinely controls body language patterns of which is nearly impossible to consciously control.  The inner self is the aspect one is required to change in order to change nonverbal patterns to portray traits that are more desirable.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - IntensityIntensity: A measure of the amount of emphasis placed in a nonverbal message.  It is a term that describes the amplitude to which, for example, the arms and legs reach and the strength of a smile or frown.  It is an indication to the dept of the emotion that is felt and its accuracy to what is really felt.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Intention Movements, Intension Postures Or Intension Cues 1BodyLanguageProjectCom - Intention Movements, Intension Postures Or Intension Cues 2Intention movements, intention postures or intention cues:  A position that indicates what someone wishes to do.  Pointing toes toward or away, leaning or looking away and hands on legs in sprinter position are all intention movements since they tell where one wishes to go.  Intention cues can also outline a gesture that a person wishes to do, but is otherwise holding themselves back from doing.  For example, when children play-fight, they may gap their mouth in a play face signaling intention biting and at other times even follow through when brought to full anger.  As adults shaking a fist or vigorously pointing a finger at someone is an intention to strike or spear a person.

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Interlacing fingers or interlocking fingers: Happens by locking the fingers together and rubbing them one inside the other as a means of pacifying.  It indicates high stress and low confidence.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Interlocking Feet Or Interlocking Legs 1BodyLanguageProjectCom - Interlocking Feet Or Interlocking Legs 2BodyLanguageProjectCom - Interlocking Feet Or Interlocking Legs 3Interlocking feet or interlocking legs: Where the legs are crossed at the ankles while sitting or standing.  Usually indicates a hidden thought or emotion, but can also signify high comfort or a desire to stick around especially when standing.  When sitting, it can be done by wrapping the legs around a chair showing anxiety, concern or discomfort.

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Internal radar: A filter that when triggered accepts or rejects people.  For example men have an internal radar that accepts women’s hip to waist ratio to be seventy percent whereas women’s radar on the same characteristic is set to ninety percent.  Women also have internal radars for height, income and intelligence whereas men have internal radar for large breasts, long legs and blonde hair.  Internal radar is not just set for sexual cues, it spans all facets of life.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Interpersonal DistanceInterpersonal distance: Refers to the ways in which people treat the space, or lack thereof between them and how they repel or are attracted to one another.

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Interpersonal communication: Refers to the ways in which people convey information to one another including through verbal and nonverbal channels.

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Interpersonal relationships:  Refers to the social associations, connections or affiliations between two or more people.

Introverts: People that become easily affected from outside stimuli and seek refuge in quieter places.  These types of people tend to freeze up more in public, but are loose when in their own element.

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Interrogators: Experts such as the FBI, CIA, military personnel, police and psychologists who specialize in interviewing suspects in order to reveal criminality versus innocence or to extract information by reading hidden messages in body language.  They often focus on lying and lie detection and have been shown through research to be more effective at uncovering liars from truth tellers when compared to regular people.  The goal of interrogators is to avoid false confessions by comparing the relaxed baseline of an individual against stimuli that creates stress to uncover leads for further investigation.

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Interruptions in speech: When a person cuts off another person mid-sentence.  Sometimes this is due to good reason such as adding to the conversation or excitement, and other times is due to a desire to impatience, boredom, desire to control the topic or be persuasive or attention seeking.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Intimate Gaze Or Triangular Gaze Pattern 1BodyLanguageProjectCom - Intimate Gaze Or Triangular Gaze Pattern 2Intimate gaze or triangular gaze pattern: The eyes will travel continuously in a pattern from eye to eye then down to the mouth.  They will also wander briefly to other parts of the face although the vast majority of time is spent looking at the eyes and mouth.  When the eyes make forays to the rest of the body, they check out the clothing, overall build, jewelry and rings.  The intimate gaze lasts around 4-5 seconds.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Intimate Space ZoneIntimate space zone:  A distance of 18 inches or closer which is reserved for only very close friends or romantic partners.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Intimate TouchingIntimate touching: Touching aimed at creating or maintaining sexual connections including kissing, holding hands, rubbing the shoulders, touching intimate areas including the breasts and groin, etc.

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Intuition: Intuition includes the processing of information that we’ve obtained by observing people.  When someone says they have a “bad” feeling about someone or they feel “uneasy” or the salesman was “slimy” they are using their intuition.  Sometimes though, our intuition becomes clouded by preconceived notions and new information is tainted or distorted.

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Invisible lint picker (the):  Shows a critical listener and indicates that what was being said is disliked, contempt and disapproval through eye contact avoidance and distraction.

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Inward lip roll: A similar meaning to compressed lips which is due to frustration and withholding of information or feelings.  It is akin to bottling in the pressure and keeping everything inside.  Sometimes the lip roll is due to intense concentration, but usually it is due to indecisiveness, nervousness and deception.

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

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

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

Share and Enjoy:
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Non Verbal Body Language Dictionary ::C::

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.

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Casual corner position or kitty corner or right angle seating:  A seating arrangement where people sit at the corner of rectangular tables.  It preserves closeness, but also offers a barrier.  This seating position is unique because it neatly allows for independent thought, but the proximity still permits intimacy.

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Center leader effect: The phenomenon whereby the most dominant person usually chooses the head of rectangular tables and when no leader is present, leadership is attributed to the person who sits at the head of the table.

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Center-stage effect: Those who sit in the middle of large lecture halls tend to be overlooked.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Chair Straddler Or Seat StraddlingChair straddler or seat straddling:  A dominant body position.  The posture happens by spreading the legs and sitting with the back of the chair facing other people.  The back of the chair is utilized as a barrier or shield to separate the individual from others making them appear cowardly.

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Chameleon effect (mimicry): A term first coined by Chartrand and Bargh in 1999, the “chameleon effect” refers to the unconscious mimicry of postures, mannerisms, facial expressions, and other behaviours such that one partner in an interaction passively and unintentionally changes his body positions to match that of others.

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Channels of communication:  Include methods of sending information and meaning from one person to another.  They include written notes, verbal speech, paraverbal cues and nonverbal body language.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Chatting Distances 1BodyLanguageProjectCom - Chatting Distances 2Chatting distances: The distance which varies from culture to culture and person to person whereby conversations comfortably take place.  The most common distance is at arms length, but some cultures require elbow length and some even less than this.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Chest Protrusion 1Chest protrusion: A sexual or aggressive body language posture.  When done by men it can mean either depending on the context, but in either case, is meant as a dominance display by appearing larger.  This is meant to appeal to women and repel other aggressive men.  When done by women, it is aimed at drawing attention to the breast and making them appear larger in order to secure the attention of nearby men.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Chest Shield 6BodyLanguageProjectCom - Chest Shield 4BodyLanguageProjectCom - Chest Shield 5Chest shield: Gestures such as arm crossing and placing objects in front of the chest such as tables and chairs meant to figuratively protect the body from attack.

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Chest puffing: When air is brought into the lungs and held so as to appear larger and more dominant.  Usually the back is also arched and the head is held high.  This is a posture that indicates conflict is nearing and is an advertisement of such.

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Chew rate: A pacifying nonverbal cue that intensifies during stress or excitement – arousal.  Happens more prominently with chewing gum.

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Childbearing hips: A term referring to the anatomical feature of women who’s hips are wider in relative terms, than men’s.  This permits women to successfully deliver babies, and because of this is a sexual feature.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Childlike Playfulness 3BodyLanguageProjectCom - Childlike Playfulness 2Childlike playfulness: This is a form of submissive signal and is not a posture or gesture at all, but rather a class of behaviours.  Both sex can resort to these games during courtship and they include stealing a hat, playful teasing, tickling, playing hide and seek or peek-a-boo.  Acting like a child shows that a person is ready to let their guard down and feel that no threat is present.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Chin JutBodyLanguageProjectCom - Chin UpChin jut: A greeting gesture done by quickly forcing the chin outward and returning it to its origin.  It is done to acknowledge someone else without having to directly interact with them and done most often by dominant individuals.  It signifies superiority, fearlessness and arrogance.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Chin LiftChin lift: This is a signal used to display pride, confidence and smugness because it exposes the vulnerable neck to attack.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Chin Stroking 1BodyLanguageProjectCom - Chin Stroking 2Chin stroking: Chin stroking is an evaluative gesture which was made popular by movies, television shows and cartoons.  The cliché says that the chin scratcher is old, wise and is bearded!  Beard or chin stroking signifies that the decision making process has begun, but that a conclusion hasn’t yet been reached.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Chin TuckChin tuck: When the chin is pulled down toward the sternum.  It spells anger and disdain or when used in courtship submission, innocent and childlike.

 

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Clap Or ClappingClap or clapping: A celebratory nonverbal signal usually done by large audiences untoward a presenter or performer.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Clasping Hands Or Self Clasping Hands Or Hands Holding HandsClasping hands or self clasping hands or hands holding hands: Done by placing one hand inside the other.  A gesture indicating the desire to begin when done by a presenter.  Also signifies a need for pacifying as a parent would clasp the hand of their infant.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Clenching And GrippingClenching and gripping: A body position that creates unnatural tension.  Clenching indicates hostility or defense.  Holding the fists clenched and holding a full arm cross are two examples.  Whereas fists clenched shows that physical aggression is imminent or possible, a full arm cross shows defensiveness.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Closed Body Language 4BodyLanguageProjectCom - Closed Body Language 3Closed body language: Any body language that shows that a person is not open to outside ideas or thoughts.  In closed body language one or more parts of the body cross the mid-way point of the bisected body or where a portion of the body is made smaller, or hidden.  Arms crossed, legs crossed, arms hugging the body, shoulders drawn in, having the hands in pockets are some examples of closed body language.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Closed FormationClosed formation: Refers to an intimate orientation that usually happens while standing.  In this formation, the torsos face each other head-on rather, or at zero degrees, rather than at a ninety degree angle, as what would happen in more social situations.  A closed formation usually happens during courtship as men test a women’s desire to accept him into her personal zone.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - CocooningCocooning: A term used to describe body language that indicates a desire not to be bothered.  There are various degrees which include a mild form such as putting on headphones to tell others that social interaction is undesired, putting up the hands to the side of the face while studying (mild cocooning), and an extreme form where the head collapses onto the thighs in a seated position.

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Cognitive dissonance: A term used by psychologists that describe feelings or cognition that happen in unison, but of which conflict, or are in disharmony with others.  It is an uncomfortable feeling because the mind does not cope well with having two contradictory ideas simultaneously.  The theory of cognitive dissonance states that people work hard to restore harmony in their thoughts by changing their attitudes, beliefs and behaviours or by rationalize them.  Nonverbal body language can uncover cognitive dissonance though conflicting or opposite body language, or through body language that indicates a person is unsure of themselves.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Coffee Cup Or Drink Barrier 1BodyLanguageProjectCom - Coffee Cup Or Drink Barrier 2Coffee cup or drink barrier: While sitting or standing, a drink is held across the front of the body as if the arms were crossed.  It forms a barrier and closed body position, which is either unintentional and done out of habit, or is actually a signal indicating a negative thought.

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Coiffed hair (men): When a man’s hair is precisely cut, blow-dried and sprayed.  Usually indicates a power image that is accompanied by expensive clothing, shoes and accessories.  This nonverbal message reflects vanity and reflection of financial success in order to impress others.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Cold Dead Fish HandshakeCold dead wet fish handshake: A particularly disgusting cold and damp handshake portraying negative emotions.

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Cold reading: A technique fortune tellers use to convince their audience that they know much more then they really do.  They use cues such as clothing or fashion, gender, age, race or ethnicity, religion, hairstyle and posture to draw information about a person.  Fortune tellers and “mediums” both possess a keen ability to read the nonverbal cues of the people they are reading.  Sometimes, even they don’t realize how well their intuition reads.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Collar Pull (the)Collar pull (the): A nervous nonverbal cue whereby hot air or tight collars producing friction, are relieved from the neck.  It is sometimes attributed to liars.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - CombativeCombative (the): A state of mind wherein the body indicates a desire to fight.  The body takes up closed body positions like arms crossed, yet is leaning forward to show ready to strike either physically or verbally.

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Comb-overs: A male hairstyle found on balding men who pull their hair over from one side to the other to hide the balding area.  This cue suggests vanity, but also poor judgment since the wearer of the hairstyle likely believes that he is pulling one over on other people.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Comfort Body LanguageComfort body language: Includes any body language that indicates that a person feels no threat.  It includes body language such as calmness, confidence, clear thinking, enjoyment, fluid speech, friendliness, happiness, openness, touching, patience, peacefulness, receptiveness, relaxation, trust, ventral fronting, increased proximity, removing objects to allow access, remaining loose, fluidity in motion, mirroring others and normal breath rate.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Comfort DisplayComfort/discomfort equation of detecting deception: Says that when people are lying they tend to experience more discomfort due to “guilty knowledge” and when they are telling the truth experience comfort.

 

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Comfort dividend: A term that describes the payback received from building comfortable situations in business and in life in general.  It stipulates that when you make your customers, friends, guests, patients and clients comfortable, you derive benefits that go beyond profits.

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Communication accommodation theory (CAT):  A theory developed by Howard Giles of the University of California which stipulates that people incorporate various changes in speech patterns as they seek to emphasis or minimize social differences between themselves and others.  The tenant of the theory says that a person will try to match accent, dialect and other paralinguistic features when they seek social approval and use speech patterns common to their own group when they wish to emphasis contrast.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Competitive Head-To-Head PositionCompetitive head-to-head position: A seating arrangement where people sit facing each other directly from across a table.  This sets up combative situations.

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Complexion: The features of the face including pigmentation, birthmarks, moles, warts, scars, acne, pallor, wrinkles, rashes and hives.  These cues reveal nonverbal traits of a person especially if they impart some technique for concealing or changing them outlining insecurity.  Other times blemishes can create anxiety and affect self esteem when a person fails to rise to the challenges they present.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Compliance Or Compliance TestingCompliance or compliance testing: Nonverbal communication that displays authority, superiority or dominance over another person in efforts to yields submission in another person.  A police officer tests compliance when they pull speeders to the side of the road through displays of authority such as splaying their arms and legs out to appear larger.  If it is not heeded, the officer is likely to apply the full force of the law, but if respected and complied with, he may drop the charge or lower the ticket.  Compliance testing can happen in any facet of life, from within families, at work, and during social encounters.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - ComplimentingComplimenting: One of the six main categories of body language.  Body language that is used to reinforce verbal language and which agrees with what is being said.  This type of body language serves to convey additional honesty to communication and is the most reliable when assessing people.  For example, complimenting body language to “I’m not ready to face this difficult task” is having shaking hands and voice combined while blushing and averting eyes.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Compressed Lips 2BodyLanguageProjectCom - Compressed LipsCompressed lips:  Done by pressing the lips together to make them disappear and is a universal trait done to signify stress.  The subconscious mind is essentially telling the body to close down and not let anything in.  Because it happens quickly due to undesirable stimuli it is considered an honest gesture.

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Come-hither-look: A sexual form of eye contact and body posture performed by women to solicit male attention.  It is done by lowering the head and looking up through the forehead or tilting the head forty-five degrees to the side and batting the eyes.

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Comfort display: Any body posture, position or gesture meant to display that a person is relaxed which relates back to their environment.  Even lack of eye contact can be deemed a comfort display because it can imply that a person lacks fear and does not need to track a person intently.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Concealed IrritationConcealed irritation: When honest, negative body language is inhibited in favour of using false, yet positive body language.  Those in service habitually use concealed irritation to deal with troublesome customers that can’t be pleased.  Smiling is one such expression that is often used to hide true emotions.

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Concealed ovulation: A term that described the human female condition whereby the most fertile phase of her sexual cycle is hidden from others and even herself.  However, ovulation does not pass without noticeable changes in nonverbal behaviour.  Studies have shown that when women enter their high fertility cycle they will dress to impress by adding extra adornment, wear make-up, put on short skirts, displaying cleavage, and tend to hang out in more target rich environments such as night clubs over other times in their cycle.

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Conflicting: One of the six main categories of body language.  This is body language that runs contrary to what is said verbally and indicates nervousness, disagreement, a sense of feeling unable to tell the truth or lying outright.  Conflicting falls into the same general area as congruency.  When a person says that they really liked a gift they received from you, yet their eyes dart and their voice shakes, their body language conflicts with their thought which can be a strong indication they are lying or have reservations about telling the truth.  When verbal and nonverbal conflict, nonverbalist use the nonverbal as more reliable indicators of honest thought.

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Confused or confuse or confusion: A state of mind that lacks orientation.  This state is conveyed through body language where the eyes may dart from one person or object to another, the face my blush showing anxiety or turn pale due to fear.

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Confusion or confused body language: Confused body language stems from an attempt to regain bearings.  It is usually accompanied by frustration and indecision.  Signals of confusion includes verbal repetition, repetitive motions, picking things up and putting them down, conflicting behaviours, shifting or shuffling and various pacifying behaviours such as stroking the temples and rubbing the back of the neck.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Confidence Or Confident (Or leadership) Body LanguageConfidence or confident (or leadership) body language: Any body language that conveys security.  It includes leading (and controlling) conversations, tend to be surrounded by people (who follow), use good proxemics, volunteer for difficult tasks, listen well, smile pleasantly, have a firm handshake, are well dressed with good hygiene, dress appropriate for the situation, seldom follow faddish trends, are willing to engage in conversations, are physically active, have conservative haircuts, have erect upright postures with head held high and hands out of pockets, face their company head-on, and other body language that shows comfort rather then discomfort.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Contempt Facial ExpressionContempt facial expression:  Wrinkle appear on the nose with one lip often raised to form a sneer.  Lips are frequently pushed forward with a tight mouth raised slightly at the corners.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Contempt SmileContempt smile: A true felt smile where the corners of the lips are tightened unevenly, where one side is lifted slightly higher than the other, and the eyebrows are slightly raised.  The smile might also push the lower lip up by the chin muscle and pull the corners of the mouth down, coupled with lowered brows.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Conversational GazingConversational gazing: Refers to the patterns of the eyes during an interaction which gives clues to intent be it intimate, business, or for friendship.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Cooperative FeetCooperative feet: Term used to describe the arrangement of the feet that indicate agreement.  Cooperative feet are ones that are patented oriented toward a speaker rather than away and who’s proximity is increased rather than decreased.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Cooperative Side-By-Side PositionCooperative side-by-side position: A seating arrangement where two people sit on the same side of the table beside one another.  Chairs can face forward showing some cooperation, but not complete whereas chairs at forty-five degrees to the table indication collaboration.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Cornering 2BodyLanguageProjectCom - Cornering 1Cornering: A common mistake done especially by men in dating situation whereby they cut off exit points and block women in.  It can be done with an arm, leg, bar top, or table.  When people become cornered they become nervous or aggressive due to the fight or flight response creating they exact opposite to that which is desired.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Corpus callosumCorpus callosum: A thick collection of nerve fibers centered between the left and right hemisphere that helps women’s brains “talk” better across each hemisphere.  This is what allows women to multi-task better than men by moving from one side of their brain, their creative side, to their left side, their logical side, and at the same time monitor the body language of others more readily than men.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Courtship Displays Or Sexual Interest Or Romantic Body LanguageCourtship displays or sexual interest or romantic body language: Nonverbal signals used to attract and maintain the attention of a potential mate.  They include signals such as preening, mirroring, in both sexes, dominance position in males and submissive displays in females, making eye contact, exaggerated or coy smile, laughter, staring, winking, wetting lips, crossing and recrossing legs, thrusting the chest forward, walking with a swagger or wiggle, primping, lounging back, hair tossing, increased proximity, wearing revealing clothing or overdressing, self touching or touching the person of interest, wearing special make-up or perfume, whispering, listening intently, looking a person over and attempting to isolate from others.

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Counting on fingers: A cocky, arrogant and sometimes confident gesture implying that a person needs to keep up with the various points that are being made for a case.  It is done by rhythmically bringing the index finger over the opposite hand as if to anchor each point being delivered.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Cowboy Pose 1BodyLanguageProjectCom - Cowboy Pose 2BodyLanguageProjectCom - Cowboy Pose 3Cowboy pose or stance:  This posture happens by placing the thumbs in the belt with the remaining fingers pointed downwards towards the crotch.  The cowboy pose was popularized by old western movies.  Cowboys would use a combination of this posture and the hands on hips (or gun) posture to show how macho they were.  Because it draws attention to the crotch, it is rarely used by women.

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Conscious critical faculty or critical factor: A term that describes the separation of the conscious mind and subconscious mind protected by a “membrane” of sorts which inhibits contradictory ideas from becoming incorporated due to previously accepted ideas – be they true and accurate, or false.  Thus, from all sets of sensory inputs, the mind carefully screens which new information is incorporated and which is rejected.  This is part of why making major changes in thinking is difficult or even impossible for some.  For example, a person who believes that they are “stupid” will reject information that does not agree with this assessment.  Proponents of this idea believe that the CCF is solidified early in life.  The CCF applies to nonverbal communication only when it becomes desirable to influence people through signals because it is impossible to “tug” on a person’s mind strings without first bypassing their CCF.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Crossing 1BodyLanguageProjectCom - Crossing 2BodyLanguageProjectCom - Crossing 3Crossing: A body posture wherein the arms or legs come together or are folded.  It can represents a closed body position and an unreceptive mind or when amongst close friends total comfort indicating a lack of desire to exercise a quick exit.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Cross-MirroringCross-mirroring: A less obvious form of mirroring, where body movements and postures are replicated, but not exactly.  For example, if a foot is tapped, a finger might be tapped in unison, or preening various parts of the body together instead of the exact same.  Cross mirroring might mean raising the opposite hand to stroke the side of the face rather than the same hand and so forth.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Crotch Display 3BodyLanguageProjectCom - Crotch Display 2BodyLanguageProjectCom - Crotch Display 1Crotch display: Any body language gesture that directly or indirectly draws attention to the genitals.  They include the cowboy pose by interlocking the fingers in belt loops, leg spreading while seated, placing the hands on the hips and throwing a leg over the leg of a chair.  In women, it implies easiness or crassness and in men, a dominance display.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Crying, Damp Eyes Or Teary EyesCrying, damp eyes or teary eyes: Damp eyes can have many nonverbal meanings.  They can indicate tiredness or suppressed weeping, anxiety or sadness.  Crying symbolizes an overflowing of emotions such as sadness from emotional hurt, from pain due to physical hurt, or even from extreme joy.

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BodyLanguageProjectCom - Cue ClusterCue cluster: Refers to a group of individual units of body language that occur either simultaneously or nearly simultaneously.  Units of body language in combination create a new meaning and establish a more accurate and fuller picture of intent.  An example of a cue cluster is legs crossed at the ankle accompanied by one arm across the mid section of the body touching the elbow of the other arm with that hand touching the face.  This cue cluster signals a closed or timid body.

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Cultivated images or image: A type of styling that is aimed at mirroring a specific movement, or in other words, to look a part.  Common image types include Country, Punk, Businessman, Hippie, Jock, GQ, Grunge and Biker.  A cultivated image can sometimes simply be an over-costume with nothing to back it, or might go deeper into a person’s persona.  Either signal can be telling of a person.

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Cultural differences: Changes in frequencies that occur in body language based on geographic location.  Not all body language has the same meaning cross-culturally and some gestures are found to be offensive in some areas while other areas see the same gestures in a positive light.

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Curbside appeal: A term that refers to the exterior character of a building or establishment such as a home, business or office.  It is those aesthetic parts which are visible as one approaches and provides nonverbal information to the activities conducted inside as well as its owners.  It includes the façade, the way the plants and flowers are kept, the signage, the upkeep for the paint, lighting, parking and so on.  Loosely it can also be applied to humans who also have curbside appeal who demonstrate what their “insides” contain.

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Curtsey or curtsy: The female equivalent of the male bow where a women bends at the knees by placing one foot behind the other in accompaniment with a slight head bow and a lifting of the skirt to knee height.

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Curved arm:  An arm distancing posture done by thrusting the elbow outward facing down or horizontally.  It is defensive in nature meant to reclaim personal space.

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Communication accommodation theory: A part of NLP or neurolinguistic programming in which a person matches speech patterns, dialect, speech rate or tempo, pitch, tonality, voice inflection, use of words and even accent in order to actively build rapport and create flow between them and whomever they are speaking to.

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Confidence or confident (or leadership) body language: Any body language that conveys security.  It includes leading (and controlling) conversations, tend to be surrounded by people (who follow), use good proxemics, volunteer for difficult tasks, listen well, smile pleasantly, have a firm handshake, are well dressed with good hygiene, dress appropriate for the situation, seldom follow faddish trends, are willing to engage in conversations, are physically active, have conservative haircuts, have erect upright postures with head held high and hands out of pockets, face their company head-on, and other body language that shows comfort rather then discomfort.

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Conservative style: A nonverbal term signal that includes clothing with subdued colours, classic styles, and ordinary accessories that do not produce interest.  People who wear this type of dress are not seeking attention and would prefer to blend in.  Conservative dressers often care about the opinions of others and want to fit in, are conformists, are practical, authoritarian, analytical and less creative than flamboyant dressers.  They are often more conventional thinkers.

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Context: One of the most important factors in reading body language.  Context refers to the entirety of the situation in which the language appears.  It includes the words being spoken, the location, all of the people present, surrounding noises and dialogues, the history of the dialogue and social connections to other people or events.  Context refers to any and all factors that relate to the body language at hand and must be accounted for to determine accurately the meaning delivered.

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Congruence: Relates to body language that is consistent across a person.  The body language is said to be congruent if all body language match’s a specific emotion or intention.  We can use lack of congruence to detect liars for example.

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Cultural zone shock: The discomfort felt when people meet from two different countries who’s spatial needs are drastically different.  The shock is more pronounced when cultures that require a lot of personal space meet those who require very little personal space.

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

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

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

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