The Science of Body Language

We all have heard that body language is an important para-linguistic cue in all social interactions. This is primarily because they are driven unconsciously. Of course, manipulative people and high self-monitoring people try to control and regulate their body language. There is nothing wrong with trying to project a positive image by applying simple impression management tricks. However, it is still possible to detect emotional undertones from such cues.

Detectives and crime investigating officers pay close attention to body language. They observe each bodily movements like pupil movements, shaky hands, stammering in conversations, arm movements, tone and pitch of voice and so on.

Body language defined

Body language refers to the non-verbal aspects of communication. These subtle cues are very useful in determining the emotional state of other people.

Why is body language important?

Research suggests that body language plays a very important role in interpersonal communication. To emphasize the importance of such cues, let us consider two situations. In the first situation, you are talking face-to-face with a friend. She or he is trying to hide something from you. How likely is it that you will be able to tell that he or she is disturbed?

Now imagine having a phone call with the same person. How likely is it that you will be able to detect his or her emotional turmoil? For most of you, the likelihood will be higher in the first situation. This is because in the former case you were able to observe subtle cues like facial expression, posture and many more.

Specifically, body language serves the following five functions:

1. Repetition: They emphasize what the person said if they are consistent.
2. Contradiction: If body language and verbal communication are not consistent, it may imply that the person is hiding something.
3. Substitution: It may be efficient in communicating by itself.
4. Complementing: Many times, our gestures add to what we are saying verbally. Hence they act together to convey a message.
5. Accenting: It may increase the impact of our verbal communication. For instance, clenching your fist may indicate that you are really angry.

Examples of cues

We unconsciously use body language to communicate and interpret messages everyday. Here are some common examples:

1. Facial expression: Smiling may indicate that you are pleased to meet someone or that you approve of what the other person is saying. You may frown to indicate displeasure or anger. Other movements of facial muscles indicate sorrow, surprise, shock. The eyes are very communicative. Dilation of the pupils may indicate fear. Since different emotions elicit different biochemical reactions in the body, the subtle colors of the face may also reveal emotions. For instance, you may turn pale out of fear or red out of embarrassment or anger.
2. Hand movements: Such movements often emphasize what we are saying. A clenched fist indicates anger. Crossed arms in front of the body indicate defensive behavior. Handshakes convey a lot of cues. A firm handshake may be an excellent ice-breaker.
3. Posture: An upright posture, bending slightly towards the other person indicates interest. On the other hand, if someone is bending away from you they are probably not interested in the conversation. In addition, sitting on the edge of the chair indicates that you are not comfortable or feeling anxious.
4. Feet: In general, if the feet point away from the group, it means that you want to leave. Pointing your feet inwards mean that the conversation is interesting and meaningful.

Ways to read body language

For a novice person, it may be difficult to read non-verbal cues other than a few very common ones. Facial expressions are the most commonly understood para-linguistic features. Most people across all cultures would know what a smile or a frown mean.

Emotional Intelligence

Other things remaining constant, people with high emotional intelligence are better at reading subtle body language cues. This is because they have a better grasp of emotional awareness. They can detect hidden meanings easily. You may use the MAGICS framework to enhance emotional intelligence.

Interest

In order to know what body language means, you have to be interested in the social interaction. You are probably not going to understand what a person is communicating non-verbally if you are not interested in the communication. Mothers often understand the body language of their children because they are interested in finding solutions to their problems.

Familiarity

We usually understand the body language of those people who are familiar to us. This is because we mentally form a schema or a template of how they react and what they do when they feel a particular emotion. For instance, if your friend slams a door by mistake you would not think that they are angry. However, if a stranger slams a door by mistake, you may perceive it as anger.

Practice

If you want to be an expert in body language, you may have to actively observe them. You may read books to know what each micro-expression exactly means.

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