Body Language Basics

Body language is fascinating. People rarely recognize how much information they give off and how noticeable it is to the human eye. Even to the untrained human eye. It is said that no less that 50 percent of information on a person's character, impact and credibility is conveyed through no verbal communication.

The following list takes some common body postures and states the persons position.

Arms crossed: Defensive and cautious.

Resting chin on palm: Critical, cynical and negative towards the other person.

Dropping eyeglasses onto the lower bridge of the nose and peering over them: Causes negative reactions in others.

Slowly and deliberately taking off glasses and carefully cleaning the lens: The person wants to pause and think before raising opposition or asking for clarification.

Pinching bridge of the nose: Communicates great thought and concern.

Nose-rubbing or nose-touching: A sign of doubt, it often reveals a negative reaction.

Rubbing around ears: Performed while weighing an answer, commonly coupled with 'well, I don't know'.

Resting feet on a desk or chair: Gestures of territorial hegemony.

Swaying back: Weak ego.

Retracted shoulders: Suppressed anger.

Direct Eye Contact: Interested, likes you

Smiling Eyes: Is comfortable

Relaxed Brow: Comfortable

Limited or No Eye Contact : Lying, uninterested, too confined, uncomfortable, distracted

Tension in Brow : Confusion, tension, fear

Shoulders hunched forward : Lacking interest or feeling inferior

Rigid Body Posture : Anxious, uptight

Crossed arms : Can be just cold, protecting the body, or defensive

Tapping Fingers : Agitated, anxious, bored

Fidgeting with hands or objects (i.e., pen) : Bored or has something to say

Leaning forward : Interested

Fingers Interlocked placed behind the head leaving elbows open and armpits exposed : Very open to ideas, comfortable

Mirroring you : Likes you and wants to be friendly

Still : More interested in what you are saying than anything

Eyes open slightly more than usual: Gives people the impression that they are welcome.

Breath faster: Nervous or angry

Inhaling loudly and shortly: Wants to interrupt a speaking person

Loud sigh: Understand the thing that is being told.

Twisting the feet continuously : A person is nervous or concerned, but can also mean that a person is stressed or angry and that he don't want to show that to everybody.

Legs wide apart or Sitting straddle-legged: Shows that a person is feeling safe, and is self - confident. Can also show leadership.

A big smile that goes on longer and disappears slower.: Unreal or fake smile

Crossed legs with highest foot in the direction of the speaker.: Relaxed and self-confident and they are listening very carefully.

Rapidly nodding your head : Shows impatient and eager to add something to the conversation

Slowly nodding: Shows interest and that they are validating the comments of the interviewer, and this subtly encourages him to continue.

Dangling the loose shoe from the toes : Signals physical attraction

Rubbing your collar: Nerves

Adjusting your tie: Insecurity

Pressed Lips: Pressed lips convey disagreement and disapproval. It communicates a desire to end the discussion. A raised chin implies aggression that may be acted on if the conversation is not ended.

Pursed Lips: This is also a sign of disapproval. It indicates that the person has fixed views that cannot be changed. This usually reveals an arrogant and superficial character.

Biting the Lips: The person expresses embarrassment when he bites his lips. He also communicates a lack of self-confidence.

Reading Hand Signals: People have been granted with two hands: the left and the right hand. The left has been dubbed as the "emotional hand" since an imaginary line can be drawn from the third finger leading directly to the heart. This is why the wedding ring is placed on this finger. The right hand, literally on the other hand. has been named the "proper hand" since it is with this hand that people communicate a blocking or stopping signal.

Open Hands: Open hands may be demonstrated by showing the palm of one's hand, especially in a conversation or an argument.. This expresses a trust in other and an interest in their opinions. It also offers an opinion and invites the sharing of the other person's view.

Covered Hands: This is expressed by raising the back of one or both hands against others. This indicates the setting up of barriers or the keeping of distance. It is an act of concealing feelings and covering insecurity

Clinging Hands: Those who cling to objects, such as handbags. files or tables. show a need for support. This action conveys confusion or insecurity. It expresses fear and difficulty in coping with the current situation.

Twisted Hands ( crossing both hands then clasping the palms together) : Expression of a complex personality. It may indicate a difficult emotional life. The way the palms are held together conveys a need to hide something.

Clasping the hands : indicates defence.

Shrugged shoulders: You can recognize stressed shoulders by the fact that they are a bit shrugged, which does make the head look smaller. The meaning of the signal comes from crouching in dangerous situations. The meaning of this posing depends on the combination. In combination with big eyes it means that someone is concerned about something that is going to happen. In combination with a face that is turned away it means that the person wants to be left alone. An introvert person has nearly always those stressed shoulders.

Difference in level of both shoulders: By most of the people the left and the right shoulder are of the same height. When they are not, it often means that someone is doubting about what he is going to do. With this movement we simulate (unconscious) that we are weighing the possibilities. Sometimes when someone makes this movement, his head will move a little like he is looking above.

Crossed arms: There are a lot of different explanations of the meaning of crossed arms. When someone has crossed arms and he is shaking his head it means that he does not agree with you. But he can also cross his arms when he is frightened, then his arms give him some protection. Another option is that he is feeling cold and he is trying to hold his body-warmth with him. When someone is sitting in a chair with his arms crossed, it indicates that the person is relaxed.

Making a fist from your hands: A fist is a sign for aggression. It comes from hitting someone. But it is seldom used with a threatening meaning. Most of the time it is used to indicate that you are angry or irritated.

Holding the hand before the mouth: Holding a hand before your mouth means that you are hiding something. In western countries it is impolite to belch or to hiccup. So someone can hold his hand before his mouth to hide that he is hiccupping. When someone puts his hand before his mouth when he is talking it indicates that he is saying something or has said something that he did not want to say.

Making the eyes look larger: The meaning of making the eyes look larger can be that someone is astonished. In that case he opens his mouth a little. It can also mean that he is happy or that he likes the thing that is talked about. And because it means that you like something, you can use it on purpose. It pleases people when you have your eyes opened a bit further. When people open their eyes a bit further it can also mean that they are unhappily surprised. Then they will frown their eyebrows.

Raising the eyebrows: Raising the eyebrows shortly means that people are surprised. They raise their eyebrows to allow them to look better. But it can also mean that somebody is looking at you, and that he likes you.

Raised forehead: A raised forehead often means that someone is remembering something he has seen. This often happens very quickly. It can also be a sign of a certain emotion. It is a biological reflex that you raise your forehead a little when you are crying so the tears can move easier.

Pursed lips: When somebody purses his lips it means that he has to make a decision and is thinking about that. Sometimes he also moves his lips, like he is saying the possibilities. When somebody purses his lips, he often looks a bit upward.

Firm Handshake: The strong, firm handshake usually is given by a person who is sure and confident of themselves.

Weak hand shake: People who give these types of handshakes are either nervous, shy, insecure, or afraid of interaction with other people.

Cleared your throat: Nervousness.

Bitten your fingernails: Nervousness.

Wring your hands: Nervousness.

Paced the floor: Nervousness.

A person is bouncing their legs and their arms are crossed over or their torso is slumped: Closed off

Tags: Body, Communication, Emotion, Eyes, Language, Miscellaneous

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Comments / Replies

KoKo Says:
14 March, 2007 at 5:28 am

What does it mean when a female is talking to a male and she stands with her right leg forward?
Prathik Says:
22 June, 2008 at 9:21 am

Good stuff..
K'ya Says:
19 November, 2008 at 7:43 am

Very useful for an insecure person
chaos Says:
2 January, 2009 at 6:38 pm

lots of the gestures are explained wrongly or not at all... a lot of them are coupled with wrong conclusions. ah well, keep believing in it and refine the findings. :p
Tyler Duncan Says:
13 January, 2009 at 6:35 pm

it must be noted that difference in body height can change a countless number of these signs. when i talk to someone shorter than i am (i am 6 ft 1 inch so this is often) i tend to slouch my shoulders forward a little when i am irritated and trying to frighten them off, of i lean in to hear them better. all in all a very good article though, cudoos for your time
Laurie Sikora Says:
17 January, 2009 at 8:17 pm

I have a friend who twists his wedding ring and moves it back and fourth all the time. He acts like its uncomfortable. He doesn't appear to be in a happy mariage. Is that why he always moves it around.?
Chris Says:
22 January, 2009 at 7:27 pm

An interesting list. However, I feel you should amend the list to include the warning that these are not always true. For example, I was raised to not make direct eye contact as a sign of respect to superiors (i.e. employers, supervisors, parents, etc).
dum dum Says:
8 February, 2009 at 8:43 pm

arms crossed: cautious, defensive
crossed arms: could just be cold, cautious defensive
lol?
NotNeeded Says:
11 February, 2009 at 2:35 pm

If you actually think that certain poses and/or movements are always linked to specific sentiments/feelings (as is clearly being suggested most of the time in the above), you're quite the tool. Just some random picks:

- "Dangling the loose shoe from the toes: Signals physical attraction."
- Or: (s)he's just bored with you.

- "Adjusting your tie: Insecurity."
- Or: just straightening it to make sure you don't look like a douche during an important meeting.

- "Mirroring you: Likes you and wants to be friendly."
- Or: trying to show you how foolish you look.

- "Loud sigh: Understand the thing that is being told."
- Seriously: WHAT?! How about this: agitated because of the fact that you keep spouting nonsense; indication that it might be wise to simply shut up for now.

I could go on, but if you're really the kind of person that believes the seemingly rigid definitions given in the article and if you're not able to read someone's body language based on the situational context, you're beyond hope anyway. Good luck. You'll need it.
Bron Says:
14 February, 2009 at 6:19 pm

Laurie, your friend is constantly playing with his wedding ring because he is bored. It's called fidgeting, people play with things when they are under stimulated in the environment they are currently in. It doesn't necessarily have anything to do with his happiness in marriage...
Bron Says:
14 February, 2009 at 6:28 pm

Laurie, gestures almost never work that way. Your friend is constantly playing with his wedding ring because he is either bored or uncomfortable. It's called fidgeting, people play with things when they are under stimulated in the environment they are currently in or when they are actively trying to withdraw from them. It doesn't necessarily have anything to do with his happiness in marriage...
Fred Says:
18 March, 2009 at 9:18 am

This is simply a pile of generalisations which cannot be taken in isolation. I fold my arms sometimes because it's more comfortable that way. I pinch the bridge of my nose because I have sinus problems and it helps. Most of this is simply untrue
josh Says:
18 March, 2009 at 1:30 pm

yea, a lot of these are incorrect. You can easily look into someones eyes when they are lying, or you clear your throat simply because you have something in your throat, lol.
josh Says:
18 March, 2009 at 1:31 pm

sorry, i meant when you are lying, not they.
Pierre Says:
18 March, 2009 at 9:18 pm

Actually these are quite accurate. Everyone in this comments section seem to dismiss them, but they are very real. Psychology is no joke, and it is not by chance or choice either. We develop these reactions and characteristics based on on ancestors and the situations they encountered, and the physiological traits which helped them survive and interact with the world around them.

These are based on reactionary measures to situations that have exsisted in humanity since the dawn of our kind. These are unconcious actions we make daily. Those of you who bash this, are guilty of these actions everyday, when you feel comfortable on the subway, or you feel threatened on the bus, I would stake my lifes worth on it that you behave no different than what this writing suggests when your not paying attention to yourself in the mirror.
theo Says:
19 March, 2009 at 12:45 am

While I agree that psychology is serious business, this list takes into account certain situations. Obviously, we have all probably experienced most of these. But, like josh says, you CAN look someone in the eyes while lying to them. So these are true most of the time, but they do not take into account all the variables you come across on a daily basis. I think the list is a bit of a waste of time seeing as how this is all kinda "duh" material. Plus things like: "Weak hand shake: People who give these types of handshakes are either nervous, shy, insecure, or afraid of interaction with other people." kind of irk me considering i have joint problems and have been called out for having a weak hand shake. so yeah, this stuff is true but only some of the time.
Heather C Says:
4 April, 2009 at 8:37 pm

Yeah a lot of the meanings are wrong or totally insensitive. You should change the 'shoulders not being level' part to shrugging or some other description. Since you know, the other main cause of people not having straight up backs and shoulders is because they have scoliosis or kyphosis or other back problems! Thanks. Thanks a lot. I really hope nobody takes it seriously cause I get enough crap from people about my bad posture, so much so that I've had to forcibly hold myself straight, which, guess what, caused more back problems.

Enjoy your perpetuating stereotypes.
Lana Says:
7 April, 2009 at 5:42 pm

LOL. Why are so many of you upset? The title of this post is Body Language Basics. This is an outline, you'd have to read a book to get more detail. While it's true that nonverbal signals can represent issues other than someone's emotional state, that doesn't mean that nonverbal signals isn't representative of our emotions. I think people are intelligent enough to recognize that definitive conclusions about someone based on nonverbal signals can't be drawn after one encounter, and that context has to be factored in.
roger atwell Says:
27 June, 2009 at 8:32 pm

I think the point is,that subconciously we interpret these things this way. I have mild Kyphosis. Not too bad but it does affect my posture. Doesn't work in my favor.
ilkay Says:
15 July, 2009 at 1:51 am

"...since an imaginary line can be drawn from the third finger leading directly to the heart.".

I am a doctor and this statement does not make sense to me. Can you please demonstrate how another line can't be drawn from the index finger? Also, can you also demonstrate how the line "leads directly to the heart".

General medicine is a positive science. Thinking that emotions rise from the heart as an internal organ is, well, not right. This makes this piece of writing doubtful at the least.
A psych student Says:
20 August, 2009 at 4:12 pm

I think what most of you non believers don`t understand is that psychology is based on averages. Of course these wont all be true for you if youve got bad posture or youve taught yourself how to lie, think of a kid whos lieing, he/she wont look you in the eye because most kids aren`t good at it yet, well the good ones at least. Someone didn`t just make this stuff up. This has been researched on random populations and it wouldn`t be popular if there wasn`t a significant difference between these results and other results that were non conclusive. Take this data as general, not black and white, that`s not how psychology roles
Paul Christian Says:
10 December, 2009 at 5:38 pm

When a woman's arms are crossed it means they are covering their nipples that are hard. And they are defensive. But they don' t have to have their arms crossed to be defensive.
Samantha Says:
14 December, 2009 at 9:58 pm

Some of these are definitely incorrect or at least not true universally. I have ADHD and so I fidget, fiddle and don't look at who I'm talking to in an effort to at least keep up with the conversation. If I don't do at least one and sometimes all of these things, I end up being distracted from the conversation, which is far ruder. I admit that these behaviours tend to put people off but they are my coping strategy and have done me well over the years.
Per. Says:
20 December, 2009 at 3:50 pm

I'd say that this list seems unscientific. Especially "Reading Hand Signals" and "Difference in level of both shoulders" seems a bit mumbo-jumbo. Also, it seems a bit strange that there is three descriptions about having arms crossed. If there were some sources it would be good.
Erika Lints Says:
20 February, 2010 at 7:44 pm

These are not accurate. You can not define these things in just a few words. Oh and by the way, for the person who says "they fold their arms because its comfotable." It is only comfortable because you have an accompaning attitude (which is negative or closed off, UNLESS you are cold). Have you tried to fold your arms when you are out having fun with your buddies (or whom ever you like)? When you try folding them when you are relaxed, open, and having fun, it becomes very uncomfortable.
lizzie Says:
22 February, 2010 at 9:30 am

tbh some gestures could be mistaken for something when their intended to show the opposite. you can never be too careful when working out exactly what the the other person is intending you to believe. great list though. thx x
Craig Seymour Says:
7 March, 2010 at 11:18 am

This come in really handy to figuring out peoples ways
Scott Mitchell Says:
4 April, 2010 at 6:34 pm

"yea, a lot of these are incorrect. You can easily look into someones eyes when they are lying, or you clear your throat simply because you have something in your throat, lol."

Then you're actively controlling your body language, and this article is about the cognitive processes that accompany subconscious gestures. You are far less likely to make eye contact when lying, but you can force yourself to if you're made aware of the fact you're not.
LucidDreamer Says:
11 May, 2010 at 2:18 am

Any one gesture alone can mean a number of things as it depends on the context or body sentence it's written into. Just like you cannot really say what the word 'dressing' means when written alone, but put in a sentence with clothes or salad or horse then it starts to mean something completely different.
The points to watch are the eyes - for where the attention is focused
The hands - for their intention.
The movements which are out of symmetry - to reveal the level of confidence.
Aaron Davis Says:
11 May, 2010 at 10:24 am

It is true, at times a person can do this simply because it just feels comfortable and when one does one of these automatically the mentality or feeling will follow. Or in other words, its a circle:

you take the action the attitude follows and you have the attitude the action follows. If you feel a certain way you will act that way and if you act a certain way you will begin to feel that way. Body language is the outward expression of inward emotions.

If you are a salesman and your prospect has his arms folded and legs crossed do you think this would be a good sign? What if you see him bouncing his foot up and down or strumming his fingers on his knee which more than likely would be followed by a furtive glance at the clock? Good or bad?

But to make hasty assumptions based on only ONE of these signs is a mistake. They must be looked at in clusters and in the context of what the person is saying versus doing. You could lie and not rub your nose, but you might rub your ear without thinking and then fold your arms.

Body language is real. Those who refuse it will unfortunately remain in a myopic state of communication. If you doubt it still, try going to a social place like a bar and watch as people interact with each other like when a man tries to by a woman a drink. You will see the good signs and bad ones. Good luck in your studies!
Aaron Davis Says:
11 May, 2010 at 10:29 am

KoKo,
if a female stands with one foot forward you need to look at a couple things. Where is the relaxed foot pointing? Toward you or toward the nearest exit? If it is pointing toward you then most likely it means her attention is on you and she is enjoying being around you.
gina26 Says:
15 July, 2010 at 8:24 pm

I fidget all the time and its always when I'm bored or feeling insecure so that's true but everyone knows that one. One of the big giveaways a guy likes a woman is when he adjusts his belt. That has never failed in my experience.......something that would be more helpful in terms of body language and facial expressions would be what are some signals you get from strangers (someone you're not interacting with) like when someone is starring at you biting their lip LOL, do they like you? Or think you're ugly or something? Who can ever tell.

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