Contents Various Aspects of Body Language

Contents

Various Aspects of Body Language

1. 
   Facial Expressions, Head Movements and Eye Contact
   
2. 
   Finger, Hand and Arm Gestures
   
3. 
   Proximity, Orientation and Physical Contact
   
4. 
   The Korean Bow
   
5. 
   The German “1”
   
6. 
   The Indian Head Shake
   
7. 
   The Italian Pinecone
   
8. 
   The French “So-so”
   
9. 
   The Chinese Nose Point
   
10. 
    The Swiss Cheek Kisses
    
11. 
    The Iranian “Thumbs Up”
    
12. 
    The Japanese Eye Contact
    
13. 
    The Russian Finger Count
    

Body Language in Different Cultures: 10 Ways to Speak Volumes Without Saying a Word
Did you know that, in some cultures, making the “thumbs up” gesture that Facebook is so famous for can get you “unfriended” really fast?
Gestures that mean one thing in your part of the world can mean the exact opposite somewhere else. As a result, it’s quite possible to offend someone without even opening your mouth, and out of no ill will on your part!
In this post, we’ll look at how body language in different cultures is used to communicate meaning, and then check out 10 examples of body lingo from around the world.

Various Aspects of Body Language

Body language is the act of communicating using anything other than your words. Let’s break down the different components of body language:

1. Facial Expressions, Head Movements and Eye Contact

The six generally accepted emotions—happiness, surprise, fear, disgust, anger and sadness—were once considered universal. You might think that everyone knows what “disgust” looks like!
Further studies, however, suggest that everything may not be so clear cut. Researchers have found meaningful cultural differences in the expressions.
For example, while a computer algorithm was quite adept at deciphering the six emotions in Western (Caucasian) faces, the same algorithm applied to Asian faces comes somewhat short.
Faces around the world, it turns out, express emotions through different levels of intensity and by engaging different facial muscles. In the specific study noted above, Asian faces display lower emotional intensity than Western faces and much overlap when registering surprise, fear, disgust and anger—which may make it hard for someone of Western origin to tell when someone of Asian origin is mad or scared (for example).
Head movements can also have different meanings in different cultures, so nodding to say “yes” might not always get you the reaction you expect!