What is body language?

Body language is a form of communication that uses the gestures, postures and movements
of the body and face, to transmit information about the emotions and thoughts of the issuer. It
is usually done unconsciously, so it is usually a very clear indicator of the emotional state of
people. Body language exists in both animals and humans.

Body language must not be confused with sign language, as sign languages are
full languages like spoken languages and have their own complex grammar systems, as
well as being able to exhibit the fundamental properties that exist in all languages. Body
language, on the other hand, does not have a grammar system and must be interpreted
broadly, instead of having an absolute meaning corresponding with a certain movement, so
it is not a language like sign language, and is simply termed as a "language" due to popular
culture.

In a community, there are agreed-upon interpretations of particular behavior. Interpretations

may vary from country to country, or culture to culture. On this note, there is controversy on
whether body language is universal. Body language, a subset of nonverbal communication,
complements verbal communication in social interaction. In fact, some researchers conclude
that nonverbal communication accounts for the majority of information transmitted during
interpersonal interactions. It helps to establish the relationship between two people and
regulates interaction, but can be ambiguous.

The keys of body language

1. Meaning of face gestures

 Cover up or touch your mouth: if it is done while speaking it may mean
an attempt to hide something. If done while listening, it can be the signal that that
person believes that something is being hidden from him.
 Touch nose: It can indicate that someone is lying. It also occurs when
someone gets angry or annoyed.
 Rub an eye: it is an attempt to block what is seen so as not to have to
face the person to whom it is lying.
 Scratching the neck: sign of uncertainty or doubt with what oneself is
saying.
 Take a finger or something in your mouth: it means insecurity or the
need to calm down.

2. Head positions
 Lift your head and project your chin forward: a sign that pretends to
expressly communicate aggression and power.
 Nodding It communicates interest and agreement, but if it is done several
times very quickly it can communicate that enough has already been heard.
  Tilt your head: it is a sign of submission when the throat is exposed. If
you do it while you nod when you are listening to someone, you will increase the
confidence of your interlocutor towards you.
 Support the face on the hands: shows attraction for the other person.
 Support the chin on the hand: if the palm of the hand is closed it is a
sign of evaluation. If the palm of the hand is open it can mean boredom or loss of
interest.

3. The look also speaks

Looking directly into the eyes when you make a request is also useful to increase your
persuasiveness. But there are other functions of the look:

 Vary the size of the pupils: can not be controlled, but the presence of
dilated pupils usually means that you are seeing something that pleases, while the
contracted pupils express hostility
 Raise eyebrows: it is a social greeting that implies absence of fear and
pleasure.
 Lower your head and look up: in the female sex it is considered a
posture that transmits sensuality to attract men. In men it is the other way around:
lower shots to look taller and dominant.
 Blink repetitively: it is another way of trying to block the vision of the
person in front of you, either through boredom or distrust.
 Look sideways: Another way to express boredom, because
unconsciously you are looking for escape routes.

4. Types of smile
The smile is an inexhaustible source of meanings and emotions.

It is possible to distinguish several types of smile according to what they communicate:

 In a fake smile The left side of the mouth usually rises more because the
part of the brain that is more specialized in emotions is in the right hemisphere, which
mainly controls the left part of the body.
 The natural smile is the one that produces wrinkles next to the eyes,
elevates the cheeks and slightly lowers the eyebrows.
 A tight smile , with tight lips, denotes that person does not want to share their
emotions with you and is a clear sign of rejection.
 The biological function of the smile is create a social bond by promoting
trust and eliminating any sense of threat.
5. Position of the arms
 Crossing arms: shows disagreement and rejection.
 Cross one arm in front to hold the other arm: It denotes lack of
confidence in oneself when needing to feel embraced.
 Arms crossed with thumbs up: defensive posture but at the same time
wants to convey pride.
 Join hands in front of the genitals: in men it provides a sense of
security in situations where vulnerability is experienced.
 Join hands behind the back: demonstrates confidence and absence of
fear by exposing weak points such as the stomach, throat and crotch.
6. Gestures with hands
They offer a huge register of nonverbal communication possibilities.

 Show open palm: He expresses sincerity and honesty, while closing his
fist shows the opposite.
 Hands in the pockets: denotes pasotism and disinvestment in the
conversation or situation.
 Interlock the fingers of both hands: transmits a repressed, anxious or
negative attitude. If your interlocutor adopts this position, break it by giving it
something so that it has to hold it.
 Fingers joined fingers: It expresses confidence and security, but it can
get confused with arrogance.
 Holding the other hand by the back: it is an attempt to control oneself,
therefore expressing frustration or an attempt to disguise nervousness.
 Show thumbs out of pockets: in men it represents an attempt to
demonstrate confidence and authority against women who attract them.
 Hide only the thumbs inside the pockets: a sexually open attitude that
men perform to show absence of fear or sexual interest in a woman.
 Bring your hands to your hips: it indicates a subtly aggressive attitude,
since it wants to increase the physical presence.
IMPORTANCE OF BODY LANGUAGE
Body language shows the gestural capacity composed of body and mind. While you share
your ideas through your word, he expresses his well-being or discomfort. However, despite
the fact that there are many studies on body language, it is convenient to understand that
you can not analyze in a scientific way what each gesture means. This important aspect
must be worked on in order to adequately transmit the message we want to communicate.