Exploring the forces that shape the human psyche
People blink excessively for a variety of reasons. The biological function of blinking is to lubricate the eyeballs to keep them moist. When our eyes become dry due to irritation, eyestrain, or contact lenses, we blink more. In addition, excessive blinking is caused by some medical conditions and treatments such as: Tourette syndrome Strokes Nervous …
Like every other universal emotion, sadness shows in our body language. People often don’t even have to utter “I’m sad” because they have sadness written all over them. Sadness is easily recognizable in facial expressions and body language. Often, we experience mixed emotions, and this mixedness is reflected in our body language. This can make …
Nonverbal communication includes all aspects of communication minus the words. Whenever you’re not using words, you’re communicating nonverbally. Nonverbal communication is of two types: 1. Vocal Also called paralanguage, the vocal part of nonverbal communication includes the conversational aspects of communication minus the actual words, such as: Voice pitch Voice tone Volume Talking speed Pauses …
Human beings are sensitive to social hierarchies. They want to know their status in their group and the status of their group members. Therefore, when people interact with others, some questions naturally run in their heads, such as: “Is he confident?” “Is he a leader?” “Is she trustworthy?” “Is he successful?” “Is he a loser?” …
People display nervous body language when they find themselves in threatening social situations. When a person believes they won’t be able to handle a high-stakes, threatening social situation the way they want to, they get nervous and anxious. When you display signs of nervousness and discomfort, you make others uncomfortable as well. People have this …
When someone gives you a sideways glance, they look at you from the corners of their eyes. Normally, when we have to look at someone, we turn our heads towards them. If we’re really interested in engaging with them, we also turn our bodies towards them. These are direct modes of engagement with the other …
Patting another person’s shoulder is common in social interactions. This body language gesture is highly context-dependent. Who does it and when determines what it means. In this article, we’ll explore all the possible meanings of ‘pat on the shoulder’ body language gesture. After that, we’ll discuss the meaning of a closely related ‘resting hand on …
In body language, the ‘tongue pressed against cheek’ facial expression occurs when a person’s tongue presses against the inside of their cheek on one side of the face. As a result, their cheek bulges noticeably on the outside. This facial expression is subtle and usually lasts for only a fraction of a second. Where and …
The ‘wringing hands’ body language gesture is where a person squeezes one hand with the other repeatedly or alternately, or both. Usually, the knuckles of one hand get pressed between the palm and the fingers of the other hand. Other times, the person rubs their entire hand as if they were washing it. In other …
Stretching the arms above head body language gesture is often accompanied by yawning i.e. stretching facial muscles whilst opening the mouth. And accompanied by deep, slow inhalation followed by quick exhalation. Yawning and stretching arms can occur independently, but when they occur together, the gesture is called pandiculation. Pandiculation is an involuntary gesture where a …