Eyebrows In extreme disgust, the eyebrows are lowered forming a ‘V’ above the nose and producing wrinkles on the forehead. In mild disgust, the eyebrows may only be slightly lowered or not lowered at all. Eyes Eyes are made as narrow as possible by bringing the eyelids together. In extreme disgust, it appears as if […]
Facial expressions: Anger
Eyebrows Eyebrows are lowered and drawn together such that they form a ‘V’ over the nose. This lowering and drawing together of the eyebrows forms wrinkles on the forehead, just above the nose and the eyebrows. Eyes The eyes are usually narrowed to produce an intense stare. Staring eyes are indicated by raised upper eyelids. […]
How facial expressions are triggered and controlled
Facial expressions are triggered by conscious and unconscious interpretations of events and situations. These interpretations usually happen very quickly and instantaneously so that we only become aware of our own facial expressions once we’ve already made them.Sometimes we don’t become aware of them at all, even though they’ve been lingering on our face for quite a […]
Types of facial expressions: Strong vs subtle expressions
The types of facial expressions that most of us are familiar with are what are known as strong or full facial expressions. All of us can easily recognize when a person is feeling happy, sad, angry, afraid, etc. just by looking at their facial expression because the expressions for these emotions are full, strong and conspicuous. […]
Importance of interpreting facial expressions in communication
A person’s face is the seal of his identity. Our face is what gives us our distinct identity and separates us from the others. You are you and anyone else because of your distinct facial features. If all of us had the same face, there’s no doubt that interpersonal communication among humans would’ve been excruciatingly difficult, if not […]
Meanings of 3 common gesture clusters that people make
Isolated gestures are rarely noticed while observing body language. Often, a person will convey his emotional state via more than one gesture and this combination of gestures is known as a gesture cluster. While analyzing body language it is imperative that you take into account as many gestures as possible because that will provide a […]
How your standing and walking styles reveal your attitude
The attention position This is a standing position in which the feet are placed close to each other so that the legs remain unopened. A person who takes up this gesture usually also keeps his hands and arms close to his body. The subconscious purpose of this gesture is to make oneself appear smaller and […]
How height is related to status in body language
One morning you wake up and find yourself not in your home but in a small wooden hut. Startled, you look outside through a hole in the hut wall beside your grassy bed, a prototype what we today call the window. You see people walking around dressed in long, white robes. You go outside and soon […]
Body language: Truth of the pointing foot
Can we deduce what’s on a person’s mind merely by reading the body language of their feet? That is the question this post attempts to answer. When we communicate with others, our attention is focused mainly on the words they speak and the facial expressions they make. We pay little, if any, attention to gestures of the […]
Why body orientation in nonverbal communication is important
You’re browsing through some items in a provisional store. You notice an old high school friend at the far end of the store and you decide to approach him. You move towards him walking backward- yes, with your back turned towards him. As soon as you reach near him, judging his position by his shadow on the floor, you say, “Hi […]