Did you know that there are 6,500 spoken languages in the world today? But, despite this barrier of communication we still manage to work with, understand and help eachother. You can always tell a person’s true intentions by their body language. It can help you out of sketchy situations and make you more adept at understanding people. Finally, language barriers never need to be a problem again. We say more with our bodies than we do with our words.
READING BODY LANGUAGE
Below I’ve laid out useful body gestures that can help you evaluate an encounter with a stranger. It’s important to remember that a stranger using only one of these gestures, such as glaring at you, is not enough to judge a person. Instead, you need to evaluate all of the body gestures, and micro gestures, that a person makes in order to correctly gauge a situation. Gestures below are broken into categories of Foe, Friend, or Unsure. Be leery if you see someone acting with foe gestures. Vice versa you can be put at ease if a stranger acts like a friend. Finally, some gestures are ambiguous. If you are interacting with someone who uses these gestures your behavior will determine if that person becomes friend or foe.
GESTURE |
MEANING |
FOE |
|
| constricted pupils | anger, challenging |
| clenched teeth | anger, hostility |
| slow rubbing palms | feeling of expectancy |
| lips pushed forward, chin thrust out, eyes glaring | challenging, dominance, anger |
| shaking a thumb | ridicule, disrespect |
| rubbing nose or corner of mouth/ eye | lying |
| upward thrust of thumb | “up yours”, “shove it” |
| crossed arms with clenched fists | anger, hostility |
| rubbing eye or ear | person is lying |
| crossed legs, locked ankles | defensive, disagreeable, feels threatened |
| 0 degree angle with torso, feet turned towards you | closed position, either hostile or attracted to you |
| leaning against car, in doorway, shop, etc | shows ownership and territorial behavior |
| finger and toe tapping, grooming, head scratching | inner conflict, restlessness |
| walking with hands in pockets | secretive, critical of others |
| covering mouth | deceitful |
| head down | demeaning, negative |
| clenched hands or hand-wringing | hostility, anger |
| hands on hips | aggressive, possibly hostile |
| staring at you without blinking/ blank stare | hostility, boredom, indifference |
| crowding your intimate space | violence or attraction imminent |
| shoulders pulled back, head held high, staring | dominance, confidence, superiority |
| feet, knees, hands turned away | points to where attention is |
| walking with swinging arms | person is directed |
| high head, protruded chest | confidence, fearlessness, superiority |
| eyes flit to the side | shady, suspicious |
| eyebrows curl down at corners | tension, anger |
| looking away when talking | deceitful |
FRIEND |
|
| dilated pupils | excitement |
| broad smile with exposed teeth | contentment, laughing |
| mirroring body movements | interest in person, ideas, or conversation |
| tilted head | interest in conversation |
| hands behind head | confident, superior |
| 90 degree angle with torso and legs | open to company |
| rubbing chin, cheek or mustache | thinking |
| high head, protruded chest | confidence, fearlessness, superiority |
| palm open and up | openness, friendliness |
| eyebrows curl up | happiness |
| lips drawn back in a smile exposing teeth | making an effort at politeness |
UNSURE |
|
| turned body | facing where his attention is |
| looking at door or window | wants to get away |
| feet, knees, hands turned away | points to where attention is |
| crossed legs, locked ankles | defensive, disagreeable, feels threatened |
| staring at you without blinking/ blank stare | hostility, boredom, indifference |
| rubbing neck | doubt |
| rubbing chin, cheek or mustache | thinking |
| gripping one arm with the other | nervous, lacking confidence |
| gripping wrist with one arm | nervous, lacking confidence |
| crossed arms on chest | defensive, disagreeable, feels threatened |
| placing coat, book, backpack on bus/train seat | superiority, possessiveness |