Meanings of body actions
|
Arms
crossed |
Defensive
and cautious. |
Resting chin on palm |
Critical, cynical and negative towards the
other person. |
Dropping
eyeglasses onto the lower bridge of the nose and peering over
them. |
Causes
negative reactions in others. |
Slowly
and deliberately taking off glasses and carefully cleaning the
lens. |
The
person wants to pause and think before raising opposition or
asking for clarification. |
Pinching
bridge of the nose. |
Communicates great
thought and concern. |
Nose-rubbing or nose-touching. |
A sign of
doubt, it often reveals a negative reaction. |
Rubbing
around ears. |
Performed
while weighing an answer, commonly coupled with 'well, I don't
know'. |
Resting feet on a desk or chair. |
Gestures
of territorial hegemony. |
Swaying
back. |
Weak
ego. |
Retracted
shoulders. |
Suppressed
anger. |
Direct Eye Contact | Interested, likes you |
Smiling Eyes | Is comfortable |
Relaxed Brow | Comfortable |
Limited or No Eye Contact | Lying, uninterested,
too confined, uncomfortable, distracted |
Tension in Brow | Confusion, tension, fear |
Shoulders hunched forward | Lacking interest or
feeling inferior |
Rigid Body Posture | Anxious, uptight |
Crossed arms | Can be just cold, protecting the
body, or defencive |
Tapping Fingers | Agitated, anxious, bored |
Fidgeting with hands or objects (i.e., pen) |
Bored or has something to say |
Leaning forward | Interested |
Fingers Interlocked placed behind the head leaving elbows
open and armpits exposed | Very open to ideas, comfortable |
Mirroring you | Likes you and wants to be friendly |
Still | More interested in what you are saying
than anything |
Eyes open slightly more than usual | Gives people the
impression that they are welcome. |
Breath
faster | Nervous or angry |
Inhaling loudly and
shortly | Wants to interrupt a speaking person |
Loud sigh | Understand the thing that is being told. |
Twisting the feet continiously | A
person is nervous or concerned, but can also mean that a person is stressed or angry and that he don't want to
show that to everybody. |
Legs wide apart
or
Sitting straddle-legged | Shows that a person is feeling safe, and
is self - confident. Can also show leadership. |
A big smile
that goes on longer and
disappears slower. | Unreal
or fake smile |
Crossed legs
with highest foot in
the direction of the speaker. | Relaxed and
self-confident and they are listening very
carefully. |
Rapidly nodding your head
|
Shows impatient
and eager to add something to the conversation
|
Slowly nodding |
Shows interest and that they are validating the comments of
the interviewer, and this subtly encourages
him to continue.
|
Gnawing on one's lips | May not be honest |
Dangling the loose shoe from the toes
| Signals physical attraction
|
Rubbing your collar
|
Nerves
|
Adjusting your tie |
Insecurity
|
Pressed Lips
|
Pressed lips convey disagreement and disapproval. It communicates a desire to
end the discussion. A raised chin implies aggression that may be acted on if the
conversation is not ended. |
Pursed Lips
|
This is also a sign of disapproval. It indicates that the person has fixed views
that cannot be changed. This usually reveals an arrogant and superficial
character. |
Biting the Lips
|
The person expresses embarrassment when he bites his lips. He also communicates
a lack of self-confidence. |
Reading Hand Signals
|
People have been granted with two hands: the left and the right hand. The left
has been dubbed as the "emotional hand” since an imaginary line can be
drawn from the third finger leading directly to the heart. This is why the
wedding ring is placed on this finger. The right hand, literally on the other
hand. has been named the "proper hand” since it is with this hand that
people communicate a blocking or stopping signal. |
Open Hands
|
Open hands may be demonstrated by showing the palm of one’s hand, especially
in a conversation or an argument.. This expresses a trust in other and an
interest in their opinions. It also offers an opinion and invites the sharing of
the other person’s view. |
Covered Hands
|
This is expressed by raising the back of one or both hands against others. This
indicates the setting up of barriers or the keeping of distance. It is an act of
concealing feelings and covering insecurity |
Clinging Hands
|
Those who cling to objects, such as handbags. files or tables. show a need for
support. This action conveys confusion or insecurity. It expresses fear and
difficulty in coping with the current situation. |
Twisted Hands ( crossing both hands then clasping the palms together)
|
Expression of a complex personality. It may indicate a difficult
emotional life. The way the palms are held together conveys a need to hide
something.
|
Clasping the hands - indicates defense. | |
Shrugged shoulders |
You can recognize stressed shoulders by the fact that they are a bit shrugged,
which does make the head look smaller. The meaning of the signal comes from
crouching in dangerous situations.
The meaning of this posing depends on the combination. In combination with big
eyes it means that someone is concerned about something that is going to happen.
In combination with a face that is turned away it means that the person wants to
be left alone. An introvert person has nearly always those stressed shoulders. |
Difference in level of both shoulders |
By most of the people the left and the right shoulder are of the same height.
When they are not, it often means that someone is doubting about what he is
going to do. With this movement we simulate (unconscious) that we are weighing
the possibilities. Sometimes when someone makes this movement, his head will
move a little like he is looking above. |
Crossed arms |
There are a lot of different explanations of the meaning of crossed arms. When
someone has crossed arms and he is shaking his head it means that he does not
agree with you. But he can also cross his arms when he is frightened, then his
arms give him some protection. Another option is that he is feeling cold and he
is trying to hold his body-warmth with him. When someone is sitting in a chair
with his arms crossed, it indicates that the person is relaxed. |
Making a fist from your hands |
A fist is a sign for aggression. It comes from hitting someone. But it is seldom
used with a threatening meaning. Most of the time it is used to indicate that
you are angry or irritated.
|
Holding the hand before the mouth |
Holding a hand before your mouth means that you are hiding something. In western
countries it is impolite to belch or to hiccup. So someone can hold his hand
before his mouth to hide that he is hiccuping. When someone puts his hand before
his mouth when he is talking it indicates that he is saying something or has
said something that he did not want to say. |
Making the eyes look larger |
The meaning of making the eyes look larger can be that someone is astonished. In
that case he opens his mouth a little. It can also mean that he is happy or that
he likes the thing that is talked about. And because it means that you like
something, you can use it on purpose. It pleases people when you have your eyes
opened a bit further.
When people open their eyes a bit further it can also mean that they are
unhappily surprised. Then they will frown their eyebrows. |
Raising the eyebrows |
Raising the eyebrows shortly means that people are surprised. They raise their
eyebrows to allow them to look better. But it can also mean that somebody is
looking at you, and that he likes you. |
Raised forehead |
A raised forehead often means that someone is remembering something he has seen.
This often happens very quickly. It can also be a sign of a certain emotion. It
is a biological reflex that you raise your forehead a little when you are crying
so the tears can move easier. |
Pursed lips |
When somebody purses his lips it means that he has to make a decision and is
thinking about that. Sometimes he also moves his lips, like he is saying the
possibilities. When somebody purses his lips, he often looks a bit upward. |
Firm Handshake | The strong, firm
handshake usually is given by a person who is sure and confident of themselves. |
Weak
hand shake | People who give these types
of handshakes are either nervous, shy, insecure, or afraid of interaction with
other people. |
cleared your throat, | Nervousness. |
bitten your fingernails, | Nervousness. |
wring your hands, | Nervousness. |
paced the floor | Nervousness. |
A person is bouncing their legs and their arms are crossed over or their
torso is slumped. | Closed off |