By: Natasha Kostuck

 body language is a form of nonverbal communication  body language includes body movement, gestures, mannerisms, motion, and visual communication ( language)  kinesics is the study of body movement (Floyd, 2009)  body language can have multiple meanings  improving your body language can change the way people respond to you (Sayer, 2009)

(Sayer, 2009)

 the body doesn’t lie  actions speak louder than words  when people like one another they subconsciously begin mirroring each other (Pease, 2006)  body language is important because it reveals to people how you are feeling (Sayer, 2009)

 put a smile on your face  keep your head up  roll your shoulders back  pull in your stomach  deflate your chest (Sayer, 2009)

 arms folded across the chest  tapping your foot or finger  propping your head with your hands  resting hands behind your head or on your hips  looking down when in conversation (Pease, 2006)

(

 the shoulder shrug implies that the person does not understand what is being said  nodding the head is a indication of “yes”  head shaking shows disagreement or indication of “no” (Pease, 2006)

 the ring sign in the United States generally means OK  in some Mediterranean countries it is used as a signal to imply a man is a homosexual  Throughout Europe it can mean zero, nothing, or worthless  In Japan it can mean money or asking for a bribe (Pease 2006)

 commonly used as another OK signal in the United States  used by hitchhikers to get a ride or telling someone “up yours”  in Greece the main meaning is “get stuffed!”  Europeans use thumbs- up for meaning “one” (Pease, 2006)

 in the United States the v-sign usually stands for peace or meaning “two”  in Britain it was used to show their enemies that they still have their shooting fingers  if the palm is facing out it stands for victory  if the palm is facing the speaker it can mean “up yours” (Pease, 2006)

 when someone strokes their head or hair it is because that is how their mother comforted them when they were young  shaking the head side to side is learned through infancy by breastfeeding, it is a way of saying “no” to not wanting more to eat  most people, even people born blind use gestures before they begin to actually speak (Pease 2006 )

1) Body Language. (n.d.). Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition. Retrieved March 26, 2010, from Thesaurus.com website: language 2) Floyd, K. (2009). Interpersonal Communication.(Vol. 1 st ed., Michael. Ryan, Ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. 3) Pease, A., & Pease, B. (2006). The Definitive Book of Body Language. New York, NY: Bantam Dell. 4) Sayer, M. (2009). Read the Signals: The Body Language Handbook. Molly Aloian, (Ed.). New York, NY: Crabtree Pub. 5) (2009). It’s All in the Body Language.