Almost 93% of our communication is taken up by body language yet most of it we do it unconsciously, so it no wonder that you come by a quote or phrase that say's "actions are stronger than words".
So what is body language? Where do the gestures we use come from? What can affect your body language or when you are trying judge others on their own body language? What part does culture play in? How can we avoid or lessen the misunderstanding and confusion that comes with body language and different cultures?
First: What is body language?
It is almost everything we do non-verbally such as how we greet others, our posture from how we sit or stand, our facial expressions, our clothes, hair styles, tone of voice, eye movements, how we listen, how we breathe, how close we stand to others, and how we touch others.
(The gestures, postures, and facial expressions by which a person manifests various physical, mental, or emotional states and communicates nonverbally with others.)
In addition when we are emotional it is usually when our body language is most pronounced and it prevails over words.
Second: Where do the gestures we use come from?
Gestures may come from two parts, some that come inborn and passed down genetically while others are from growing in respective cultures.
Third: What can affect your body language or when you are trying judge others on their own body language?
Profession (a pianist may give a weak handshake to protect his hand), health, disability, trauma, clothing (if the clothes that are worn are tight it might restrict movement). If a gesture is taken out of contexts, take for example, you see someone with their arms crossed in front of their chest, this is seen as a defensive action yet now think of this same person doing this while the weather is cold outside, now you would come to realize this person is just trying to stay warm.
Fourth: What part does culture play in?
Every person has their own personal space and comfort distances yet our culture influences our expectations. According to Argyle (1978) there are about 700,000 forms of body language that humans use and not one of them could be considered universal. So it would be wise to remember that body languages used can mean very different things in different cultures. Here are a few examples of how body parts, from head to toes, are used for communicating in different parts of the world.
Head; In most societies, a nodding head signifies agreement or approval. But in some cultures, like parts of Greece, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and Turkey, a nodding head means "no." In most Asian cultures, head is where spirit resides and one should not touch another's head.
An example for this a new teacher went to teach at a preschool in United States and was given a very brief orientation and she was to teach colours and parts of the body, she had outlines of the body and she would say colour the hand orange, colour the feet purple, colour the colures green, put brown eye on the face the children would not do it, put a red mouth the children would not do it, everything the teacher asked them to do, every feature to put on this blank face the children would refuse to do, she just could not understand what was going on, then after class was over another teacher said "oh we forgot to tell you the Mong have a belief that the spirit resides in the head and that the head is almost sacred you do not touch it or colour anything on their head either as it is a very powerful belief", and it really important because had the teacher not known the belief she would of gone on believing that the children were ignorant, they were rebellious and that they refuse to fallow orders but once that was explained to her it become cleared up.
Face; Facial expressions reflect emotions, feelings, and attitudes. While expressing "true" feeling and emotion is valued in the West, it is prohibited in the East. The Asians, who are taught to practice self-control, are often labelled as "emotionless" and of possessing "mixed-up emotions." Smiling in the East is not necessarily a sign of happiness; rather it signifies "yes," "I don't understand what you said," or can be a cover-up for embarrassment.
Eyes; While good eye contact is praised and expected in the West, it is seen as a sign of disrespect and challenge in other cultures, including Asian and African. The less eye contact these groups have with an individual, the more respect they show.
Closing eyes; In 1975, former Vice President Walter Mondale was invited to speak to the Japanese Diet. He became irritated when he noticed that more than half of the audience closed their eyes. When the talk was over, Mondale snapped at the U.S. ambassador, "Why did I bother to come and talk to them?" "Why, Sir?" the ambassador asked. "They didn't care to hear what I had to say; they were sleeping." "No, Sir," the ambassador replied, "They closed their eyes to close out everything else in order to digest your speech."
Nose; Tapping the nose is more common in Europe than in the United States. It means "confidential" in England but "watch out!" in Italy. Blowing the nose on public streets, while seen as an impolite gesture in North America, is a common practice in most Asian countries. This rids the body of waste and; therefore, it is seen as healthy. At the same time the Asians do not understand why the Americans blow their noses onto a Kleenex that is put back in their pocket and carried with them throughout the day.
Lips and Mouth; Kissing is a sign of love or affection in the West. People kiss when they meet or when they say goodbye. But kissing is viewed as an intimate act in Asia and is not permissible in public. In some cultures, such as Filipino, Native American, Puerto Rican, and several Latin American, people use their lips to point, instead of a finger. Moreover there are 50 or so different types of smiles, for example some people from Asian cultures tend to cover their mouth with their hand because they believe to show your teeth is rude.
Arms; Some cultures, like the Italians, use their arms freely. Others, like the Japanese, are more reserved; in Japan it is considered impolite to gesture with broad movements of the arms.
Hands; Of all the body parts, the hands probably are used most for communicating non-verbally. Hand waves are used for greeting, beckoning, or farewell. The American "goodbye" wave can be interpreted in many parts of Europe and Latin America as the signal for "no." The Italian "goodbye" wave can be interpreted by Americans as the gesture of "come here." The American "come here" gesture can be seen as an insult in most Asian countries where they use it for calling an animal. Asians call others with a similar hand movement but with their palm downward.
Handshaking is the common form of greeting and leave taking in the Western culture. While it is being accepted in Asia, the Asians still prefer a different form of greeting: a bow in East Asia, a "wai" (joining the two hands together like in prayer) for some Southern and South-eastern Asian countries. Asians and Middle Easterners prefer a soft handshake. Strong grips are interpreted as a sign of aggression.
While both right and left hands have equal status in the West, the right hand has special significance and the left hand is "dirty" in the Middle Eastern and some Asian countries. It is best to accept or offer cards or gifts with the right hand or both. The "O.K." sign (the thumb and the forefinger form a circle) means "fine" or "O.K." in most cultures. However, it means "zero" or "worthless" in France and many European countries. The same signal is an insult in Greece, Brazil, Italy, Turkey, and Russia. A "thumb-up" sign indicates an "O.K." or "good job" in most cultures but it is an insult in Australia, New Zealand, and in most African countries.
Some examples
In 1992, then President George H.W. Bush made a state visit to Australia. People lined up along the roadside to welcome the American President who greeted them with raised fingers in the form of "V" with the back of his hand toward the onlookers. The following morning a headline in a local newspaper proclaimed that the "American President insulted the Australians."
In 1998, a newly married American couple went to New Zealand for their honeymoon. They rented a car and toured until they missed a stop sign. A police officer pulled them over. They explained that they were new in town and didn't know about the local traffic so were given a warning instead of a ticket. As a "thank you" gesture, the husband gave the "thumb up" sign. The police officer called for back up and hand cuffed the American man. (A "thump up" is seen as a rude gesture in New Zealand.)
Legs and Feet; Sitting cross-legged is common in North America and some European countries but it is viewed as disrespectful in Asia and the Middle East where a solid and balanced sitting posture is the prevailing custom. In Asia and the Middle East, resting the ankle over the other knee risks pointing the sole of your shoe at another person, which is considered a very rude gesture. One should never point or move an object with their feet in these cultures.
An example for this is
In 1988, two Laotian men walked into a Los Angeles bar where a singer, who was also from an Asian country, was entertaining patrons. The men sat at empty spaces near the front with their feet pointed straight to the singer. After the bar was closed, the singer followed the two men to a parking lot where they got into an argument about how the men pointed their feet at the singer's face. The argument became fierce when the singer pulled out a gun and killed one of the men.
Fifth: How can we avoid or lessen the misunderstanding and confusion that comes with body language and different cultures?
The best way to learn different body languages and cultures is by observation. Some people may even go as far as to call it" people watching", try sitting in an area that people gather in like a park or a shop center and watch the people around you and take notice of these following things:-
Focus on how people of your own gender act or how they may interact with others of the opposite sex.
get a sense of the typical personal space, like how far apart people are standing from each other, for example when talking to each other when waiting in line or on public transportations.
-notice what gesture and body language accompanying certain emotions, for instance how they hold themselves, and how people react to these emotions and behavior of others.
What kind of gestures are used when giving directions like "come here", "bring me that", how people hail taxis, getting attention in shops or when indicating when they want something (like when they point with there finger or snap there fingers to gain attention) would this be considered rude?
What gestures native speakers use or have when expressing complete thought like "I don’t know", "that’s crazy" or " I don’t want to talk about it".(Think about the way English speakers draw a circle around one ear to indicate "crazy")
In conclusion I think the best way to face this is to stay open minded, do not judge others to quickly and to remember that culture dose have an effects on our body language so it is best to gain knowledge about other cultures.
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Resources
http://www.ehow.com/how_2129585_learn-body-language-foreign-culture.html
http://www.bodylanguageexpert.co.uk/BodyLanguageAcrossCultures.html
http://anthro.palomar.edu/language/language_6.htm
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/22546/the_culture_of_body_language.html?cat=4
http://dating.lovetoknow.com/Cultural_Body_Language
http://www.indoindians.com/index.php/200901201038/Culture/body-language
http://www.answers.com/topic/body-language
http://www.medhunters.com/articles/bodyLanguageAcrossCultures.html
http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Clearinghouse/AdvisingIssues/body-speaks.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_language
